3 simple pleasures

What are three simple pleasures in my life? Hmmm...

I love the area of my yard I have affectionately named the Grotto. The Grotto is seasonal: here in rural Kansas I have made an oasis, quite literally, shaded by banana trees and shielded from the wind by a tall privacy fence stained "Bombay Mahogany". By mid-summer, the banana trees are taller than the fence, the small pond is stocked with small fish, and the fountain buffers the noise from passing farm equipment on the road nearby. By late summer, when most everything in the yard has turned brown from the heat and wind, the Grotto is a vacation spot: huge, deep green leaves casting shade on the mahogany wood, hummingbirds fly right by my head as they vie for the various feeders I keep for them. One can almost forget the unrelenting heat and wind, sitting in the Grotto in an early morning or a late evening. A simple pleasure.

We have a couple of horses, retired from hard lives of the race track and the ranch life. What in the world are they good for? A simple pleasure: occasionally one will walk up and stand right before me. They aren't "petting" pets and are inclined to walk away if someone tries to treat them like a giant puppy. But occasionally, one will walk up and stand there. Just to say hi, get a sniff, lay his chin in my hand. And after a minute or two, he will walk away and our simple moment is over.

The road in front of our house is a favorite for cyclists in our locale. What a simple pleasure to be sitting outside in the morning, sipping my strong (so people say) coffee, and first hear, and then see, the local pelaton coming over the bend. It is truly a case of "if you blink you will miss it" because these cyclists are serious about speed. It is thrilling! And then, they are gone again. A simple morning pleasure...