Opened my bank account containing Happiness!

As I sit here with my second cup of coffee, enjoying the sight of the sun burning off the heavy white fog which seems to have silenced the chattering, chirping, and croaking of the critters, I find myself flooded with a sense of wonder at the happiness of some (I believed) long-forgotten memories.

The smell of bread baking in my grand-mother's kitchen - oh my, how my mouth used to water in great expectation of having the "heel" slathered with freshly churned butter as soon as that bread came out of the oven! No matter how many times I made bread over the years, I could never quite get it to taste as good as bread that had been baked in that wood stove.

The first time EVER seeing and using an indoor bathroom was awe inspiring to me. There was a large tank mounted on the wall above the lovely porcelain toilet, on which was a wooden seat. A chain hung down from the tank, which when pulled, flushed the toilet. I must have pulled that chain dozens of times in total amazement of it all! Of course, I was only 9 years old at the time. The bathtub was a glorious claw-footed wonder with fixtures allowing one to run hot and cold water into its depths. How I reveled in that wonderful bathroom, especially since it had a door which could be locked from the inside for the best luxury of all - privacy.

Bundling up with many layers of clothing to tramp through the woods with my uncle tracking deer. Not to kill them, but to photograph them with a Brownie camera so my aunt could turn the pictures into cross-stitch designs for quilts and wall hangings. The first time I was invited to experience this was on my 14th birthday and the beauty of that day is alive and well in my happiness memory bank.

When I saw my first sunset over the Mojave Desert in spring, the beauty of the oranges, purples, pinks, blues, and even greys brought tears of utter joy and awe. A mountain meadow nestled on the banks of the Columbia River made me wish I could build a cabin there and never leave. The beauty of fall foliage in all its glory in upstate New York took my breath away. A mother's joy and relief when she found her lost toddler at an amusement park, sitting on my lap and happily eating ice cream.

It was thrilling to walk along the Apian Way in Italy. When President Kennedy made his "Ich bin ein Berliner" speech, I was there to hear it. Searching out and finding lovely little towns and hamlets in Germany wherein I met wonderful people. Riding a horse-drawn sleigh in Switzerland while viewing the starkness of the mountains heightened by the beauty of the snow and enjoying hot mulled cider in huge hand-crafted steins still makes me feel very small and insignificant with the grandeur of it all.

These are just a few of the happy memories I cherish and hold dear to my heart. It has brought me great joy to share them in this way.