A Conscientious Contractor, a Squirrel-Free Zone, Peach Bread, a Sporty Dog, Generosity, Floral Beauty, Draft Done, Cookies and Tea...

101. Noticing 100 good things in 23 days. Actually, noticing 101...

100. Enjoying a cup of hot decaf tea and a little plate of Social Tea cookies almost all to myself. (I shared half a cookie with a big dog.)

99. Eating dinner with C. at an outdoor cafe on the East Side of Providence, near Brown University and the Rhode Island School of Design.

98. Driving on the side of the highway that did not have the traffic jam.

97. Finding a shortcut through Boston to get on the highway.

96. Finishing writing a draft of a chapter.

95. Discovering the "Closed for Lunch" sign taken out of the window of the the post office by the time I arrived.

94. Finding the notary in her office.

93. Noticing the combination of marigolds, begonias and petunias in a wrought iron planter and
making a little sketch of it in the notepad in my pocketbook.

92. Getting in line behind a bald man in a Boston Red Sox shirt who said, "You only have that card. Why don't you go ahead of me?"

91. A barking King Charles spaniel in the passenger seat of a sporty teal blue convertible.

90. A call from L. letting me know that she and R. will be able to come early for lunch and will bring peach bread from a farm stand.

89. Learning there is no evidence of a squirrel in the attic.

88. A contractor who fixed a small problem and said, "I can't in good conscience charge you for this."

Time for a Chat, Ordering Passion, Good News, Born-Again Hostas, Melting Butter, a Speedy Response, Musical Cheers, Bright Blooms

87. New growth on the hostas previously munched on by the deer.

86. The first bright blue bloom of the year in the morning glories that wind around my mailbox.

85. Butter melting into a hot-from-the-oven blueberry muffin.

84. Good news about childhood friends, relayed by my mother.

83. Ordering passion iced tea at a drive-through coffee-and-tea chain restaurant. The person taking the order seemed to have trouble hearing and kept asking me to repeat the kind of iced tea I wanted. Finally I took a deep breathe and hollered, "Passion! I want passion!" A priest walking past my car toward the busy restaurant looked back at me with a big smile as I yelled into the microphone that I wanted passion. Passion!

82. Ferrying my daughter, while music that we both liked played on the radio.

81. An uninterupted 15-minute chunk of time to listen to an out-of-state friend's funny stories.

80. Finding a pair of old jeans that fit (and flatter!) in the back of my closet.

79. The AAA (American Automobile Association) arriving within 15 minutes of placing a call.

Shade on a Sunny Day, Caffeine-on-Ice, a Billboard That Wasn't For Me, Flower-Filled Vases, Old Friends

78. Chatting with old friends.

77. Finding time to arrange four low vases with flowers from the garden -- cosmos, snapdragons, rose of sharons, black-eyed susans and zinnias -- for a dinner party.

76. A billboard on the side of 195 advertising a woman's 40th birthday, complete with her name and photo..and being happy that my picture was not up there.

75. Being given a non-fat iced carmel latte and finding it delicious.

74. Finding a shady spot at a tournament.

A Good Start, Goldfinches, Sock Couples, Raspberry Tea, Dream Parking, a Good Movie With a Favorite Person

73. Seeing the movie The Time Traveler's Wife with B.L.

72. A parking spot close to the front door of the Department of Motor Vehicles that opened up just as I needed to pull in to park.

71. A hot cup of raspberry tea with a few shortbread cookies for dunking.

70. Finding the mate to every sock in the dryer. (I noted it on the calendar...)

69. Two goldfinches eating thistle from a hanging birdfeeder.

68. Waking up early and using the time for uninterupted fact-checking and proofing.

The Moon, the News, Sleep, Good Seats, a Daring Combination, a Done Deal, a Fabulous Find

67. Finding a beautiful white, yellow and turquoise sweater that matches my new turquoise dress, marked down from $100 to, dare I write it, five dollars. Five dollars, at T.J. Maxx.

66. An article completed before deadline.

65. The surprising deliciousness of avacado, figs and yogurt for lunch.

64. Front row seats at a Pawtucket Red Sox vs. Rochester Red Wings baseball game.

63. Sleeping seven hours straight.

62. A newsy email from an old friend.

61. The sweet, lemony scent of a dessert-plate-size moon flower I picked on an evening stroll.

No Cause for Alarm, Readying a Book Proposal, a Hummingbird, A Mystery Solved, a Liberated Male Walker

60. Seeing a retired male neighbor, out for a stroll, wearing the same lavender, pink and white jogging suit I've seen on his wife. The man and his wife could have matching suits, but I prefer to think that they share!

