The LaughingMaus

1. Mandarin oranges
2. Warm feet
3. Harald Schmidt – “Elvis Lebt – und Schmidt kann es beweisen” war SU-Per!

1. …the second of 6 films on the history of the Blues….

2. Cooking always gives me pleasure, but my fire really gets burning for Restrictive Cooking. Restrictive Cooking is my name for the concept of using only what is currently in the house, to create something especially fine. It increases your chances for success if you buy fine ingredients like sherry, green pepper corns, creamy camembert, blue cheese (domane de bresse) and cream along with very, very fresh ones like spinich, white fish and eggs.

3. I have a love/hate relationship with Christmas cards. I love to get them, and hate to send them. The ones for our company went out the door today. The Send out company Christmas cards on my ToDo list gave me great pleasure.

1. Ohhh. I had a visit from a dear friend whom I like very much, but don’t see very often. She was here for an hour or so. She accepted my gifts, and lit up my kitchen with her smile.

2. An unexpected phone call from a friendly stranger looking for tips for unusual ingredients for turkey stuffing.

3.

1. OÜ came for coffee on his way to Switzerland early this morning. He didn’t turn on the lights and, mercifully, he didn’t feel the need to “discuss” why I didn’t want to turn them on either. Perfectly. Lovely.

2.

3.

1. A Christmas tree is standing in my family room. I’ll admit, this year I was not surprised when OÜ brought it – but I was just as happy as if I were.

2. Chatted with OP on the phone for awhile this evening. OP always makes the list of beautiful things for which I am wildly thankful.

3. Quote of the day: “Die haben schon wieder Bucher.” (Overheard by J. as he waited outside of the book store for me to finally finish touching every item in the store.)

1. Today I was lucky to spend several hours in the company of a friend.

2. A serving cart for all my carrying needs. It’s a really nice one that folds up and fits easily in a small space, with large wheels. Now I can bring coffee and lunch all in one trip.

3. W. took our old scanner and a pile of scanning back to the studio with him. I have two empty shelves in the foyer. We’re making progress…

1. A wonderful compliment from UB in my email this morning.

2. Did I mention: Mmmmmm. Punkin bread for breakfast?

3. Then there was that hour and a half that chatted on the phone with Mom. I see now that she was always the one who knew when the time was right to let me run, and when my running meant: hold me, please.

1. Another rainbow…

2. Cleaning my desk and finding entire piles of paper I could simply throw away!

3.

1. Another rainbow…

2. Cleaning my desk and finding entire piles of paper I could simply throw away!

3.

1. Watching JM write thank you notes for his birthday present.

2. Making a Christmas wreath for our door

3. A Christmas card from M. The first one this year and I’ve set it here on my desk to ward off the annual bout of homesickness.

1. Two (!) rainbows before noon.

2.

3.

Our town has a weekly newspaper with local news that never fails to amuse.

1. Headline: “Backwaren + Wellness”. I know, cookies go a long way towards”Wellness” in my book too.

2.Environmentally-Unfriendly-Santa – arrives at a local department store by jumping out of an airplane, rips a big ole hunken limb off a tree while landing, and doesn’t bring any presents for the 200 or so kids waiting to see him. While this didn’t particularly give me pleasure, the extent of the stupid things a shopping mall will do to get parents to come and bring the kids (and the money – after all, it’s Christmas!!) did make me smile. Call me perverse.

3. The first Glühwein of the season – standing outside in the cold wind at the Weihnachtsmarkt.

A special extra…

4. I once, a long time ago had a step-son,William. I often wished he and his brother were my own. They are both Beautiful Things. Today is William’s 31st birthday. Over many years, and thousands of miles I wonder if you know that I think of you on the 6th of December…

1. A hug after lunch with a friend.

2. A long, hot bath, followed by a short nap and the rest of Hotel du Lac by Anita Brookner

3. The sun came out for awhile today, and strangers were smiling. I was a stranger too…

Hmmm. Some days this is harder than it looks. It’s not that today was a bad day, it was a shining example of average. I remind myself that the meditation is to find pleasure in average too, if that is what I have for a day. Here goes:

1. My first cup of coffee. I got the milk:coffee ratio just right this morning.

2. Claude Bolling’s Suite for Flute. D’doo do, d’doo do, d’doo do d’dooo. It probably loses something in the translation…

3. A quote from August Lämmle w/ reference to the Schwaben: “…eine seltsame Mischung von verschlossener Zurückhaltung und offenbarer Zutraulichkeit, von rechnerischem Scharfsinn und träumerischem Spintisieren, von inniger Religiosität und gänzlich mangelndem Authoritätsglauben, von verschimmelter Philisterhaftigkeit und offenem Weltsinn.” Wobei ich gleich zwei neue Worter gelernt habe: Spintisieren und philisterhaft the definition of which left me blinking. I looked it up here .

Once you get past the idea that each day the Three Beautiful Things must also be Three New Things it’s hard to stop:

4. Pizza for dinner.

1. After 3 days with my new pillow – when I woke up this morning and the stiffness in my neck is almost gone.

2. Lake Leo. The shopping center across the way is getting a new roof, but after hurricane winds and plenty of rain last night not today. I am left to enjoy watching the rain splash into bigger and bigger puddles.

3. The Purple Rose of Cairo. Saw it for the first time this evening and I’m slowly becoming a Woody Allen fan. Thanks for your patience with my education, J.