



I know it’s an abomination to post ice cream photos in all this cold weather, but we actually had a warm-enough day recently to sit outside and enjoy this incredible ice cream here in South Georgia.




I know it’s an abomination to post ice cream photos in all this cold weather, but we actually had a warm-enough day recently to sit outside and enjoy this incredible ice cream here in South Georgia.
My weekly gratitude journal, of sorts.
1. Robert MORE than enjoying his all-you-can-eat crab legs dinner at Tin Fin, a little seafood restaurant we discovered near where we are staying for a few weeks while our Savannah place is being renovated.




2. This old mailbox at our temporary country farmhouse.


See? Old can still be noteworthy and pretty, even with its age spots and creaky hinges.
3. Our amazing bodies, which are always trying to persuade us to appreciate them and to take care of them.
4. A Cute Coincidence …
But first a little background: HR and I agree on many things BUT NOT ABOUT COFFEE. He’s a Starbucks fellow while I love Dunkin Donuts. And here in Rincon GA, fairly close to the farmhouse, there is a Dunkin Donuts a few doors down from a Starbucks.
So here’s what we do when we go out for morning coffee: Pop in to Dunkin Donuts to get mine and then head to Starbucks for Robert’s — and to sit a spell with our iPads.

Oh, and here’s the Cute Coincidence: My barista at DD is named Winter, while Robert’s at Starbucks is Autumn.

5. Yesterday HR and I took a day trip across the Savannah River (yes, we’re still close to the river, an hour away from our home, which is two blocks from the river!) over to the Webb Wildlife Management Area in South Carolina.





And here’s a little recording of bird sounds at the Webb’s rookery. (LOTS of LOUD birdies but hidden from view in the thick brush.)
TIB (Truth in Blogging): I had to look up the definition of a “rookery.” I was getting it confused with a “bird blind.”
“A rookery is a crowded, communal nesting or breeding colony, most commonly referring to birds like herons, egrets, or rooks.”



May you hike into some joy this weekend.
My weekly gratitude journal, of sorts.
1. Outdoor winter lunch at the farmhouse.



And it’s just warm enough to eat outside. It = weather as well as soup.


2. Reading/skimming through this beautifully delightful book about flowers.

And then going outside the farmhouse to practice …


Okay, maybe I won’t win any floral awards. But it was fun.
3. Being able to stay warm in the cold of winter. What a blessing!

4. This ceiling light at a local indoor—outdoor restaurant.

5. The neat coincidence of Grandson Gabriel re-entering his recent high school basketball game just as an advertisement for his parents’ medical company flashed on the screen behind him.

May you have some neat coincidences this weekend!
“Sweet”



My weekly gratitude journal, of sorts.
1. These gorgeous Paperwhite Narcissus jewels blooming in the yard of the old farmhouse (in January!) where Robert and I are staying while our kitchen and living room get a renovation.


2. Daughter Amy and her Hubby Scott being named one of Savannah’s “Power Couples” in the current issue of Savannah Magazine.





3. Simplicity.
The older I get, the simpler I desire my life to be.

4. Good deals.

5. Anything Cardinal.

May you catch some joy this weekend.
My weekly gratitude journal, of sorts.
1. Kitty Benny in black and white on my lap the other morning.

2. Blessings of the New Year waiting to be revealed.

3. The wonderful ability to Breathe Deeply.
4. Robert and my New Year’s Eve/New York Strip cookout.

It was warm enough to eat outside.



5. Remembering this festively pedaling Santa that HR and I saw in Manhattan a few weeks ago.

Marveling at some of my Holiday Photos from Christmas 2025.












My weekly gratitude journal, of sorts.
1. This little golden tree I saw on a walk the other day.



2. Robert’s Christmas Morning Breakfast …

Apple and Bacon Sundae Cups

Okay, maybe now it seems more like Christmas Breakfast/Dessert.
3. Holiday Joy.
4. Benny’s favorite gift …

Kitty Stocking Scratcher.



5. Granddaughter Madison … a beautiful gift.



Maybe a few more than Five Happy Bringers this Holiday Friday.








May you show up in Holiday Joy this weekend.
My weekly gratitude journal, of sorts.
1. Very neat seasonal looks everywhere you turn.





2. Holidays and Seasonal Changes.
3. Robert’s Recent Rescue.
So the other afternoon HR and I drove over to Jesup GA to one of our very favorite Christmas Tree farms, Days of Creation.

We bought a pretty fresh wreath.

When we got home, Robert put the wreath, along with some branches of spruce, in our shower (!) to freshen them up with some cold water. (Some things in a marriage you simply put up with.)

In another room, I heard him yell/squeal, “Neal, look!”

It took me a minute to see the little fellow.

“What are you doing?!” I asked.

“I’m rescuing him, of course.”

His new home outside our door.


4. These amazing little slider hotdogs we had yesterday for lunch at local Sly’s Sliders and Fries.


5. Nearby church spires at dusk here in Savannah.


May you look around and see some Peaceful Beauty this last weekend before Christmas.