I have been hit pretty hard at work with all manner of things to deal with since I returned from a week off. It makes me think I should never take time off, since the pay back is heavy when I return.
Today I received a delightful and refreshing phone call from out of the blue, one that brightened my day. It was from a friend I don’t get to see much. She is a lovely person, although a little addled at times. She is often out of town teaching music at some small outpost of the North Dakota plains. Between teaching jobs she lives with her extremely difficult mother, an elderly woman in her 80’s who still substitute teaches at the high school and is probably the meanest, toughest, teacher around. Her mother is the leader of the local Women’s Christian Temperance Union, although she must be slowing down since I haven’t seen many letters to the editor from her lately regarding the evils of alcohol. She has a very interesting perspective on life.
My friend phoned me to ask if I would come over to advise them on how to prepare their raspberry patch for Winter. I said I could tell her over the phone, but she said her mother wouldn’t believe anything she relayed to her unless she heard it right from me in person. We made a date for tomorrow. I can hardly wait. It will be an amusing end to a very long week.
What or who helps make your day?
Trail Baboon 
Rise and Shine Baboons!
This blog is so often a day brightener. It has been for years now. Another one is my dogs. Often, all I need to do is come home and walk through the door. There they are, tails wagging, eyes bright, clearly glad to see me. Some days that is all I could want.
Spring, summer and fall, my garden provides this. Often each day provides a new little something: a kohlrabi ready for pulling, the first ripe tomato, a plump beet, a new flower blooming. I love giving these tiny events the attention of a day to cheer me. I have a picture at work of my mailbox covered in Morning Glories (technically a weed, but I love them) as an antidote for the mid-winter blues.
These little things are just so much more pleasant, than say, #45’s latest nonsense.
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It doesn’t take much to make me smile. Because I daily battle RA, it is a joy when I am able to wrench the lid off a new bottle of V8 using just my hands. I am foolishly invested in the performance of some sports teams. (At my age, you’d think I would know better).
But, really, there is only one perfect day brightener. Contact with the people I love the most is the one sure way to be happy.
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Such as Liam?
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Liam and my daughter. Both are day brighteners.
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Gosh, Renee, there is still such a thing as the WCTU? I had no idea.
Day brightener for me? A day when I can go out shooting. An email from a friend. Comments on my online photography pages (facebook, instagram, capture minnesota). A day when I don’t have to do laundry. A day when I don’t have to cook supper. A day when I don’t have to babysit. And, of course, the Trail.
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My friend’s mom may be the last WCTU member here. She hasn’t smashed any bar windows to my knowledge, but I could see her doing it.
One of my aunts threw a chair through a window of a pool hall late one night to get my uncle to leave his poker game and come home. I don’t think he gambled that late again.
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I had to remind myself tbat you were a photographer and not a gun enthusiast when I read your first sentence.
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Ha, ha. I suppose I should watch how I word that. Reminds me of my teacher, Mr. S. saying, “When you shoot children…no, wait, that doesn’t sound good.”
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In my photography class a few years ago, we talked about photographing people in public. Generally it’s OK, however she advised me against photographing children on a playground without parents permission; it just wouldn’t look right these days…
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Oh, and I’m definitely not a gun enthusiast. Quite the opposite, in fact.
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Anyway, I shoot with a Canon not a gun.
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Our cat is also a day brightener, as she is heavily invested in play and cuddles every morning. Tomorrow we pick up our new rescue kitten, about 5 months old, so I expect we will have lots of activity and fun ahead.
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Lots of little things like:
– getting a personal email (or snail mail) from a friend or relative
– figuring out how to incorporate several leftovers into a decent meal
– laundry (opposite of ljb) IF I get to hang it outside on the line
– having time to get together with a friend
– being appreciated for some work that I do
– accomplishing most of what’s on my to do list
– and yes, having the blog to see how other baboons are doing, and tomake me think and write
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If you lived next door to me, BiR, I would let you do our laundry. And hang it up on the line.
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What a great opportunity for botb of you!
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Barbara is probably thanking her lucky stars that she doesn’t live next door to me.
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… and 1/4 bar of something like Ritter Sport Milk Chocolate with Whole Hazelnuts. Wouldn’t HAVE to be that one, though..
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How about homemade “nutella”?
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Ooh! I just realized I have no appointments tomorrow, and can spend my time catching up on paper work. Now thst is a day brightener!
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We have far flung and busy baboons. Comments will increase as they return.
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So many things brighten my day. My cats, by snuggling and purring. Good coffee. A warm sweatshirt when it’s chilly in the morning. The farmer’s market with the promise of something tasty for dinner. Music.
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