A Valentine's Day list

I wish I could say this idea was mine. I read it on another blog and wondered if I could also come up with 1,000 words on what I love. Here goes:

I love being safely snuggled in the house when the skies open up and it pours, pours, pours rain. I love the early spring when the sun is still not relentless and a seat in the sun just feels nice and warm. I love that I have “met” so many shirt-tail relatives and made acquaintances through the genealogy boards that I have posted questions (and a few answers) on. I love that I have basically become the family genealogist on more than one of my own and my spouse’s ancestral lines. I love the few old photos of long-deceased family members that I have been fortunate to find or to have someone share with me. I love corresponding with old, opinionated, sometimes cranky Great-Uncle Pete, my grandfather’s sole surviving brother.

I love my current haircut/hairstyle. I love approaching 60 and hoping that many more years await me. I love that my sister is finally dating again, after her husband passed away almost 6 years ago. I love the fact that we have decided to move back to Minnesota in a little over 2 years from now. I love that I will actually retire in 2010.

I love a glass of good, mellow red wine that is sipped at leisure. I love a bowl of freshly popped popcorn (not microwaved!) with some butter and a bit of that forbidden salt on it. I love knowing how to cook and bake and being willing to always try another new recipe. I love fresh salmon on the grill. I love a chuck roast and the lovely cooking smells that it puts in the house on a chilly day. I love having an appreciative man to help prepare and share my meals with.

I love the smell of sheets that have been hung out on the line. I love the clean, outdoorsy freshness of the air as you drive north out of the Twin Cities. I love the atmosphere of Texas’ Hill Country and the many small towns there. I love the cool breeze that blows in your face and hair, as you motor across a lake in a boat in Minnesota. I love the fragrant perfume of blooming lilacs in the spring. I love the ethnic foods of Minnesota. I love the TexMex food of Texas. I love rich, dark chocolate. I love extra sharp cheddar, pungent Swiss and creamy Brie cheeses. I love strawberries, raspberries and blueberries, and the fact that they are all known to carry a good dosage of antioxidants.

I love that I was born intelligent. I love that I still have my health (mostly). I love that I have close family that I care about and that care about me. I love to read and I love a good mystery novel. I love that I have good friends both here in Texas and back in Minnesota. I love that I have cousins that I am still in contact with. I love the adults that my sister’s kids have developed into. I love that my mother feels so safe and happy in the senior apartment that she moved into. I love that she, too, has her health and also her mental faculties.

I love a variety of music, from show tunes to jazz to country to some hip hop. I love that my memory is still good enough to remember many lyrics to songs I grew up with. I love that I can carry a tune and sing along to those old songs. I love sleeping in on Saturday and Sundays. I love arriving at work safe and sound, on those days when I am a passenger and not the driver in the car pool. I love 3-day weekends and 3-paycheck months.

I love that I am female and that women build support networks from friends and co-workers. I love that my husband and his brother have bonded more as a result of his dad’s Alzheimer’s than they probably would have, without this disease being a factor. I love that my husband has a good group of close cousins that will help him if anything happens to me.

I love Paris and the parts of Europe that I have been fortunate enough to see, so far. I love Halifax/Darthmouth and the Bay of Fundy off Nova Scotia. I love archaeology and anthropology. I love visiting the ruins of Tulum on the Mexican coast near Cancun. I love seeing the left-behind dwellings of the cliff dwellers of Mesa Verde in Colorado. I love the mountains of Telluride in the summer. I love seeing historical Boston. I love visiting San Francisco and seeing the tourist-y sites, including the cable cars.

I love keeping in contact with two ex-sisters-in-law. I love old cemeteries and reading the inscriptions on the headstones. I love seeing the areas where our ancestors first made their homes in the U.S. I love organization and wish that I had some of it, myself. I love pets and babies, even though we have never had either of those ourselves. I love intelligent movies and television shows and those presentations that do not “dumb down” to reach an audience. I love that there is a real chance that the Democrats might (s)elect our next president.

I love that I have worked in a variety of industries and that I was given an opportunity to better myself through training. I love that I have a good sense of humor and so does my family. I love hugs and tender kisses. I love the sloppy wet kisses that small children give. I love seeing children develop language skills. I love the off-key songs that children sing at the holidays, mangling the tunes and the words. I love seeing the snow fall and knowing that I do not have to drive anywhere in it. I love hearing from distant friends and family at the holidays. I love learning about other religions and having new respect for those of other faiths. I love life.