life's small joys

I really believe that the little things in life are what make us happy - so here are a few of the things that make me happy today.  Our cat Chester, quite honestly and in all modesty, the world's greatest cat.  Though he is now going on ten years old, he still regularly deposits the remains of many a mouse and bird and squirrel and rabbit near the front door.  Gross, but still appreciated.  We have no rabbits in our garden, and he has quickly dispatched any mouse that has ever ventured indoors at our house.  Though he is a documented stone-cold killer, and it would be nice if the birds would visit our feeder, he is the sweetest, most patient and loving cat we've ever had.  His favorite thing is to just sit in someone's lap and be petted while purring noisily.  The only thing that rattles him is our little tasmanian devil two-year-old.  To get away from the baby he climbs into the napkin basket on the table, where he is out-of-reach of little hands that like to smash him.  I know, it's gross to have him on the table, but really, how cute is that picture?  He also will find any box in the house, be it plastic, cloth or cardboard, and find a way to squeeze into it.  This morning it was a Tupperware container that was on the floor.
My second bit of joy involves cookies, always a picker-upper.  These are called cowboy cookies and are truly scrumptious.  Here goes the recipe:  
                                                                 Cowboy Cookies
2 c. oats
2 c. flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
2/3 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 c chocolate chips
1 c pecans or coconut

Stir together dry ingredients.  Blend butter and sugars until smooth, add eggs - beat again - add vanilla.  Stir in dry mixture half at a time.  Mix in chocolate chips and coconut.  Refrigerate 1-2 hours (I didn't do this).  Bake 12-14 min at 350.

The last bit of happiness is the ceramics project that DJ brought home yesterday.  He signed up for ceramics the last half of his Senior year, and talks about it every day.  This project is the final in a series of sometimes recognizable objects, but definitely my favorite.  He is portraying a giant octopus destroying a skyscraper.  At this point it is his magnum opus (to quote Charlotte's Web), and we are to keep it in a prominent place.  Eventually I will find an out-of-the way shelf.  But it makes me smile every time I look at it.