163 I Love ... certain words

certain words.

for no particular reason

other than

I do.

Indigo

Melody

Birdsong

Songbird

Ceremonious

...

I don't even know

that I love them

until they present themselves

and I think,

hmmmmm ...

I love that word.

162 I Love ... the smell of fresh cut hay

It takes me back

to my childhood.

It takes me back

to the farm,

to the horses,

to my Dad.

It take me back to our kitchen;

figuring out after lunch

whether it would be 

dry enough

to bale.

I revisit

standing on the hay wagon,

grabbing

heavy, prickly bales

and pretending

that I was strong enough

to lift them easily.

I was not.

I drove the tractor instead.

But I rode on the

bumpy, noisey thing to the field

and back to the barn, 

breathing in that wonderful

summer fragrance.

The smell of the hay,

the feel of the sun;

it all comes back -

a whiff of the past.

161 I Love ... spring green

It seems to happen within

moments.

Brown.

Brown.

Brown.

Perpetual deadness

for what seems an

eternity;
then literally

springing

to life; 

not even 

before our eyes.

it's just

 not there 

one minute

and there

the next.

Bright.

Fresh.

Vibrant.

New life

green.

Even in the 

grayness

of a rainy day

it is a-light.

Forcing itself

up

through the old,

the decay.

Tender.

Fresh.

For the tiniest

fragment

of time.

160 I Love ... the Golden Hour

I love the gentleness

of the sun

as it bids farewell

to another day.

Golden

is the perfect 

name for it.

Precious.

The intensity of the day

is set aside;

the darkness of the night

has not yet arrived.

For the briefest 

moment in time

there is a perfect light

cast over the world.

Shadows are softer.

Birdsong is softer.

There is a stillness

in the transition;

a calmness,

a beauty;

a gentle light 

that is the

Golden Hour.

159 I Love ... photo books

I am glad 

to have gotten to live in a time

when creating them is so accessible.

Photos embedded on the page,

piece of cake;

not stuck in a book with little black corners

that let go;

or worse still,

that miserable cellophane

with lines of stickiness

that greedily grabbed on to your photo

forever.

When it was forced to release it,

it kept layers of the backing 

for itself.

Add some narrative.

Have some fun.

Enjoy its arrival.

And it is still at your fingertips 

to order more.

158 I Love ... knowing exactly where something is

It doesn't happen enough

in my life.

More often the thought is

'Where is ....???'

And then the search

begins.

First in my head.

Where did I stick that?

Where could I have put it?

And then the physcial search

which 

may or may not

be fruitful.

On the rare occurences

that I can go

directly and confidently

there ...

I am happy.

157 I Love .... driftwood

Nature's sculpture.

Water and wind and sun

taking an 

ordinary

piece of wood,

turning it into

Art.

Content to be

discovered or not.

  

156 I Love ... phone cards

It probably won't be long

until they are

obsolete.

Everything gets there quickly these days.

But

the invention of them 

was brilliant and exciting.

No worrying

about how much would be on your

phone bills.

Because it is already 

paid for,

it feels like free calling.

155 I Love ... having no plans for the day.

No 

'To Do'

No

'Have to's'

No

'Musts'

Wide open.

Morning. Noon. Night.

A full day of really nothing,

or maybe something.

154 I Love ... Independent Restaurants

A dining experience.

A memorable meal

that can bring back

the memory of 

the time and the place.

I could be the food;

it could be the decor,

the little touches;

it could be the people.

A chain restaurant

can feed you

but it rarely feeds

your memory bank.

153 I Love ... Independent Coffee Shops

Ones that make you feel

like you don't really know

where you are.

You could be in

Europe 

or a different city.

Non 

cookie-cutter decor,

cookie-cutter menu;

not

'been-in-one-been-in-them-all';

not

'any-town-every-town'.

152 I Love ... meeting someone I don't know well at a cafe

and getting to know them

Discovering

what we have in common.

Hearing a new story.

The intimacy of sitting at a table

sharing a cup of tea 

and stories

with potentially

a new friend.

150 I Love ... working hard.

Physically.

That feeling that your body

has when it has been

taxed,

when it has been 

used

as it should be -

heart beating,

muscles working,

brain focusing

on doing

not thinking of doing.

Feeling in the end,

exhausted

but

accomplished.

151 I Love ... meeting a friend at a cafe

On an ordinary day

as opposed

to a special occasion.

Chai latte,

uninterrupted talk,

no distratctions

just

talk,

talk,

talk.

