mittens vs. gloves

i guess there is a reason why chunky, colorful mittens work for me.

this season i bought a pair of sleek black leather driving gloves. i thought they would look
more professional, more authoritative now that i am out in the field for work.
the first day i wore them, i stopped at lunds on the way home from work. by the time i got home, i only had one glove.

i think i stepped out of the car and the glove fell from my lap into the parking lot at lunds. it was just so flat, and black, i didn't notice it on the ground. i would have noticed a giant colorful mitten on the asphalt.

there is nothing that would discern my glove from any other. i can't really call lunds and ask if they have found one "plain black leather glove." of course they have! lost and found boxes all over the world are full of single black gloves. it would be much easier to call and ask if they have found an "orange and purple recycled-sweater mitten."

my glove is gone, i am sure, but there is still hope for others...
one of my favorite winter sights is a single abandoned mitten propped up on a fence post or a mail box, in hopes that it's owner will wander by again.

100 things in this world i love

1. (inspired by) “pink of perfection”
2. fla-vor-ice pops
3. apologies
4. potlucks
5. kids getting off of Head Start busses
6. Harold and Maude
7. swimming dogs
8. diet coke
9. finishing 5 k runs
10. simple prayers ("thank you.")
11. post-it notes
12. letter openers
13. hand knit socks
14. Christmas cookies
15. clunky clogs
16. people magazine
17. recipe books
18. post cards
19. switching shampoo
20. fireworks at powderhorn park
21. getting tucked in
22. page protectors
23. stickers
24. protest signs
25. google reader
26. evergreen Chinese food
27. lemon scented Joy
28. my moms carrot cake
29. sweet potato fries
30. polka dots
31. step one
32. cherry chap stick
33. magnets
34. clipped articles
35. to do lists
36. yearly planners
37. tiny elephants
38. big dogs
39. kitty paws
40. craigslist
41. daisies
42. oprah
43. scarves
44. sea glass
45. baby turtles
46. craft fairs
47. etsy.com
48. lunch with my mom
49. bumper stickers
50. room temperature drinking water
51. black and white photographs
52. match books
53. Kleenex travel packs
54. Duluth
55. sharpies
56. Winona Knit mittens
57. pistachios
58. bingo
59. short cuts
60. barely frozen puddles
61. hot baths
62. vintage greeting cards
63. farmer’s markets
64. estate sales
65. national night out
66. thrift shopping
67. turtleneck sweaters
68. andy’s beard
69. book recommendations
70. redbox
71. cloth napkins
72. old fashioned chirstmas lights
73. ice cream dates
74. hand holding
75. cardigan sweaters
76. hot coffee
77. straws
78. board games
79. finding something lost
80. campfires
81. little jelly jars
82. saunas after the gym
83. to-go cups
84. rag rugs
85. how we met stories
86. glitter
87. glue
88. handwritten maps
89. feeding ducks
90. puppy dreams
91. free boxes
92. open mics
93. anne lamott
94. fiesta ware
95. bike rides
96. vintage glass beads
97. Mexican paper flags
98. left-over’s
99. book clubs
100. our breakfast nook

gorilla baby

i feel so blessed to have this tiny little dog, making our house seem even more alive. the cats are ducking for cover, and are just starting to realize she is not going anywhere. andy and i are calling the puppy sweet names like gorilla baby and button-cake. just in time for the holidays!

i reached into my pocket at work today and when i felt the broken up bits of puppy biscuit in there, i had a sudden pang of puppy withdrawal. i had to get home quick.

to fully enjoy clara belle, you must come over and hear her long sighs and sleepy grumbles. ridiculous! and the paws!

mas fiction

someone i trust said to me just last night, "you know what you need? fiction. you need more fiction in your life."

today i picked up the new mia tyler memoir from the library. (yes, liv tyler's sister.) i can't stop with the memoirs! it's become a problem. i don't even care about mia tyler! at least not yet, but soon i will know everything about her.

sigh.

after babysitting for some of our favorite boys last weekend i realized that one thing i need to do is read those harry potter books someday. everything that our friend's boys were talking about had to do with harry potter. it sounds like harry potter is pretty cool. i needed an interpreter or a cheat sheet. i was so out of the loop!
fiction!
okay, so after i read infinite jest, on to harry potter.

it may be a while.

hope

today is the day!
i am so hopeful today. so excited to begin a whole new way...
i have felt a collective energy around me the past couple of days, months really.

on the way to work this morning people were waving and holding up signs and smiling, and i honked and thumbs-up-ed.
there is so much possibility, and so much to think about right now. i want to thank my friends for talking and blogging about it and for sharing in this excitement along the way.

i want to thank my friend brandon who i miss terribly today. he's off in north carolina working on the campaign and making things happen. it was his excitement about obama that first educated and informed me a couple of years ago. and now, today is the day.