When Aslan Bares his Teeth, Winter Meets its End.

1. Explaining the concept of small graces to Miss Small Grace herself
2. And having her spend the night, sleeping exactly perpendicular to me, feet in my face all night--no matter how often I rotated her
   
3. The Chronicles of Narnia movie, unexpectedly charming. I must agree with fellow audience member and critic (age 5) that if the badger had been a skunk instead, they could have gotten rid of the bad guys with the stink. Also being half-man and half-horse is convenient because then two people can ride.
   
4. My next-door neighbor's mom who never fails to give massages to my dogs
   
5. My neighbor, whom I feel I can count on, even though we rarely see each other. She can always count on me, although she may have to drag the covers off of my head. I hope she met her one true love tonight.
   

Sparkly

1. Spending a good part of the day with one or the other or all of the kidlets
2. And doing messy art projects with them for mama's birthday
3. Elmer's glue, gobs and globs of it, no amount too much for that single seed bead
4. Wondering how a five year old knows what a disco ball is
   
5. The thought of live organic chocolate waiting patiently for me to enjoy it

Lip Service

1. Good teeth. Great dentist's office with staff who amuse with ribald humor while admiring my lack of tartar.
2. Sonicare toothbrush that won't die.
   
3. The Furminator. I can once again see my red-headed mutt and my clothes, couch, and carpet. Also, it is oddly satisfying to brush that much fur into a single pile.
   
4. Walgreen's in LG; aisle and aisles of Stuff-I-Need
   
5. Scent of Hawaiian Ginger candle burning
   

Fashion is as Fashion Does

1. Flat-out sleeping through the alarm
   
2. Being able to get ready and out the door, presentable, in 15 minutes
3. Lunch downtown between classes: C's hair a wild halo around her
4. The sight of my grandson wearing sweats, a thermal, and a cheerleader skirt
5. Light scattering off of the glittery paper said grandson made for me
   

Of Mice and Molassses

1. A couple on campus at dusk: dressed identically in black, studded and chained. He's leading her on a leash, collar around her neck, she follows ten feet behind. I wonder if they are an experiment being run by the psych department.
2. Breathtakingly large young woman beside me at a crosswalk. She speaks and her voice is feminine, melodious.
3. A fat DK book on digital photography checked out from the library
4. Found: molasses and graham crackers at my bedside; I sleep-eat. Molasses?
5. Found: the USB transmitter for my mouse

P.S. This is a late posting from yesterday.

Love from Iceland

1. FAFSA money
   
2. Dijon mustard
3. Love karma from strangers; one from a guy in Iceland who included a note saying "I hope you find your company"
   
4. Finding a hatchling on someone's blog today and not having a clue what it was
5. Maps and schedules and saying that I need to catch the 9:06 train
   

Tulle Fog

I'm plowing through tulle fog; all is grayish and dripping dismally, can't see a foot in front of me, much less into the future. I just want to sleep. How am I going to do school? How can I not? Last time I was this low was maybe in early 2000. Yes, I have another call into the doctor. I just need to say this before I can move onto the grace. I've had nightmares, one in particular, about him coming at me, and ghosts of both the dreams and the memories float around me relentlessly. I'm back to sitting in corners, startling at loud noises, afraid to leave the house. May have to make this writing thing private so I don't lose my nerve. I need to sleep.

Musical Continents

1. Australia (clearly more of a continent, but filled with so many small graces--I'll come back to this)
   
2. Popcorn
   
3. Colored pens
4. 3hive sharing the sharing
   
5. A brother who finds and shares really ridiculous things on the internet

Beans

1. Grey's Anatomy (even though I'm pretty sure I'm being emotionally manipulated)
2. Gray's Anatomy
   
3. Seeing Garbanzo suck the guts out of tomatoes
4. Losing My Religion
5. Venn diagrams

Lush

1. Sleep, and lots of it
   
2. Hot water to soak in
3. Lush shampoo
4. Pale pink soft chenille robe
   
5. Words, to play on, with, and around
   

Back to Grace

1. Arturo playing 'bullfight' with Delilah
   
2. A daughter who takes my dog on a playdate
3. Rain
4. Blueberries
5. Truffles

Unicorns Don't Exist

Did I say that this would be all balloons and kittens? No, I did not. My sense of organization* wanted this to be just about grace, but that is just too disingenuous. Plus, the thought of starting another private blog (which was one of my solutions to the problem that does not exist) to be my alter-self sounds exhausting and confusing.

• I am in a hole
• There is no (one) logical reason
• I feel fat and ugly
  
• I feel worthless and burdensome
• My dogs, especially poor Delilah, need to get out for a walk, and I am such a loser that I can't even do that
  

*need to control the world

Warmth and Tidiness

1. Linda, heard it in my voice, coming to visit next month, looking forward to being enveloped in her warmth
   
2. Renee; I can only cry when I acknowledge this grace
   
3. Leslie, has been there since the beginning
4. A new president, Barack Obama, brings new hope
5. One way I cope: organizing the shit out of things
   

For Now

1. Paid bills, enough money for today
2. Reorganized kitchen cupboards, counter tops cleared of clutter
   
3. Finished restringing name necklace for Boo (remember that nickname?)
4. Idea that the old greyhound is soothed by departed cat's heating pad
   
5. Dog snoring loudly at the foot of my bed, occasionally sighing heavily