These are a few of my favorite things!

Oh and watching his little face light up when he was given the chance to go and hug a dolphin

or even por favor

My fave thing is definitely from my break we went to tenerife an island off N Africa but Spanish and my little angel of a grandson said to everyone Hola! Yo me llamo xxxxx and always said poor favor and gracias. He made himself very popular which isn't bad when you consider he is only 4

Lately I've really been enjoying listening to Audio Books, while I go through things in this house or do big home improvement projects. Feels almost as if I have company vs it being just me and the dogs. Pretty Awesome when piped through the big speakers!

Pam, you reminded me of all the fragrant plants....lilacs in the spring and peonies in late spring, the sweet fragrance of honeysuckle and the heady aroma of petunias in the summer...

And always (and I think I already posted about this, but it's worth writing it again), the sweet but calming fragrance of lemon balm and the mints throughout the growing season.

Oh Mina I know what you mean about the Claritan! I love the smell of lilacs, we have several! and they just close my nose up!,, But i deal with it...LOL

And how about fresh mown grass in the Spring/early summer? Is there anything better than a big, deep breath of that? And (especially if you live in the North like me) after a long, cold winter.....just throwing those windows open so that wonderful, fresh smell can invade your house....I have allergies and I know I'll pay for it every time....w/puffy eyes and stuffed nose next AM.....don't care....won't give it up....just get out the Claritan!

GA Yes they always have a lumber jack competition every year. You know the old log rolling contest etc. Along with the standard rides, junk food etc.

Mom and I used to go every year. Get there at 11:00 am. and leave at 10:00 pm.

I used to look so forward to this day every year. My husband wants to go but I just don't think my heart could take it.

I too love the fragrance of freshly cut wood, especially a tree that's been cut in fall when the air is crisp and fresh.

And I also enjoy using the logs as borders for garden beds. It's a great way to recycle trees that are cut down.

Gershun, was there a tree or log cutting contest or something similar in the fair?

I love fresh cut sawdust too. It always reminds me of the fair that comes to town every summer. Actually starts this weekend but I probably won't go this year cause it used to be my favorite outing I did with my Mom every year. It would just be too sad for me to go this year. Too many memories.

Geritol? Fresh cut sawdust? You guys really need to expand your horizons ....

One of my favorite things... the smell of fresh cut sawdust :)

Friday confession: I actually went looking for a bottle of SSS or Geritol recently...I knew that I loved the taste, but also knew it was pretty good for the old blood system...never did find it..found the pills but I wanted the liquid...

Boones Farm..ah the memories...yall I was such a goody two shoes in my childhood years...I didn't even realize the Geritol was a no no for kids, I just loved the way it tasted...I remember when I got old enough to try the "real thing"..aka Boones Farm..hahaha....I was actually in COLLEGE...no kidding...what was the one that was so popular...something like Strawberry Fields???? I just remember thinking how I couldn't wait to try it...and then how much I hoped I never tasted the stuff again...Later would learn the screw on cap was kind of a giveaway.....

Geritol? Hope, have you graduated to Boons Farm wine now? They have a very nice selection I'm told.......

Mina....lol..yes, I am almost rabid about our yard....I have a moderate sized former flower pot that is lightweight and I literally make a few runs daily when I see leaves falling on my nicely raked lawn...it is maddening but I can't help myself...ha....

We also have a lot of elderly folks in our neighborhood and I love them so much..another reason the doofus with the cannon angers me so. I know how much they hate those really loud fireworks...I don't think most people mind the smaller ones or the sparklers, as long as they are used responsibly...but a cannon???? ugh....I kind of feel it is my mission to protect our neighbors...

Ah...the old Cornhuskers Lotion. I remember this stuff too. Mama kept it too and I would slather it all over myself after getting sunburned...it was kind of sticky if you used to much and I was bad about not using it responsibly...that and the original Rose Milk....love that too....

Did anyone else on here sneak into the cabinet and get a swig of SSS Tonic? or Geritol...the liquid kind? I loved the taste of that stuff....I didn't realize it had a pretty decent alcohol content...maybe that's why I liked it so much...I just remember Mama used to wonder why the bottle always seemed to dwindle so quickly....I think she blamed Daddy....(sorry Daddy...) I loved the tasted of that iron or something in there...

Oh Windyridge, you just brought up a happy memory for me, cornhuskers lotion, my father had this on his sink and i remember him using it all my life. I cam still see the plain skinny bottle with the yellow cap, that was dad. I miss him so. He was one of my most favorite things. Always will be.

Garden Artist... yes, it was in the living room, fully assembled, I might add, A Harley Davidson..... We all rode Harley's, back in the day, so having one in the house was just standard.... it was a hoot watching the mother of the groom, who had come down from Ohio, trying to find a place to set, because I had brought all the cats inside so they wouldn't bother the guests... probably at least 10 of them.... best wedding I ever attended...!!!

