Tipsy Toad Grove Farm

In elementary school I had two nicknames, Smiley and Bounce. I was perpetually happy, even when I wasn’t. Somehow the weight of the world has changed things, so I figure it’s time to make a list of happy thoughts. In no particular order, then:

-soft puppy bellies with the slightest skim of fur

-crunchy October leaves

-Twizzlers

-wooly tights

-bug-free woods

-a social mountain bike ride over bone-dry trails with friends

-bacon, slightly thick and crisped, with a mapley salt that clings to both sides

-sitting in a canoe on a dead-calm lake with a cup of coffee balanced precariously on your lap

-the first real snowstorm where you wake up and know you won’t make it to work

-coming home to the smell of supper on the stove and a fire on the hearth

-falling asleep snuggled up under flannel sheets

-having someone awesome who appreciates all the same things

-blood-thick Port clinging to the side of a stemless glass

-Smartwool hiking socks, new, tight, and so perfectly comfy

-spending time with a friend who you haven’t seen in years and feeling like nothing between you has changed

-bikes on roof racks waiting to be ridden

-flocks of chickens stalking you around the yard,

-sitting on the damp ground with 3 goats cuddled against your lap

-baggy plaid flannel shirts

-Burt’s Bees lip balm, especially the Pomegranate type

-kind words from co-workers when you’re feeling glum

-waking up in a panic to get to work and then realizing that it’s the weekend

-Scrabble. In particular, winning.

-Fresh bread straight from the oven

-knowing that someone you love is waiting for you to come home

-beautiful rough lumber  – much more satisfying than the dressed stuff

-flowy singletrack

-clearing technical singletrack that doesn’t flow at all

-bruises from doing something fun

-epic outdoors activities followed by food and beer with friends

-opening a bill to find a credit

-bellybutton or toe lint – rare, but surprising

-oozing baked brie scooped over crusty bread

-Clipping overgrown toenails

-a hot bubble bath to take away a sweaty chill

-hammocks, and no reason not to use them

-dinner parties

-the smell of good hay, even better when clean wood chips and sweet feed are present

-downloading snapshots and realizing that some are truly awesome

-quiet hugs that linger

-piano jazz and punk rock – not necessarily together

-airedale attitude

-the first little sprigs of lettuce poking through the soil

-cinnamon, especially in icing-caked buns

-Iceland – volcanoes, fjords, glaciers, fahionable Reykjavik , ponies,  – it’s magic

-Gros Morne – one of my favourite places on earth

-Family – no matter how crazy they may be it’s still so comforting to know that they’re there.

-clean laundry

-home

I feel better already.