Did not sit on the porch today. Did not do any pondering today. But today was full of happiness and laughter!

My niece, well my great-niece, spent the day with me. We had the best time. We laughed all day long. Had bacon, egg, and cheese biscuits for breakfast, compliments of her sweet mother. She loves bacon. Always has extra bacon on her biscuit. She’s oldest brother’s granddaughter. He calls her Baconater.

After a morning of video games on our iPads, we ate popcorn for lunch. I did offer her chicken fingers and fries but we were watching a movie so popcorn was her choice. Enjoyed McDonald’s Oreo flurries (we began our flurry tradition during the summer) and pigged out on strawberries and BBQ chips. She asked for chips and was mortified that I had Wally World chips. “You don’t have any Lay’s chips, Patty?,” she says so disheartened. “I only eat Lays!” Just try one I tell her. Reluctantly she ate one chip and seemed surprised she liked it. Asked for a bowl of the BBQ chips!

In the middle of us doing the Ruby Jade bird dance, to the Raining Tacos song, the tornado warning siren goes off. Stew had already opened the door to the basement so we sat on the steps and watched tv on my iPad. She was amazed there was an apartment in the basement. She wasn’t afraid of the weather but worried about her mama driving to pick her up. Her mama texted she was staying at work till the storm passed so we just “chilled” on the basement steps till the tornado warning expired. When her mother arrived we were back upstairs doing the Ruby Jade bird dance and laughing hysterically.

Children are so beautiful when they are uninhibited and in love with life. Their spontaneous laughter is so contagious. My granddaughter and I get tickled all the time and I lose my breath. I always say, “Think I need some oxygen!” That gets us giggling again. Throw a few whoopi cushions into the mix and my grandsons get the giggles, too.

My best friend and I have had some great laughs too. We laugh about a twin bed room at the Shady Oaks rest home and the antics of our grandchildren and our spoiled dogs. Got a good laugh out of a typo she saw in the real estate section and sent me today— Small house for runt. That’s great! Makes me laugh every time I read it.

After the Baconater left, I realized I felt better than I had been feeling lately. True laughter really is like a dose of medicine. Cheers you up and puts a smile in your heart.

Hope everyone’s new year is full of laughter.