59. Solving the mystery of a series of hollowed out tomatoes found next to my container vegetable garden. A rogue groundhog, caught in the act! (Spraying animal repellent around the yard encourages the little fellow to broaden his horizens and investigate other sources -- elsewhere -- for snacks. )

58. A hummingbird hovering in the pink Rose of Sharon bush near the driveway.

57. A polished book proposal, ready to mail.

56. Learning that everything is fine at Jono's house even though there were rescue vehicles, a police car, two firetrucks and a town van parked outside.

Purple Spuds with Green Herbs, Successful Navigation, a Random Blessing. . .

55. The cashier at the grocery store saying "God bless you" when I was leaving. No sneezing involved.

54. Navigating an unexpected and unfamiliar traffic detour and still getting to the train 15 minutes early -- without using GPS.

53. The visual surprise of tiny purple pototoes tossed with chives, oregano and parsley. The inside of the potatoes, when cut in half, resemble a purple sunburst.

Holy Bales of Hay, Taking a Gander at Geese, What My Daughter Said

52. A truck, piled high with rectangular bales of hay, that turned sharply onto a main street. The hay bales shifted but did not fall. The driver, a white-haired man, saluted as he drove past me.

51. Scores of geese crossing the road -- single file -- at a time I was not in a hurry.

50. Being told I was right by my daughter.

An Announcement From a Dancing Toddler, a Kind Deed and Nearer-to-Thee News Delivery

49. A tow-headed toddler who danced into the living room at C.'s graduation party and announced, "It's cake time."

48. Maura offering to drive an elderly relative to Boston for me.

47. The morning news carrier putting the newspapers on the front steps -- instead of of the walkway close to the street.

Fragrant Peaches, An Easy Way to Resist Temptation ...and a Complimentary Cappucino

46.The sweet, rich smell of a basket of ripe peaches filling the car as I drive away from the farm stand.

45. Not being tempted by a half gallon of cookies-and-cream non-fat frozen yogurt since it was eaten before I could have any. I put it in the freezer at 1 p.m. By 1: 30 p.m. it was gone, baby, gone.

44. A complimentary cappuccino offered and accepted as I waited for organic Mexican coffee beans to be ground.

A Good Dog, a Decent Photo, a Miracle and a Present

43. When the dog appeared next to me with a bathing suit hanging out of his mouth and I told him to drop it, he did.

42. Finding a flattering photo of myself on the website of an event I attended. In my mind it neutralizes the photo of me on another website.

41. Watering a hanging Wave petunia that was so dry it seemed dead ... and watching it perk up before my very eyes.

40. Receiving a present in the mail when there was no occasion.

Losing Weight, Gaining a Thank You Note, Solving a Computer Problem

39. Losing seven pounds without trying too hard. I think it must be stress revving up my metabolic rate; I'll take it.

38. A thank you note in the mail. I do not recall what I did to deserve it -- and I do not know the sender well enough to call and ask -- but it was a kind gesture on the sender's part.

37. Getting B. to fix a problem on my computer. Joy!

Good News Made Better, Happy Trails, Lunch-for-Supper With Mom, Signing Off on a Query

36. Yesterday's fabulous gift of chocolate berry mousse just got better. It is fat free, not just low in fat as I first thought. I was informed of this when I thanked the gift giver.

35. A safe-and-speedy trip to Connecticut and back. Traffic was light, the music on the radio was pleasant... and it only rained when I was in the car -- not while I was outside.

34. Lunch-for-supper, shared with my mother. We had egg salad sandwiches with chives, chicken and vegetable soup, fresh peaches with raspberries. We finished the meal with brown sugar cinnamon cookies and big glasses of ginsing iced tea.

33. Finishing a query letter and tucking it into an envelope so it's ready to drop off at the post office at dawn's early light (or shortly thereafter).

Flattering Photos, Low-Fat Chocolate Berry Mousse and a Free Book

32. Attending a photo session ...and getting to see the results on the spot. The best part? The photos were terrific.

31. Chocolate berry mousse in the refridgerator. It's a gift from Colleen. The mousse is delicious and low in fat. Who could ask for anything more?

