SHE DID IT AGAIN!

      Jean (henceforth referred to as The Beast) memed me again! The woman has no mercy! None! Particularly when you consider that I will be passing the pain on.
      Here's the meme:
      THE SEARCH FOR JOY
      Search your blog for the word "joy" used in the context of "happiness." If you cannot find the word in your weblog, you may use any of the select list of synonyms below.
      joy, amusement, bliss, cheer, comfort, delectation, delight, ecstasy, elation, exaltation, exultation, exulting, felicity, gaiety, gladness, glee, good humor, gratification, happiness, hilarity, humor, jubilance, liveliness, merriment, mirth, pleasure, rapture, regalement, rejoicing, revelry, satisfaction, wonder
      If your weblog does not include a built-in search engine, then you can use Google to search it only for the word you wish to find.
      If you've found the word and it was not used facetiously or sarcastically, good for you. All you need to do is link to your earlier entry, and write a few words about that joyous moment. If, however, you have no joy (whole words only) in your weblog, you must dig deep in your soul and find something wonderful in your life right now. One little thing that fills you with warmth, that bubbles you over with quiet happiness, or tickles you with its good-hearted hilarity, or makes you glad you just took a breath, and are getting ready to take another. It doesn't have to be anything big. A smile someone gave you; your cat on your shoulder; the way the light angles through your window and casts rainbows on your floor. All it has to be is something genuine, something real, something that matters to you.
      Because we all need joy in our lives, and need to take the time -- from time to time -- to recognize it. And sometimes, we need to pass it on.
      Even if we're a big pain in the ass when we do.
      When you've dealt with your own joy, pass the quest on to five other bloggers.
      First, the five I'm going to pass it on to:
      1. Trixie
      2. Michelle
      3. ER
      4. Night-Rider
      5. And of course, Frenzied!
      In searching my blog, I discovered that I had only used the word "joy" once in my blog and not in a context where it was joyous. Well, I meant joy to mean joy, but the post wasn't joyous.
      So I decided share a couple of joys in my life.
      Four-year-old Mikey came to visit the other day. While I was carrying him into the house, he raided my shirt pocket and found a red pen. Immediately he asked for some "white paper." I got him some paper. He sat down at the coffee table and proceeded to write his name! He was excited that he could, and I was excited that he could. We had a grand time as he wrote his name over and over. He explained to me that M's go "up and down and up and down" and I's go "up and dot." Naturally I saved the pages. I want to remember that joy for a long time.
      And here's something else that's enjoyable. I made a huge pot of Many Can Soup last night. It's now resting in the fridge, flavors mingling, waiting to be heated up tonight and devoured with plenty of cornbread. I'm looking forward to it. Here's the easy recipe.

MANY CAN SOUP

Brown one pound of lean ground beef in a soup pot and drain off the grease.
Add two cans of condensed minestrone soup and one can of water.
2 cans of Veg-All, drained.
1 can of corn, drained.
1 can of pinto beans. You can use Southern Style beans for more spice.
1 can of green beans, drained.
1 can of diced tomatoes.
A sprinkle of diced galic.
Simmer until hot.
Serve with Mexican or regular cornbread. Absolutely delicious, and even better the second day. It will freeze well, although I rarely have left-overs.

      Make the soup and share my joy. And I'll guess I'll forgive Jean ... this time ...