I am grateful for the sale of another painting today.

I am grateful for an easy Saturday afternoon.

I am grateful for some time at the park with my lads. Coop was determined to get photos of animals for a Cub badge project, but we found it was tough to capture them in the dwindling light. Nonetheless, we saw a beetle, big spider, an ant colony, and a snail. It was not going to help him meet the requirements, but it was cool to go in the expedition. We might try again at the beach soon.

I am grateful as all heck for the first somewhat normal day in a while.

I am grateful for time spent in the studio this morning. I left feeling chuffed about the painting I had on my easel. I can’t wait to get back in there.

I am grateful for a segment of a podcast so poignant, human, tragic, compassionate, and beautiful it moved me to tears, stifled under my closed eyes as I stood still in a crowded room, alone between my earbuds. Podcasts and radio are like no other medium – so intimate and immediate; almost like s long personal conversation on the phone. We’re in a golden age of recorded spoken word right now, and I am grateful to be alive to enjoy it.

I am grateful for the first emails sent out to web clients letting them know I am winding down the web business to focus on art. After nearly 18 years as a freelancer, it feels weird to be doing the exact opposite of hustling that business; and I’ll miss it, and the people I’ve worked with over the years. As good as coding is, though, painting is funner.

I am grateful for lunch with Julie this afternoon.

I am grateful for family fun night: Julie’s pick. We ate like kings at a Korean BBQ restaurant, then came home to play Blokus.

I am grateful for happy news of the birth of a new baby I am related to. That’s a whole dang human life starting up there. New babies are born every day, and yet it’s always 100% magical and miraculous when it all works out okay. I look forward to meeting that kiddo in person sometime.

I am grateful for lunch with a buddy I used to work with but haven’t seen for a while this afternoon.

I am grateful for some time I the studio. Just an hour, but so much better than nuthin’.

I grateful for time spent with family friends this evening. It wasn’t entirely planned, but our washer is on the fritz and they have access to several where they live; so they rescued us from dirty laundry, and fed and entertained us too!

I am grateful for the sale of 2 original paintings this morning.

I grateful for the cuss ton of good stuff that Julie did for this household today.

I am grateful for periodic moments of quiet throughout the day.

I am grateful for time with my lads, and Julie too, at their bedtime tonight.

I am grateful for a cookout with friends at French Beach. What a great way to spend the day.

I am grateful for tourtière.

I am grateful for time spent with my lads at bedtime.

I am grateful for time spent with Julie working on a jigsaw puzzle.

I am grateful for time spent painting in the living room with my boys this morning.

I am grateful for time spent at Willows beach this afternoon. Mount Baker was in full display, colours of the sunset were filling the sky, and Farl and I checked out a few tidal pools.

I am grateful for a fondue we enjoyed with the friends that brought it over tonight.

I am grateful for a good view of the city and Washington state across the water, and for the fireworks we observed and celebrations we could hear at the stroke of midnight, popping up all over the eye could see. I heard bagpipes, too. They were a nice touch.

I am grateful for time spent painting in my living room with my kids this morning.

I am grateful for time spent skating with both my lads today; where they both started out the day hanging on to skating aids, and left having skated around for a good long while without them.

I am grateful for Farley, who built his own lego train car for his lego train set, then inspired his brother to do the same.

I am grateful for time spent with Julie plugging away on a 1000 piece jigsaw puzzle for an hour or two this evening.

I am grateful for time in the studio this morning.

I am grateful for the film Spider Man: Intro to the Spider Verse. It was SO GOOD. 95th percentile good, IMHO. You might think you don’t want to see another superhero movie, but this one was really original. I’ve never seen a movie quite like it. Every frame of it was something you could frame and put on the wall over the fireplace. It was something to be behold, and the four of us beheld it, and in the eyes of this beholder, it was beautiful. Go see it, in the theatre.

I am grateful for some burgers, and then some blokus with my family this evening.

I am grateful for time spent with my lads at bedtime.

I am grateful for brunch with neighbours from 4 addresses on my street, at the house across the road this morning. Coop and I went. It was nice.

I am grateful for time spent painting in my living room while my boys played there too.

I am grateful for time spent playing baseball (or some analogue thereof) with Farley in the backyard today.

I am grateful to be there to celebrate a friend’s 40th birthday party, and in particular for the catered Thai food they had.

I am grateful for a movie I saw with Julie, while we had someone looking after the kids anyway. We saw Mule, which, like other Clint Eastwood directed films, was pretty much what I expected and was solidly good but not great. Just what I was in the mood for, though.

I am grateful for some time in the studio this morning.

I am grateful for leftovers. O man, I love leftovers.

I am grateful for a boardgame with my boys tonight – we played blokus; which we received from my brother and his family, and it’s a great game.

I am grateful for time spent with those guys at bedtime.