honest scrap

Well now, sweet If Optimist bestowed upon me an honest scrap award.

Because I am kate, I will probably not play by the rules, but I am honored as heck.

The rules that I will flout?

1) Choose a minimum of 7 blogs that you find brilliant in content or design

2) Show the 7 winners names and links on your blog, and leave a comment informing them that they have won the "Honest Scrap" award.

3) List at least 10 honest things about yourself.

So, since I think nearly all the blogs I read are brilliant, this is impossible to pass along to just 7, and many have already been here, done this.

So, without further ado--

more than ten honest things about me, some of which some of you already know-

1. Once I truly love someone, I just do. Forever.

2. I have been single, I have dated, I have dated women, dated men, was married once, was widowed, and am now partnered. I did not plan such a complex path, but I sure have learned a lot. I have always found relationships difficult, but it has gotten marginally easier since I have figured out who might drain me dry, and subsequently learned to avoid them like the plague.  But for a while there? I was a doormat. I do not miss it.

3. I wish I could play an instrument. When we were little, my dad used to bring home instruments from time to time for us to play with (he could play anything by ear and by trial and error). So over the years we had a flute, a clarinet, a zither, and I had a guitar. But, unlike my dad, I cannot just pick anything up and play it, and without lessons and effort and practice it will never happen. I just want to wake up some day knowing. And while I am at it, I would like to wake up knowing a second and third language too please.

4. I have no tattoos. I used to think this was ordinary. But not anymore.

5. I really am a redhead. As gray comes in fast and furiously, I wonder when/if I should dye it. I cannot imagine being anything else. But I cannot imagine dyeing it either. So I will wait.

6. White christmas lights bring me happiness.

7. I love chocolate, chocolate and strawberries, chocolate and mint, chocolate and coffee, chocolate and kate.

8. I am hopeful. Sometimes, even when I should or do know better, I am hopeful anyway. I like to think of this as a positive feature and not a sign of delusional insanity. No matter, it is what it is. And I sure think it beats hopelessness.

9. I am full of wonder. I love to watch cream move through tea, clouds move by overhead, and water ripple as rain hits it or as waves come in, and the flash of fireflies doing their thing, and lightning flicker, and leaves come in and unfurl and change color and fall, and snowflakes!  Oh the magic. I would not trade this part of me for anything.

10. I can find 4 -leaf clovers more often/easier than most folks.

11. 11 is my favorite number.

12.  I can't whistle