What brought you joy today?

These brought me joy today, and every other day since they came into my life a fortnight ago at 9 weeks old. My 2 Labradoodle puppies Benji and Lulu. Toilet training is a work in progress 😂 I’ve been over 2 years NED from stage 4 appendix cancer and these little souls have greatly enriched my life ♥️♥️

Dinner with friends at a wonderful Mexican restaurant I just discovered hidden in the canyon. Taco Tuesday! It has been around since the 50s yet no one I know had heard of it. We sat out in the most beautiful huge back patio with a lush garden that includes beautiful trees sprinkled with lights, 3 man-made waterfalls down a rock hillside and a creek that has running water in the winter. Delicious food, great service and soooo peaceful. The evening weather was perfect as California weather tends to be. There are often guests' horses tied up out front in the gravel parking lot with a few tables for the riders out front. The drive there takes me on a brief getaway out of suburbia and into the countryside down a winding road lined with green trees and an occasional country-style retail building or ranch. What a great find! I am slowly but surely introducing every friend I have to this wonderful hidden gem. So far, it's a hit with everyone!

Eight squirrels came to my patio at once for walnuts this morning. They look for me through my windows and sometimes chatter to call me out. It was a squirrel party! So cute! Stayed about an hour. Just like Arnold, they’ll be back! They melt my heart! Sometimes when I’m standing outside not paying attention, one will tug on my pant leg to get my attention. When I come home and walk toward my condo they run up to me like little dogs. My dogs are all gone now so this is my only animal love unless a patient dog walker lets me love on their dog for a minute. I’m surrounded by huge pine trees so the squirrels all live in those. They also rattle my front door screen to get me to open the door. Luckily they haven’t figured out how to ring the doorbell — yet. LOL

A couple “pet” crows follow me for a mile on my walks. The mail carrier was shocked one day when she saw me throughout the neighborhood with a couple crows flying from building to building anticipating my route. Little juncos come in my patio and also land right in front of me on my walks to ask for walnut crumbs. Bunnies hang out but they just eat grass. Ducks and egrets occasionally hang out in the garden. Skunks are outside late at night. They are mellow just digging for grub. Never did they spray my dogs. Stomped their feet on occasion to say, back up. It’s all a very Snow White experience around here that makes my day. Nature is so beautiful and peaceful. 🥰