Five Happy Things: Kumquats

Here are five things that made me smile, laugh, or sigh in contentment. The hope is that by keeping track of and sharing them here, I will continue to focus on the good things in life, of which there are so, so many, even if its metaphorically storming elsewhere..

So here are this week's Five Happy Things . . . 

1.  Kumquats.  I first tasted kumquats just a couple of years ago, because until then I'd never understood the concept of why anyone would enjoy eating a mini orange with the skin still on. But I gave in to pressure one day, accepted a kumquat from a friend, ate it slowly, and, well, mind blown. So with it now being citrus season here in California, trees are bursting with fruit, and I've been on the lookout. This past week we were hiking past a loaded kumquat tree, and the owner came out and kindly invited us to pick a few, which we did . . . yum!

2.  COVID vaccine appointment booked for my sister-in-law.  I'm not eligible quite yet, but my sister-in-law is, and yesterday she got the notification that she could now go onto our county's supersite vaccine page and book her appointment, which I promptly did for her. She doesn't drive, so my husband will be taking her to first vaccine appointment today, big relief.

3.  RV'ing Reservations.  I'm wasting no time now that California has allowed campgrounds and RV parks to open back up. Between now and our big Pacific Northwest trip this summer, we have a series of weekend trips now booked in a variety of nearby communitities - Malibu, Huntington Beach, San Diego, and Carlsbad, roughly one each month. We'll follow the same COVID-conscious plan and protocol for each trip - bring our own home-on-wheels, food, wine, hiking and bicycling gear, plus pick up the occasional local meal via takeout. 

Feels so good to have things to look forward to!

4.  Our Home's Ocean Views.  We've actually had a very stressful week here due to a soon-to-be-resolved issue, so several times I went out into my yard simply to gaze out at the ocean in order to settle some of the anxiety I was experiencing. We are two miles away from the ocean, but because of our elevated location and clear line of sight I can observe kayaks, boats, sailboats, and ships, and even waves when it's a bit choppy out over the water. So just standing there and taking a deep breath while I gaze puts me back into a better place pretty quickly. 

The view from the back corner of my yard.

Sunset view from same. This was a fairly tame sunset, but still pretty!

In addition to what I can see from my home, our hilly community is replete with canyon ridge trails, and this was our view while out hiking a few days ago on another lovely sunny day.

I am thankful every single day to live so close to the ocean, and to live in a hilly community that affords these views.

5.  Sunshine.  Yesterday got up into the high 70's and I relished sitting outside in the sun reading and dozing, reading and dozing. I have not been sleeping well lately in spite of spending much hiking and walking, so I can't sit out in the sun for for very long without succumbing to a nap, but still lovely either way.

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That's it for me at the moment. What's making you happy this week?