#420: That Cheerful Drip Drip Drip of Icicles

Reason to Be Happy #420:

The Cheerful Drip Drip Drip of Icicles

Sure, it's a happy enough sound. But their pitter patter means winter is thawing...

 ...and that spring will come.

The first photo was taken by the talented Carol Tierney. The second is from my back porch, featuring my neighbor's leaning pine (that tree top touched the ground in 2012's ice storm, but it's resilient and stood back up. I always say it wants to be in my garden, and is trying to sneak over).

#419: When My Cat Sits Like This

Reason to Be Happy #419:

When My Cat Sits Like This

No further explanation is really necessary.

 Happy Friday!

 He's my Sexy Valentine!

#418: Fixing Your Mistakes

Reason to be Happy #418:

Fixing Your Mistakes

Anyone who has ever waited tables will appreciate this one.

So, a little backstory first: A couple weeks back, my talented writer friend and Capricorn sister Sharon Short and I went to The Wine Loft to celebrate our birthdays. We had a lovely dinner, festive cocktails, and decadent desserts—all brought to us by a fun, attentive server. When I paid my bill with a credit card, I made sure I left her a nice tip.

We left. The week got busy. It was over a week later when I was dealing with the receipts that had accumulated in my wallet. Imagine my mortification when I realized that the night of our birthday dinner, I had accidentally taken both the customer copy and the store copy of my credit card bill. I mentioned my horror to a friend. She said, "They swiped it. You got charged. Don't worry." "But, no," I protested. "The server has no idea I gave her a tip. As far as she's concerned, I totally stiffed her." This bugged me. Bigtime. Now, sure, I heard immediately that tiny little voice in my head suggesting that "Oh, well. No big deal. That's just a little bonus for you," but I slapped that little voice quiet. It was not okay. As soon as I could, I drove over to the Wine Loft. My server was not there (fortunately, her name was on the receipt), so I left a card with a note explaining what had happened. I included her tip (plus interest) in the card. The other servers listened to my story and kept saying, "That is so nice of you." Sure, it's nice, but it was also right. I made a mistake. It felt important to me to fix it.

Later that night, I received an email from the server thanking me and telling me "You made my day." She remembered me and my friend. (See? I would've been remembered for the wrong reasons!) And here's the deal: the tip wasn't all that much. It wasn't like I'd had a $100 dinner or anything…but it felt so good to do the right thing. I probably felt better making it right than she did receiving the tip. That's important to remember. Fixing your mistakes isn't just the right thing to do; it can actually make you feel happy.

#417: The Color Red in Winter

Reason to Be Happy #417:

The Color Red in Winter

Ah, winter in Ohio...  The landscape can be gray and bleak, and folks get prone to the blues and put on their cranky pants. Even though the cold has been relentless, you have to admit the snow is beautiful (and the landscape much prettier with it). And there's nothing more dramatic and stunning than the color red against the snow (and that is not the start to some gory horror story, I promise). Many of my friends are talented photographers, so I gathered some of their shots of gorgeous flashes of red. I hope they cheer you as much as they do me.

 This gorgeous shot is by Scott Ross.

 The next three were taken by my talented writer friend, Erin Gross. (And that's her son, aka Tank, who is among my favorite children on the planet).

 The wreath above, and the final two, were taken by Carol Tierney, whose photos never fail to brighten my days! Thanks, everyone! Please post your own in the comments—I'd love to see more!

#416: Uninterrupted Time to Write

Reason to Be Happy #416:

Uninterrupted Time to Write

This is truly the greatest gift you can give a writer! Back in October, I was so honored to be the John E. Nance Writer-in-Residence at the wonderful Thurber House in Columbus, Ohio. A whole month to immerse myself in my current work-in-progress....ahh...

The wonderful Thurber House.

 I had a great time and was incredibly productive there! And they let me bring Joey Cat with me!

Read my blog about the experience

to get details about the staff, what I worked on, and, of course, the ghosts.

The steps up to my attic apartment.

My "office" on nice autumn days.

My office in the wee hours and late at night.

Joey kept watch.

Joey wandered the halls with his ghost friends.

#415: The way fresh snow crunches under your boots

Reason to Be Happy #415:

The Way Fresh Snow Crunches 

Under Your Boots

Winter comes with a bunch of cool sounds. This one was pointed out on Facebook by my observant friend Cherie Cooper-Darragh and I immediately stole it! There's even that Styrofoam squeak of the snow when it's super duper cold, like it is right now.

#414: Snow Laden Pine Trees

Reason to Be Happy #414:

Snow Laden Pine Trees

 

 I recently asked folks on my Facebook Author Page to list their favorite winter-specific reasons to be happy and I received so many wonderful, beautiful comments! One that really spoke to me was this one from Eva Makstutis.

Snow laden pine trees are a winter sight I never tire of. Snow highlighting the branches of any tree skeleton is gorgeous, but something about that sugar coating on the evergreen boughs is especially striking. These beautiful photos were taken by the talented Carol Tierney. Thanks, Carol!