149 I Love ... a home that says who lives there.

One you walk into and

instantly know

the personality

of those who abide there.

The intimate details

that speak 

of all that the creators of it

love

not just the sterile showcase

of an Ikea or Brick

room display.

148 I Love .... when words come easy.

Sometimes they do.

Sometimes they don't.

I love it when I am able

to attach the pen 

to my heart

and the words 

flow

directly from there

and 

don't have to go through

my brain.

147 I Love ... Batavia, New York

The Batavia of the 1960's.

The memory

of the race track,

the back stretch,

salt in tiny cone shaped paper cups of cold water

from thhe restaurant

where my dad's picture hugn.

I love remembering

the stirring chef in the candy shop window,

the steps of the big church,

the sidewalk around the laundry room

at the trailer park,

the 'bars',

the 'glad man' who came to the trailer

with gladiols for 

the big yellow vase.

I don't know Batavia now

but I love my

memories of it.

146 I Love ... Book Club

I love having had

the oppportunity

to stretch,

to read books

that I would have never picked up.

I love getting to spend

time with women

I admire and enjoy

every month.

I love that we are all reading 

the same words

at 

the same time.

145 I Love ... other people's gifts.

The fact

that they have discovered them

and use them

fully.

The gift of 

music,

words, 

art, 

business sense,

people-people.

Whatever the gift is,

I love 

the

intellect,

passion

and

drive 

that make people

use it.

144 I Love ... being off the grid.

It wasn't that long ago

that this wouldn't

have even

made snes.

Now it is something

I want and need 

desperately

at times.

As much as I love it,

sometimes

just being totally away from

all technology,

immersed in nature

with

only my own thoughts,

my own soul

or 

some real live people

is what I crave most.

142 I Love .... Netflix

Everything about it.

The convenience.

The choice.

The diversity.

Being able to watch

whatever I am in the mood for.

It has come to the point 

that I would require no

regular television 

at all.

143 I Love ... magazines

Quality ones

with 

great photography,

good paper,

interesting articles,

relevant ads,

a 'feel'

from cover to the last paper.

No tablet 

will every compete 

with the feeling

of anticipation

and comfort

of making a cup of tea

and curling up

with a fresh

magazine.

141 I Love ... popcorn

Done in a heavy pot,

the old fashioned way.

Real butter and salt.

At a movie theatre,

even tough it's phoney

and actually crap;

or

flavoured popcorn in a bag -

Chicago Mix,

Sweet and Salty Kettle Corn ...

I love it all.

140 I Love ... forgotten stuff

When I stick my hand

in a pocket

and come out with a

memory

from the last time

I wore it.

Or better yet,

a ten dollar bill.

When I come across someting

that I haven't seen

in a very long time;

something

that I really liked

but didn't even

remember

that I had it.

139 I Love ... driving in the countryside

Not necessarily

going

anywhere.

Just touring.

Looking at the crops

like a farmer.

Looking at the houses

like an architect.

Looking at the communities

like an historian.

Looking at the homesteads

like a writer.

Waving at everyone

like a neighbour.

138 I Love ...nice landscaping

It doesn't have to be

fancy,

just tidy.

The most simple places

are totally lovely

if their space surrounding

looks like it is

cared for.

The fanciest places

are not at all appealing

if the outside is

dishevelled.

If natural is done

with intention

and not inattention

it too is beautiful.

137 I Love ... boho

Even though it has not

always been

my decorating style,

I have

always

been drawn to it.

The wild,

crazy freedom

of it,

the looseness,

the vibrancy,

the colour,

the unexpected,

that it

says

'I have a Gypsy Soul'.

136 I Love ... planning

I wonder who first said that

'planning is half the fun'.

It is.

The anticipation.

The envisioning.

The possibilty.

The choices.

If you only ever planned

and never actually

did anything,

would it still be

'half the fun'.

I think not.

135 I Love ... a calm and gentle aura

Whether it is in a person

or a space,

it is

comforting.

I wish I could radiate that.

I don't.

I know that about myself.

I am often

'too much'

even for myself.

My brain is

moving too quickly.

But it is something

that appeals to me;

something that 

I bask in 

when I am there.

134 I Love ... sunlight coming through the leaves

Dappling.

The movement of light

dancing

with the breeze.

Softness.

Diffusion.

Fluid shade.

Not rigid.

133 I Love ... oil lamps

I am lucky.

I have my cabins

where I still need them

by

Necessity 

not merely

Decoratively.

The world is

gentler

lit by the

oil lamp.

