For a parting gift to my educator friends, I gave them each a pretty list of “Things that make me happy” and they were instructed to fill it out over the summer. When we re-convene in the fall, we’ll share these lists and share in some laughter ands tears I’m sure. Appreciating life and it’s little but magnificent blessings is my focus for the years ahead. Too much of my life has been out of my control ( recognizing that I don’t NEED control is the first step in my 12 step program-Ha!) and living in the moment has been the goal so creating my own list of things that make me happy is going to be a lot of fun. In no particular order they are…

Lavender

The smell is divine. It plays on the olfactory senses so well and can be used in food such as lavender ice cream! So pretty dried and tied as shown.

 

Books and magazines

Reading in general is one of my favourite things. In fact, I’ve made a career of it quite literally, so books and magazines of all kinds fuel my days. If waiting in a doctor’s office, on the highway at a roadblock, anywhere that I have to sit idle for more than 5 minutes, I will pick up ANY reading material and scour it. Legal documents, auction flyers, postcards, you name it-I will read it rather than sit in stillness.

Dessert

I LOVE desserts but I guess more accurately, I love sugar. Can’t deny it. Freshly baked anything will have me salivating in no time! When my kids were young, I would bake dessert prior to any supper meal. You could ALWAYS count on having something after dinner, and after school. Once they became aware of calories (Well, I became aware of it too…) and we were all working out, I stopped this practice but I can’t resist every once in awhile baking something, especially in winter months when it’s too cold to venture outside.

BC cherries

I LIVE for summer when I can run out to the store and buy cherries! Even better are BING cherries straight from a  trip to the Okanagan. This summer our friend bought a cherry orchard that he was tearing down to make way for horse stables, and he told us to go pick as many as we liked. When we arrived, we were stunned at how many were hanging from the trees-HUGE and luscious. A total crime to let them wither away which caused me some distress. I didn’t want to waste them but could only pick a small barrel of them to carry away in our hot car. A shame as these are expensive to buy at the fruit stands and here they were plentiful and free!

Earl Grey tea

I have a love for black tea-especially Earl Grey. I have many brands of this and usually have a cup a day. I often photograph tea in my still-life photos on Instagram @Koshka1960.Which brings me to…

Tea cups

This is my new Royal Albert find at a junk store. Isn’t it pretty? I have inherited a number of beautiful tea cups that I make sure to use on a regular basis. They are a bit of a “thing of the past,” as most people no longer buy these as readily as they one did. Maybe people no longer appreciate the history and class behind this fine china, but I do. I also photograph many of my tea cups for Instagram still life. Her’s one more

Stationary

I am a writer so papers of all types, cards, postcards, letter head memos, post it notes, vellum, rice paper etc. etc make me giddy. I will often choose to visit a stationary store over shoes, purses, coats, and food. I have a collection of empty journals and paper pads waiting to be doodled on or waiting for a stellar composition. LOVE paper…..

Totem Poles

Seems strange but I have built up this fascination with their beauty. The artistry and talent that goes into carving them I truly appreciate. They always tell a story and often  commemorate history , ancestry or events.

Flowers

All types and colors. I even shoot weeds if they are pretty enough. One man’s junk is another man’s treasure! I admire those people that have a green thumb. Sadly I am not one of them. It’s a miracle that I can grow peonies and meadow sage for my photo shoots, so whenever I see gorgeous blooms I want to capture their loveliness.

Part 2 coming soon!