Wrangler Dani

My sister-in-law posted this and asked her readers to play along. Since I am a writing-prompt junkie, I readily complied. Here we go:

• making: Messes and to-do lists and piles and piles of laundry. Work has been so hectic, lately, and I feel like I’m barely keeping up.
• cooking: I bought some lovely swiss chard and crusty bread at the farmer’s market last night. Maybe a panzanella for dinner?
• drinking: Coffee, of course. Although I can’t find pumpkin-flavored creamer ANYWHERE in Bend, and this has pitched me into a deep despair from which only more coffee can rescue me.
• reading: The Paris Wife, loaned to me by the lovely Jeanna. It’s about Hemingway’s first wife and it’s beautiful and sad and poignant and makes me want to go to Paris and kiss my husband.
• wanting: a Navajo-ish patterned open-front sweater. It has to be chunky but not to flabby, warm but not too thick. It’s complicated, but I’ll know it when I see it.
• looking: For a house, of course. The saga continues. I sigh about it a lot.
• playing: Not much of anything, actually. I did have a few hours of driving last weekend, and I amused myself with singing along to the Pitch Perfect soundtrack.
• wasting: I feel like nothing is wasted, right now. Life feels like it’s in high-definition, hurdling by too quickly to be mourned or neglected.
• sowing: Hope for this new Northwestern life. Houses, kids, land to play on. Hope is fueling me as life hurdles by.
• wishing: That I had a horse of my own to ride.
• enjoying: The crisp feeling of fall in the air. Anything is possible, isn’t it?
• liking: My thigh-muscles are tight and my whole body knows it spent time in the saddle last weekend. I’m sore and invigorated, all at once.
• loving: Friends who call and leave funny voicemails. Emails from far away. Snuggles on the couch. Red wine from Walla Walla. Inspiration in the strangest places. New adventures.
• hoping: That we will have a house soon and can start the adoption process. Life can change so quickly, and I just know that God did not bring us so far to abandon us now.
• marvelling: At the strong arms of a good man around me. How did I get so lucky, to find a man like this?
• needing: More time in the day, and energy to make it count.
• smelling: My lavender candle and cocoa butter lotion. Smells of comfort and peace.
• wearing: A new shirt I just bought, with R2-D2 and “May the Force be with you” on the front. I am awesome.
• following: I’ve been dipping my toes back in the Twitter-verse. Fun? Maybe. Insightful? Definitely.
• noticing: Grammar. All is grammar.
• knowing: To write well, we must read well.
• thinking: About how to save America. Sound grandiose? Clearly you don’t know me at all.
• bookmarking: I’ve been looking for a new swimsuit for ages, but I finally bought one from Athleta yesterday. Bookmarks begone!
• opening: The latest issue of Real Simple, a new container of laundry detergent, a fresh package of socks (When I spent several hours in the saddle over the weekend, I got blisters from my ancient socks, so I betook myself to Boot Barn for new ones. So fluffy!)
• giggling: Adam and I watched Anchorman the other night and I can’t stop laughing about it.
• feeling: Hopeful, anxious, tired, joyful, yearning.

OK, saddle up, friends. Who’s next with your list?