132 I Love ... Father Christmas

The Victorian dude.

Long robe,

stately,

benevolent,

serious not stern,

kindly not jolly,

not round and fat - stately,

calm.

As in 

days gone by,

arriving quietly at a home

lit by candlelight 

with a special gift.

Not over abundance

and

hanging out at the mall.

131 I Love .... real Christmas trees

Especially the fragrance.

And the memories.

The trees of my childhood,

my children's childhood;

the choosing of them,

the placing of the 

best-side-out.

Their imperfection.

Their realness.

130 I Love .... releasing

Tension.

Issues.

'Stuff'.

I love the 

feeling

that it brings.

Space

to

Breathe.

Clearing room 

for the 

New.

129 I Love ... when my kids want something I have.

To think that they

value

something I have

valued;

that it still will have a home

where it is cherished.

It's not realistic for the most part

because

my loves 

and

my tastes

are my own.

It's not necessary,

it's not realistic,

it's not expected,

but when it happens

it's cool.

128 I Love ... split rail fences

They are not all that practical.

They can't hold much in.

Something - anything

could go

 over them,

under them,

through them.

Still,

they define an area

as 

homey,

rustic,

on that beckons me in.

127 I Love ... gingerbread trim

It dresses up the

drabbest

of houses.

It speaks of the person who

designed it,

created it,

envisioned it

as artistic, creative,

and

appreciative of detail

and workmanship.

And of the person who

painted it

as

very, very patient.

126 I love ... flying fish

I first had it in 1975

in a lady's livingroom 

on the Square in

Sav La Mar, St.. Lucia.

It was the most memorable meal

of my lifetime.

Then I had it in Jamacia in 1976.

And never again until Barbados 2015.

Almost 40 years.

Ridiculous length of time between

for something I 

Love.

125 I Love ... painted houses

Wooden houses

with wide trim.

Vibrant colours like in

Barbados -

orange, red, lime green, tourquoise.

They speak of

tropical breezes,

sun and sand and sea.

Reds, yellows, blues

of Newfoundland Salt Boxes

and Biscuit Boxes.

They speak of

rugged shores,

rock and sea and fog.

White

farmhouses in the countryside.

They speak of

fertile fields,

crops and harvest and bounty.

124 I Love ... sea turtles

I have always been

fascinated

with turtles.

Moreso after I visited the

sea turtle hospital

in Georgia

and then again

even moreso

when I swam

at Worthing Beach in Barbados

and up would

pop

sea turtles

all around us.

123 I Love ... Reggae buses

and

I Love

that I am 

comfortable and confident

knowing how the system works.

The 

'beep, beep',

jump-in-anywhere, 

squeeze 

and pile in.

Get off anywhere.

Go anywhere.

For a buck.

122 I Love ... talking to the locals

to find out where

 they eat.

Not where the tourists eat.

The hidden gems where the locals go.

The little known

mom and pop place.

That's the ingredient

for memorable

meals.

121 I Love ... batik

colourful

batik.

Rich, 

deep

vibrant colours.

Indigo, fuscia, teal, tourquoise.

Studying it.

Feeling it.

Collecting it.

Creating it.

That's something that I

could have done,

should have done,

might do.

120 I Love ... Chattel Houses

They fit right in

with my obsession for

'tiny houses'.

The variety of 

styles,

the colours,

the history.

I want a little village of them

I want to go inside them.

I want to decorate them.

119 I Love .... connectivity.

meeting someone

who leads you to

someone

who leads you to

someone.

Connectivity.

Like links in a chain

that keeps getting

longer

and

longer.

One interesting,

fascinating

soul 

connected 

to the 

next.

118 I Love .... sitting under a tree

no matter where it is..

A canopy of leaves

is the very best

roof.

Movement.

Diffused sunlight.

Soft rustle.

Perhaps a visitor or two

alighting.

Solid trunk

on which to

 rest my back.

117 I Love ... that dozy feeling

when you feel yourself

slipping away,

slipping away.

Most times you never feel it.

You're awake

then suddenly it's morning.

To feel it happening

is

delicious.

116 I Love ... feeling the warmth

of the world...

the gentle breeze,

warm air

on my skin.

no coat

no boots

not even a sweater.

Thinking

If I were home right now

outside,

I would be 

freezing.

115 I love ... bougainvillea

Rich pinks,

purples,

fuscia.

They speak to me of the

Caribbean .

A vibrant

riot

of brilliant, happy colours

against the

gentle

hues

of the aqua ocean

and

white sand.