Before I chose JOY as my word for 2018, I had always thought it was such an ungraspable quality. I mean, when do you actually see joy as an adult on a regular basis? Then I started a list: My grandkids’ faces . . . almost always Birthday cake blower-outers The expression on a dog when it’s finally let out of the house or its pen Ferris wheel riders The looks of kids on a winning team . . . especially when the game was close The student who gets back a paper that says “A” on t

I found this nest yesterday while out walking. The residents had flown the coop . . . ‘er, nest . . . certainly a couple moons ago, but it made me think about all the nesting Craig and I have done over the last year. Cold air was leaking into our home, so we replaced doors and windows. Interior and balcony railings were downright dangerous, so those were rebuilt. Light fixtures needed to be replaced outside prior to badly needed paint, so those were changed out, and then we r