Growing up, I was always in a children’s choir at church, and one time we had a guest musician who sang with us and accompanied on his guitar.  We performed “Using Things and Loving People” by BJ Thomas. Some kind of brain-hardwiring must have happened to me during that performance because even now, 30+ years later, the phrase “Things I Love”  immediately causes the line “Cause loving things and using people / Only leads to misery” to float through my mind.

However… I thought such a list might be a good way to get back in the swing of things, since my little corner of the internet has gotten dusty.  So here are Six Things I Love –  if you’re interested, read on.

1. Quercus by Penhaligon’s of London: I bought this cologne based solely on a written description in a magazine, scent unsmelled. Risky, I know, but something told me this was right. I’ve worn it almost exclusively now for more than 3 years.

2. Earth Spirits Masks: My parents found these artists at the Yellow Daisy Festival years ago. I went back to the festival twice in later years just to purchase a mask from them. The first one I brought home reminded me of my paternal grandmother, who died when I was in college. The second one I bought looked like a sleepy baby – chosen when I was pregnant and thinking about what my baby might look like. I have four now. I am disappointed that Earth Spirits Masks won’t be represented at any craft festivals in my area anytime soon (according to their published schedule). Although I could order one online, I much prefer to stand in front of their display and let one of the masks choose me.

3. Miss Huff lantana: This year I put more effort than ever before into my front yard flower beds. Besides the bulbs we put in last fall, I’ve planted roses, hollyhocks, Black-eyed Susans, coneflowers, daylilies, and butterfly bushes. I pruned, mulched, and even watered when it got hot and dry (I hate to water). Although most of those plants have some degree of drought tolerance, the one that did the best was the ‘Miss Huff’ lantana I planted last year. It has gotten big and stayed beautiful all summer. Next year, the hell with variety – whatever doesn’t come back (I only do perennials) will be replaced by more Miss Huff. An added bonus is that the deer don’t seem to care for it, in direct contrast to the Black-eyed Susans which have all been chomped to stubby stalks.

Hard to see from the cell phone photo taken from some distance, but there are a doe and a fawn down the hill.

Growers Outlet in Loganville opens this week so I might have to make the trek out there. My Only Friend at work put me onto them and they are awesome.

4. Audible.com: With a basic membership at a nominal fee, you can get a new audiobook every month.  That’s usually more than enough for me, since the best time for me to listen is in the car, and I have a commute that is usually somewhere between 20 and 45 minutes, depending on traffic. So a single audiobook usually lasts me a good while. You can peruse their library and listen to snippets of the readings. Then you can download it to your computer, in a format compatible to whatever listening device you’ll use.

5. The Great Courses:  When I want to listen to something a little more intellectual than a novel, I turn to The Great Courses by the Teaching Company. I’ve been listening to Foundations of Western Civilization and the lectures are awesome. Each one is about 30 minutes and pretty engaging. I feel like I’m making connections I totally missed in college. Knowledge of historical events is another thing I appreciate more as I get older. The Teaching Company’s Great Courses makes it easier to incorporate a little education into each day.

6. Certain herbal teas, like Stash Lemon Ginger and Private Selection Sweet Cinnamon Spice. The Lemon Ginger has just enough of a bite. I started drinking this when I was sick with a cold, and I’ve had to buy boxes and boxes of it since (haven’t been sick again since, either). The Sweet Cinnamon Spice has just the right amount of sweetness and makes my office smell wonderful. Both are decaf, which is important for someone like me who goes into hyperdrive if a certain daily limit is exceeded.

What are some of the things you love?