That's the way, uh-huh, uh-huh, I like it, uh-huh

I have been pissing and moaning about the cold, rainy weather and short days to just about everyone. Endless summer, where did you go? Today, lemme make up for that a bit with Things I Like:

Leaf stains: you know, when leaves fall on the sidewalk and it's rainy and they get plastered there and then a couple of days later they get swept OFF the sidewalk and the tannins (or whatever) have made stains on the sidewalk in the shapes of the leaves? I think that is beautiful. I think we need more sidewalks, not just for safe walking and general orderliness, but also for the fall leaf art.

Claritin: because November is when my allergies kick in. Claritin D, you are especially awesome.

Long drives: and tomorrow, I get to take one, as I'll be covering a meeting a couple of hours from the Happy Boondocks.

Teenagers: Especially boys. And it's a good thing, too, because my house is full of them, much of the time.

My laptop: No, I LOVE my laptop. Nothing makes solitary housework go faster than being able to drag the laptop around and IM people. Even if all we're IMing about is the general boring nature of the day. Cherry Blossom, I'm talking to YOU!

Scented Candles: BJs sells a line made by the Yankee Candle people--so, you know, smells like the real thing at 1/4 the price. Yesterday I got a new candle. Smells like punch-under-the-Christmas-tree. And covers up the scent of Dog Ownership.

My Spot: When Hubby is watching TV in bed, one of our cats generally parks herself in his right armpit. That Damn Dog takes a knee. The other cat may take up a guard position at the corner of the bed. That leaves me left-side-of-Hubby. It is the snuggliest spot anywhere, and I love it.

And, this morning, as is the case most days, I love me some unsweetened, iced black tea.