Comfort, eureka and tea in the morning

- Due to budget cuts a few co-workers have been laid off. I will miss Robert the most - a lovely man. One day last week he wasn't feeling well and I made him a cup of red tea. I was happy to do that for someone who always made my day easier.

- My fondest memory of Rita was from the day a bird flew into the warehouse. I could hear chirping from the bird and from Rita, who had made a trail of popcorn through the warehouse to the loading dock door in the hopes the bird would spot the popcorn, want to eat it and Eureka! see the light and fly out to freedom.

- I am thankful for my electric teapot given to me by friend Leisa. It makes every morning a little better for being able to heat up hot water for tea right in my cubicle.

Companionable silence, neighborly and relaxation

- Helping other women quietly set up for a luncheon, lots of hands making the tasks go quickly.

- Neighbor Marion standing outside flagging neighbors that the Chevron station on the corner "had gasoline as of 45 minutes ago."

- A lazy afternoon napping.

Successful experiment, evening air and so good

- Making a side dish of steamed green beans to take to my dinner group, with a sauce of olive oil, Italian parsley, stoneground mustard and chives from my herb basket.

- The delicious fragrance of a Tea olive bush making me want to linger on the back porch.

- A glorious dessert of chocolate covered cheesecake with a praline layer in the middle topped with chocolate dipped strawberries.

Change of seasons, art stroll and looking forward

- A flock of geese forming a V and flying south. The 3-4 geese in the front jockey for position before they situate themselves.

- Discovering a part of Atlanta that I have never been to. The Castleberry Hill ArtStroll features multiple art galleries and it was fun wandering in and out of them and later sitting at a sidewalk cafe watching the world go by.

- Already looking forward to the Christmas holidays by calendaring the Decatur Candlelight Tour of Homes with friend Barb.

Beautiful place, nice man and chuckle

This is what it looked like except there were red tablecloths

- Attending a lovely event benefiting the Piedmont Park Conservancy - A Passion for Piedmont and enjoying the cool evening air, people watching, delicious food and schmoozing with my client.

- Because of the gasoline shortage in Atlanta, the television news is full of reports of outages, there are cars stranded on the side of the expressway and every conversation seems to involve where you found gasoline. The man from the dry cleaners cheerfully retrieves my clothes even though I had lost my ticket because he remembers me and shares a tip about where to find gasoline nearby.

- Reading The New York Times Dwight Garner’s take on books of lists: “This columnist enjoys books of lists as much as the next reader. But the (sales-boosting) gimmick of adding the phrase “Before You Die” to the end of these titles has him feeling a little rattled. Before he dies?”

No Helen, gone with wind and sharing

- Asking friend Steven for the route he takes to the mountains that just bypasses Helen, Georgia. Helen is a small town that was recreated to resemble a Bavarian village and has lots of kitschy craft, fudge and tattoo shops. People flock there for some reason and so it takes a lot of time to drive through it. (Example for why it bothers me – one can purchase Native American souvenirs at a place called “Tekawitha.” See what I mean?) Steven’s directions end with: “You turn left and head across the mountain leaving all the tragedy in Helen in your dust.”

- Telling Kim that I had a bad day and her response, "Tomorrow is another day, Scarlett!"

- Tony has been picking up his toddler granddaughter Aubrey from daycare every afternoon while her parents are out of town and bringing her back to the office. She has enormous blue eyes and a shy smile. I sat in a chair in his office and talked to her and she brought me a toy to hold.

Like a shooting star, comfort and good sleeping

- Looking up at the crescent moon just as a plane flies across it.

- Being very tired and stopping at Mimi's to pick up dinner. Blackened salmon, mashed red skin potatoes and grilled vegetables. Mimi's is a "gourmet to go" place and does not have a website, so it is always a nice surprise to see what the dinner of the day is.

- My kitty's reaction when I stop by my house unexpectedly mid-morning. She was in the same position I last her saw her in four hours earlier. She stretched, shook her head as if to get the cobwebs out and wanted a treat.