I just spent the day cleaning out my mom's house to prepare it to sell. While my sister and I worked hard all day, and some parts of the house look pretty good, we barely made a dent in the sheer amount of stuff that still needs to find a new home. It's definitely inspiring me to clean out my own house, as soon as I have more energy.

One of the things I have been meaning to do for a while is to write a list of what I'm grateful for. My sister has started doing this recently, and as I sit here nursing an early spring cold, I'm thinking that would be a good idea. So here goes.

1. Rain. After living in Oregon for several years, I love the rain, especially the sound of the rain as it falls on the trees. I also like to drink water, and rain can be especially helpful in that regard.

2. My wee kitty. He loves to sit on my lap, and he shows so much appreciation just for my presence. It doesn't take much to make him happy. If only I could get him to stop shedding so much... And my other kitty as well, whose favorite activity is to sleep on my bed. Or my sweater. Or whatever else I leave lying around that smells like me.

3. Never having to take another exam again. After passing the last exam to fulfill my career goals, I will only be taking exams if I want to, and right now I can't even think of anything I want to do that requires an exam. Hooray!

4. Living in such a diverse place. I love having lots of non-chain shops and restaurants to choose from, and I love being able to walk or bike to most of them quite easily. I also have a natural foods co-op and my community garden plot (and historic Sutter's Fort, which I have never visited) within easy walking/biking distance of my home. If I ever leave Sacramento, I'll definitely miss that.

5. The means to go to those shops and restaurants every once in a while for a little splurge. While I'm definitely not as well off as the rest of my friends, I have a steady job that pays me enough to go out and splurge once in a while, which is great when I'm so tired that even the thought of cooking is exhausting.

Well, I'm not sure that helped me as much as it helps my sister, but perhaps I'll get in the swing of it soon. But I'm glad to be back and posting!