I love puppies.  I call all dogs, regardless of their age, puppies, but in this instance, I am talking about newborn puppies.  I love their glossy fur, round bellies, and milk smell.  I love the little noises they make when they suckle.  I positively chortle with delight when they try to walk or jockey for position to reach one of mama’s nipples.

The Creator was in a good mood the day puppies were made.

I love coffee first thing in the morning.  Fresh and piping hot.  I wrap my hands around the mug and hold it like it is the Holy Grail leading me to redemption.  I love the aroma and will breathe it in with the steam.  Once in a while, I will pour heavy cream into it until it is the color of dark caramel.  The richness of the cream coating my tongue.

Morning coffee is my daily ritual – my must for starting the day.

I love the beach in summertime.  I have a low chair that allows me to dig my feet into the sand as I stretch out, my mug of coffee with me in the morning, and a ridiculous umbrella drink in my right hand in the afternoon.  I sit there and I watch people and I watch the ocean and I meditate on the sand.  I do not read.  I do not write.  I do not think.  I just sit and let negative ions from the crashing surf pour over me until my skin begins to redden -the signal that I need to get out of the sun. 

The beach is my yearly ritual – I am at loose ends when I cannot go.

I love the first deep snow of winter when the world is hushed.  When the silence is so loud that you can hear yourself think.  And the sun glints on the icy trees of the forest making deep shadows of black on the white snow.  I love the red cardinals that are so noticeable in the snow and the red-tailed hawks above in a crystalline blue sky.

The first snow brings out my inner child and I recognize her for the sweet little girl she was.  I let her romp.

I love the hum of the refrigerator in a quiet house on a rainy day.  The drops hitting the old tin roof so that the silence inside is magnified by the singing of the tin.  The wind in the trees adding percussion and the sound of thunder in the distance.  The shift of the barometer to storm as black clouds roll in and the refrigerator hums.  Homey, domestic, peaceful.

All is well with my world.

I love my bed and the luxurious linens I have splurged on.  The down comforter, the rich tapestry, the thick cotton of the sheets.  I love burrowing into the bed with my puppies, safe and warm, a pack of three.  We are quiet and our bodies all tangled together.  Happy puppy snores. 

I am the alpha, protected and protecting. 

I love the little world I have created here on my hill.  In times of upheaval, in times of uncertainty, in times of stress, this is my haven even when it is my haven causing the problems.

This is my spot on the planet.  Long may we endure.  Long may we thrive. 

I love.