A tornado touched down in the county where I live.  Nobody hurt. The winds and rain knocked down one of our trees.  Again, nobody hurt. Even most of the flowers sprang back to life, perhaps stretching in the sun after years in the shade.  I swear one of my garden flocks bloomed while Loved-One and I cleaned up the mess. [tweetthis]Summer is full of surprises. [/tweetthis]Of course, top on my list is:  Nobody hurt.  And in no particular order some other things for which I give thanks:

♥ My editor, Lisa Romeo.  You are just the right blend of gentle, clear, and firm.  Just the kind of editor I need.

😉 Wheelbarrows.  I filled one with sticks from all over other parts of the yard.  Who invented this three-wheeled wonder.  I love you.

🙂 Flip flops.  No not while the cleanup was underway.  That’s just silly.  So wonderful to flip on my LizaB’s and run out where ever I want to go. Feed the fish, get the mail, walk over to the neighbors.

🙂 A flute friend.  Kris, you are so good for me.  Like Lisa, you push and encourage at the same time.  A duet in August.  So fine.

🙂 Coco’s persistence. She’s got connection with the Chicago Sky WNBA team.  She got us 4 t-shirts and 4 tickets to the game yesterday for a great price.

🙂 Surprises.  Coco’s contact gave us seats practically under the basket and access to a buffet lunch of hamburgers, chips, cookies, sodas, and more.  Diet began again today.  Starting over is fun to do.

♥  Chicago Theatre.  Kinky Boots here we come.

🙂  Fresh blueberries and Bill’s Blueberry Cobbler. So easy to make and really delicious.  I had it for breakfast with some Greek yogurt.  Half-way healthy.

🙁 Allegra.  Not the music annotation.  The allergy medicine.  Thanks to Allegra, I’m almost back to normal.

😉 Bifocals.  My optometrists said I’d love them.  I do. What do you think?

As always, please join me and Laurel over at Alphabet Salad for more Gratitude Lists.  A great way to start the week.