Favorite Things

I watched Oprah yesterday - something I haven't done for years - and even though it was a rerun, I enjoyed it. The cast from The Sound of Music was reunited for the first time since the movie was made 45 years ago. It was a nice memory lane visit and was fun to see how the experience had affected each of them - especially the kids.

It made me think about some of my favorite things and two of them have surrounded me the last few weeks.

This has been a record year for lilacs. I think it's the combination of lots of rain and the cooler weather and the results have been amazing. Everywhere I drive around town, the bushes are loaded down with lilacs. Mostly the light purple ones, but some very dark ones, some reddish purple, and even a few white ones, but the light purple ones are my favorite. I've had a bouquet in my living room for the last few weeks and love catching the smell of them as I pass by. Lilacs - my favorite flower.

This is the time of year in Wyoming that we can hear meadowlarks singing. I'm lucky enough to live just out of town, and have lots of trees on my land. That means lots of birds - everything from tiny yellow finches to mountain bluebirds and it's fun to see all of them. But my favorite is the meadowlark. I remember studying about them in fourth grade when we were required to take Wyoming history. The meadowlark is our state bird, but I'd love these birds, even if they weren't.

They are unmistakable when you see them from the front because they have a bright yellow belly and a black V at their neck that looks like a collar. But their real value is their song. I love getting up early, opening the windows and listening for the clear, pure song. Many times they will sound very close, but it's because their song carries so well. If you stand still and listen, you can usually pinpoint where the bird is and he will be farther away than he sounds. See a picture and listen to the song here.

Yes, I like raindrops on roses, whiskers on kittens, maybe not as much, but I do love lilacs and meadowlarks. They are a part of the best of Wyoming. And I love living in Wyoming!