Okay, the “storm” part of this is a judgment call. I’m relying on the concept of “brain storm” since the dictionary won’t bear out my preferred definition. I think I can have a storm of joy, but the dictionary seems to think storms are negative–enemies storm the castle, bad weather, etc. Well, if something good can be “all the rage,” why can’t I create a storm out of extreme happiness? My blog, my rules, right?

First, today is summer in Alaska. Before I head down to the yard to haul rocks and thin onions, I’ll put on shorts. Yesterday, I donned a second pair of long johns under my jeans because I was freezing…indoors. It is gorgeous beyond words, and if you don’t believe me, listen to the birds.

Second, thanks to Mike’s efforts last spring and summer, I have a deck with a comfy glider and useful table. It’s a lovely day to be on the deck, and if you don’t believe me, look at the basil, parsley, and tomatoes grow.

Third, I have a laptop and wireless internet. I am gliding on the deck, soaking up sun and warmth, and working. Well, I was working until I came over here to the blog. I’ve decided to re-do the puzzle pattern layout. I’ll tell you all about that on Monday.

And there you have it: a perfect joy storm. I hope you can feel it at least a little bit. In honor of the Perfect Storm, I will share three happy trifles.

1. I got this yesterday:

Since I’m the one taking pictures for the blog, I’m not generally in them. But I wasn’t the only one with a camera; Anne had one, too, and she’s so on the ball that she not only took pics, but she downloaded and sent them to me. (Screaming pink shirt, embroidered barrette…yeah, that’s me.)

Thanks, Anne! Yep, that’s her.

2. Karen Bente (owner of Arctic Needle in Anchorage) said this in the newsletter I got this morning:

Check out Jen’s blog and find out why she will be eating more moose meat then veggies
this winter.

Crack-a me up-a!

She was talking about bookmarks and the Needle and ThREAD program, and this was an aside.

Actually, I’m pretty resigned to being at the mercy of moose when it comes to gardening. I’m going to try. They’re bigger than I am, but I like to think I’m smarter than they are.

I went out yesterday afternoon and dug around the remaining mounds where I’d planted new seeds after most of the cuc and zuc plants died. I found several sprouting seeds and moved them to new mounds in the main garden. The easy-to-grow chives still haven’t shown up after two plantings (not even in the container inside), so I turned their real estate into cuc and zuc turf. We’ll see.

3. As I was getting reacquainted with the touch pad of this laptop (I’m not a fan of touch pads), I found myself rotating the computer each time I needed to manipulate the mouse because I was using my left hand. I am right handed. To relieve stress on my right wrist/elbow/shoulder, I switched to a left-handed mouse on the desktop quite a while ago. I very rarely switch back to right-handed, even when I’m drawing. Normally, I think I use the touch pad with my right hand, but out of habit this morning I was using my left index finger and rotating the computer each time. Is that weird or what?

I like the idea of being ambidextrous. I’m fairly certain my brain functions differently when I use different hands. The transition to the left-handed mouse was interesting; not only did my arm/hand muscles have to adapt, but so did my brain. The mental mistakes I made during the transition were unique.

Okay…I need shorts NOW. Where’s the sunscreen?