Morning sounds

- When I wake, I hear Sophie stirring in her crate. Sometimes I hear her snoring. It is so interesting to me that she chooses to sleep in there. When I first got her I read that leaving her crate open in an out-of-the-way place would give her a secure place to sleep - and she took me up on that.

- I wish I wouldn't wake just before the alarm, but I always do. So I find myself listening for the coffee maker starting up. I have programmed it to come on about 4:45 a.m. It gives three small beeps when it is ready. You can't beat the smell of coffee to make you want to put your feet on the floor.

- The train whistle at the Lawrenceville Highway crossing suggests that someone else is already at work.

Wednesday

- The sunrise in my rear view mirror was breathtaking this morning.

- The smiling lady making sushi at Publix always looks pleased to see me. She makes certain I leave with chopsticks.

- Marcus came up with a simple solution to getting my lamp fixed. The Ace Hardware around the corner from my house - and they say they can fix it for $6. I was making that harder than I needed to.

Welcome sweet Springtime

- Jo got me this cool pot hanger for Christmas and last Saturday I got the green pot from Ace Hardware. So it wouldn't look empty, I put this silk ivy and Spanish moss in it until I could find a good shade plant. But I realized this Saturday that a couple of energetic wrens are building a nest in it, thinking that it will be a dandy place to raise their Spring family. I sort of wish that it wasn't right next to where the sliding door opens, but I am happy to have them. They were busy all day today flying up with nest making items in their beaks. Sophie was briefly entertained before she went to nap.

April beauty, purrs and purrs

- I look forward to that turn I make in the morning on the way to work when I have a brief glimpse of midtown skycrapers. It's just at that moment right before sunrise when the city is just coming awake and it's still lit up for night.

- Outdoors everywhere is so beautiful right now. The flowering trees are spectacular.

- We have hit a cold snap though. Bonus for me - I got my kitty to snuggle all night. When I woke up at one point and turned over, she remembered where she was and purred and purred.

A-Z, family and Roar!

- This artwork is at the entrance to the Georgia Association of Educators. The squares are A-Z, but the E and Z are missing. I particularly liked "G" and "L". "G" is in braille and "L" is a hand demonstrating that letter in American Sign Language.

- Lots of family ups and downs right now, but it was good to talk and email with sisters and nieces. It also made me miss them terribly and wish that I could give them hugs.

- The Lion King at the Civic Center was fabulous. When Simba was practicing his roar, a small child in the audience chimed in with his own "Roar!" and made everyone chuckle.

First times

- I'm reading Robert Fulgham's "From Beginning to End - the Rituals of Our Lives." In the third chapter he talks about "first times." It is a nice break from fiction. A couple of my first time rituals:

- The first time I open email every morning, I love the first glimpse of who has sent me a message.

- I love the first sighting or hearing of my kitty in the morning. Since she has gotten older, I catch my breath until I know she is OK.

It's Friday!

- My Sophie sometimes camps out on the bathroom rug while I take a shower. This morning she left for her daytime sleeping place when I stepped out. I guess she's making sure I'm OK and not drowning.

- The rather taciturn bindery technician usually just nods at me when I come through the back in the morning, but I still smile at him anyway. However this morning, he beamed and said, "It's Friday!"

- A very nice lady called yesterday wanting to offer me part-time work. All that time looking for work and the offers started pouring in after I found a job.