I love the idea of starting the week out with a gratitude list.  Thank you, Laurel, over at Alphabet Salad.  For one thing, it gives me an easy jump-start to writing.  For another thing, all day Sunday, I look around and see my life is abundant.

In no particular order:

• The numbers 55 and 65. No, not speed limits. Yesterday’s and today’s high temperatures. Now that’s more like it.
• My Prius. It’s 10 years old and still going strong. No rust, over 160,000 miles. Most important, the low gas mileage lets me get in and take a 1 1/2 hour trip to see the southern grand-kids without a thought. The slower I go the better the mileage, so even traffic jams are something to smile about.
• Taxes. Sure I hate to pay them, but then again, look what winter did to my roads.   So thankful we have taxes to maintain infrastructure.
• Construction season. Besides improved roads and a boost in my mpg, my son-in-law is back to work.  Construction season means more people are back to work.
• Daisy-Mae, Zorro, and Bleau. My koi made it through the winter. An added bonus, I spotted a frog or two.  I forgot Daisy-Mae’s name for a couple of days and re-named her Ida.  My first grandson, jumped on board, “Ida?  As in Ida No?”  Love his sense of humor.
• Moss balls (Marimo) or bouncy ball plant.   I learned about from my two science geek grand-kids. These little photosynthesizers live for up to 100 years and are kept as pets in Japan. They change the environment in the pond to eliminate algae.  I think I’ll name mine.
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tk4KgGBzwlE
• Laundry. I have enough clothes to take me a week before I must do it.  And it takes me most of a day to do the family laundry.  I am so lucky.
• The circle of life. Miss E, my first granddaughter celebrated her 14th birthday yesterday.   My, the time flies.  The joy of her birth brings back the memory of a dying man’s smile, as my son placed Miss E. in his grandfather’s arms, which harkens me back to placing my newborn son in my dying grandmothers arms.
• Rice cookers. So glad my Duckie insisted she get this silly small appliance. Oh my goodness, rice never tasted so good.  What was my resistance?  Chicken with rice for lunch today.  Mmmm…. I’m getting hungry already.
• My new Physician’s Assistant.  “For slender women like you….”  She could have said just about anything after that.  To a woman (me) who fights a never-ending battle with the bathroom scale, those five words are music.
• Loved-One.  He believes anyone who eats the food should help with the dishes.

Maybe you’d like to start Monday’s with a gratitude list.  You can do it on your own, or join Laurel with her link-up.

Oh my goodness!  I popped over to get Laurel’s link, and look at that, will ya.  Laurel is thankful for me (and you) today.