Did you know the alphabet has 26 letters?

That's a lot to be grateful for. So I'm speeding this sucker up.

K is for Knitting
I like to knit. Going to the store to pick out the yarn is such a great experience for me. Yarn stores are all so similar. They're not library quiet, because there's always chatter of someone getting help or with small groups knitting together, but they've got a subdued hush about them that is really peaceful to me. I always wander around the store, looking at all the yarns to see which color suits my mood of the day. Then I close my eyes and feel it to make sure the texture matches the color. Then I greedily drive home, and cast on to my needles. Up, around, down, up, around, down, up, around, down... the repetition is soothing. And because I can see my progress, row by row, it's entirely gratifying.

And after it's done, I always have vivid memories of what was going on during the project, kind of like each knit or purl holds a moment of time. My current project is a sweater. Which will be done in June at this rate after I master entrelac. (Which by the way, if you ever see an entrelac pattern, don't do it!) I'll never be able to wear it without thinking about being alone on a German train, on the way to one of my solo mountain hikes, and teaching an Austrian girl who spoke no English at all how to knit the ratsnest of a yarn ball she had created. Or the man who leaned over and asked me quietly and with German efficiency, "Do you really like that color?" which politely and efficiently let me know that he didn't appreciate the baby dukey brown I was using.

Somedays are disappointing because my swollen fingers just won't make it work. But on the days it does, I feel nothing but gratitude for the skein of yarn that with a little time and patience, can become something.

L is for Luzern (Lucerne)
In September, I went to Switzerland. And those of you who follow me at all know that I fell irrevocably in love with the place. But Luzern is the spot that really captured my heart. Like the rest of Switzerland, it's beautiful and clean. But Luzern is the start of the mountains. On the river with its Swiss flags flying everywhere. It's gorgeous, and efficient, and it has the Alps. Oh, the Swiss Alps... So perfect, it feels dreamlike. Few places in life settle me or make me feel so connected like this one did.

M is for Milwaukee Ale House
What, a brew pub? you might be asking... Well, I'm grateful for it, because it's where I met my husband. In those exact seats pictured here.

J is for Jensconsin

As I go through this grateful list, I'm of course trying to think of appropriate things to be grateful for ahead of the day it is featured. But today was an easy one.

For 3 and a half years, I've ruled over the small domain that is Jensconsin. I once saw a funny photo with a quote that said "Blogging. Never have so many said so much to so few." But you know what? I'm okay with that. The fact that somebody reads it somewhere, and once in a while stops lurking and actually comments, is enough. Because while there is gobs of my life I don't share here in the land of Jensconsin, and keep in the real life of Jen, the fact that some of it is unique enough to share is pretty cool.

So thanks for stopping by. And have a nice day.

I is for Imagination

And for the little boy whose imagination never stops.

Harrington Woody

Today's grateful letter is H. So logically, I'm grateful for Harry, my sweet Old English Sheepdog. The omega dog who was tragically abused by some rednecks in South Dakota until he was 1. The one who we were told would live an extremely short life because he has a hole in his heart (he'll be 8 in January). The one we were told would be such a project because of his background.


Yeah, I'm talking about the dog who now considers himself abused if he doesn't get to run in the park for a sufficient amount of time that day, or has his breakfast fed to him at 6:05 instead of 6:00, or has to wake up from his nap on the couch to take his dogwalker for a walk, or has to go in for yet another blueberry facial after he gets particularly piggy at the dogpark that day.


Harry reminds me daily the power of love and how it can transform your life.

Today's gratefulness is brought to you by the letter G

And today's G is for Geocaching.

A couple of years ago, I was intrigued by the local weatherman talking about geocaching, a high-tech treasure hunt in the woods. It combined all my favorite things - searching for a puzzle's answer, using a GPS, being outside in the woods, and being with my family. So I thought I'd give it a shot. 2 GPS upgrades, 126 finds in 2 countries, and roping in several people to the game in the process, and I'm officially hooked.

I'm grateful for it because it's entertaining, simple, and so much fun for all of us in the family. We've found parks and 3 hole golf courses and beaches we didn't even know were there. It's been completely eye opening. And really, how else would we have found Galileo's boyhood home, randomly on one of the steepest Florentine streets imaginable?

F is for family time

While F could be used for so many appropriate things I'm grateful for (Father, friends, flowers, the sometimes totally appropriate f-bomb), today's F is for my family, with whom I just spent this past weekend.

E is for Eggs

Today's grateful letter is E. And E is for eggs, the best damned breakfast food ever. Quiche, omelet, benedict... It doesn't get much tastier. And a big shout out to the hens who lay 'em. Mmmmm... Tasty.