b

...is for

...blueberries. I love blueberries, in muffins, pancakes, fresh from the box. One of my favorite memories of summer vacations when I was kid was picking blueberries in northern Minnesota. I don't mean going to a farm and picking. I mean going out in the woods with my tin pail and seeking them out. Remember the book, Blueberries for Sal by Robert McCloskey? That's what it was like. Bears and all.

...baking. A way to clear my mind and create something that makes people happy. I love to bake and create new things. There's something very soothing to me in the measuring and combining that helps me to relax. Who doesn't love a batch a fresh, home-made chocolate chip cookies? Plus, I love it when Madeline refers to me as being a good cooker.

...best friends. My friends all bring different things to my life. They're all an intricate part of who I am. I'll write more about each of them as I go through the alphabet.

...boxes. Yes, crazy, but i love boxes. Not the ugly brown cardboard ones, although these do deserve some respect, but the decorative pretty ones that carry bits of happiness in them. Perhaps a little jewelry box? a tin (yes, I think this falls within the realm of box) with a goodie inside. The box that contains girl scout thin mint cookies, a pizza box, a box of new shoes, a box hidden away in a closet long ago and just discovered with all sorts of treasures and the brown
box that arrives in the mail full of special stuff you've ordered from somewhere.

...beach. ahh how i love the beach. the sand, the surf, the shells, the sights and sounds. i can lose myself at the beach in a book, with my toes in the sand and a cool drink next to me. the noise of the kids running around chasing birds and building sandcastles. the smell of suntan lotion, the spray of the surf and the craziness that overtakes people at the shore. washing the sand and lotion off at the end of the day. and the good night sleep that comes after a day of sun and salt water.

...bowls. yes. bowls. i love to collect dishes. (10 sets and counting). but mostly i love to collect bowls. all shapes and sizes. all colors and patterns. old, new, thrift, ebay, target, williams sonoma. bowls have so many uses. of course holding food, but also storing trinkets, displaying candles, holding knick-knacks, and drinking coffee.

...birds. i love birds. especially in the spring when they are all coming back to nest. this am i was awakened to the sound to the sounds of birds chirping. surely this means that spring must be here....