30. The delight of finding a reference book I needed at Borders. But wait; that's not all. I also was able to choose one "free" book from several hundred offerings. The book I chose? I Didn't Know That: From "Ants in the Pants" to Wet Behind the Ears" the Unusual Origins of the Things We Say."

Smooth Sailing, a Compliment and Kisses Galore

29. Smooth sailing in a morning trip to Boston and back, with the luxury of four minutes to spare before having to leave for the next appointment.

28. A unexpected compliment from neighbor Sue, garnered on an evening walk.

27. Kisses from a silly, big dog. And then more kisses.

Sweet Dreams, Old Ties Made New, Bicycle Shorts and Golf Swings

26. The delight of sleeping in, undisturbed, until 9:30 a.m. It was a rare, beautiful thing and I will savor the memory.

25. A surprise call from an old college friend who would like to stop by with his daughter when they are in the area in the next few weeks. He'll call back when he knows the day and time. Hopefully I will be free!

24. Seeing my neighbor swing a golf club at imaginary golf balls in the grass, then having a chat about the merits of two types of bicycle shorts: the elongated Speedo type and the cargo short version. Both the practice golf and the subject of the chat made me smile.

Three Cups of Coffee, a House and Garden Tour That Wasn't

23. Watching our morning chaos through houseguest Navi's eyes and realizing you need to have a lot of coffee to handle it. (I was on my third cup of coffee and was delighted I'd made a second pot.)

22. Seeing two house-and-garden tour buses parked on my street and being relieved they weren't for me. Thank goodness: the garden needs tending and a kitchen floor is crying out for a treatment from a Swiffer Wet Jet. Who wants to do those things in front of bus loads of visitors?

An Unexpected Visit, Tiny Eggplants and Fun on the Trampoline

22. A casual dinner of barbequed chicken pizza, salad and chocolate cake... and a surprise dinner guest.

21. Finding tiny eggplants -- hanging like fish from a pole -- that seemed to grow overnight.

20. Jumping on a trampoline 100 times.

Finding Zucchini, Walking With a Butterfly and a Close Encounter With Deer (And an Editor)

19. Finding an eight-inch zucchini and five tiny zucchinis in my container Victory garden. While they're not ready for picking now, they will be soon!

18 . The black butterfly with blue-edged wings that followed me on a walk.

17. The doe and two fawns who surprised me at the edge of the patio. We stared at each other for about half a minute until my phone rang. The deer turned and bounded down the hill, through the raspberries, as I began speaking to an editor.

A Zamboni with Veritas, International Eavesdropping, Lovely Lemonade, Dessert First

16. Walking across the concrete floor of the ice rink at Harvard and seeing the word "veritas" painted on the zamboni.

15. Eavesdropping on a conversation by a group of young men speaking Dutch -- and understanding it. The subject? Barbequed food... and girls.

14. An icy glass of freshly made lemonade from a vendor in a white cart.

13. Eating moose tracks ice cream for dessert -- before dinner.

Anne Calls, a Man Bicycles and a Basket is Dubbed 'Nifty"

12. An out-of-the-blue phone call from Anne, whom I haven't spoken with in years, wanting to chat about the wedding.

11. A middle-aged man riding his shiny new black bicycle.

10. The check out boy at the market calling my basket-instead-of-a-bag "nifty." (It is.)

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A Fox-Free Walk, a Hummingbird, a Confirmation, a Conversation and an Odd Couple

9. No sign of foxes or coyotes on an early morning walk.

8. A hummingbird dipping into a pink Rose of Sharon bloom.

7. Brian telling me he thinks I have been right all along about the benefits of cooking dinner, those benefits being more than simply financial. This is due to a radio show he listened to as well as a New York Times magazine article.

6. A great conversation with a publisher.

5. A man dressed as a cowboy and a woman made up to look like a doll who were chatting near the free coffee section at the grocery store. I asked the manager if they were in costume and he told me they are in the store several times a week -- and always look like that.

Chocolate, a Turquoise Dress, a Minty Bouquet of Flowers and a Phone Call

4. Eating a 100-calorie chocolate bar without having to share it or explain why I was eating it.

3. A sweet new turquoise Adrienne Vittadini dress marked down from $108 to $15.

2. The bouquet of Black-eyed Susans, Cone Flowers and fresh mint that I picked from the garden.

1. An unexpected phone call from my brother.