This thread should be named the Stress Relief or Laughter thread.

Ladee, you're serious? A motorcycle in a living room? That beats tires and a disassembled truck engine!

Windy, thanks for the lotion tips! Any suggestions for sore gardening hands? (big grin - sure wish we had emoticons).

Mina, where do you live? I'll move into that neighborhood! (no, I really don't want to know any personal information such as where you live - especially not on a public forum). All the neighbors like that have left here and gone elsewhere.

OK, Hope you just made me LOL again! And GA I definitely have some firecracker and other "loud noises" (just in a generic way those seem to be on the guys favorite things list) neighbor stories. I'm just waiting for Windy to start that new thread before I share. OTOH, I have some wonderful, quite elderly neighbors (mid-late 80's) who are also very active (golf league, bowling, gardening, etc.). I always go over and clean up their yards (across the street from me) after a storm or really windy day because I have several really large trees that drop leaves and branches during high winds/storms. They always tell me I don't have to do this ...."Oh Jerry will just take care of that w/the mower, dear".....well, Jerry's 88 w/a bad back, bad knee and CHF so.....I really don't mind doing it....Hope....you and I seem to have this "pristine yard" (dare I say....OCD) thing in common...LOL....Let's hear it for lovely, wonderful (sometimes quite elderly) neighbors as a favorite thing.....talk about making a difference in your quality of life!

BTW girls, the hand leaner is not goop, it's GOJO. It's orange and has something like sand in it, pumice maybe. It's takes off the dirt and the outer layer of skin. Your hands are like boiled lobsters that have been sandpapered after using the stuff. I have the large econo size in my garage. But after changing out the u joint on the tractor nothing else works. After your hands are dry and The healing process has begun, use Cornhuskers Lotion which smells like the disinfectant your grade school janitor used. Your quite welcome for the hand care beauty tips.

When I was still married, we had a beautiful back yard, and hosted a wedding.... of course it rained.... everyone comes trooping in the house and the mother of groom, with her lips pursed, asked, "IS THAT A MOTORCYCLE IN THE LIVING ROOM???"...... We all just looked at her like, well ya, where do you keep YOURS??

Mina...goop and purple gas station towels...what a hoot. I can see it now. ..and the stack of chairs. ..hahaha......I am loving thinking of all the little quirks our more rugged counterparts possess...it really is entertaining.

I remember a guy I dated in college who kept one of those smaller dorm type refrigerators in his "living room" so he wouldn't miss any critical plays of the football games. ..the thing that made it funny was. ..his living room was all of 5 feet from his regular refrigerator. ..he was so proud of coming up with that time saver

Favorite comments from menfolk - "I'm eating more fish like the doctor said. I stopped at Long John Silver's". "Pinto beans are a vegetable" "Pickles are a vegetable". "These homemade granola bars are good, but they need chocolate chips"

Most guys I know adhere to the Miss Piggy Diet Plan:

NEVER EAT ANYTHING YOU CANT LIFT

Hog heaven gifts - I like it! I could see it offered every holiday! Imagine the joy of receiving a Hog Heaven catalogue.

I forgot to mention how considerate some are to share their favorite activities, such as baseball and football games. It's especially thoughtful to turn up the radio volume so loud that all the neighbors can hear the game.

And it's especially considerate to do so when someone wants to garden in her back yard, listen to the songs of the birds and the soft rustle of the trees.

Of course the volume has to be so loud that when said gardener goes back inside, she can still hear the games even though her yard is almost 300 feet deep and the kind neighbor is at the end of that yard.

Of course I would love to share some sound, so one day I'll take a CD player to the back of the yard and play the Ride of the Valkyries from Wagner's Die Walkure. Hopefully I can find a recording with Birgit Nilsson singing; her voice is so powerful it can literally make the ground tremble. I'm sure they'll enjoy that.

I do want to be a grateful neighbor.

My son received a gift bag full of guy foods, including all sorts of bacon items like bacon jerky. He was in hog heaven...pun intended.

Linda, your comment on bacon reminded me of some of the men we see when we go for breakfast brunch. Their plates are piled high with high fat and cholesterol foods, including mounds of bacon. Sometimes it's entertaining to see what people have on their plates when returning from the brunch bar.

Mina, welcome to the laughter club. I certainly did a lot of that as I pictured a truck engine torn down in someone's living room! What makes it even better is the Goop and paper towels.

You didn't describe the kitchen...should I even dare to ask?

Perhaps his comment about your friend being a "fat chick" (chick is such an insulting word in my opinion) is why his living room serves as a garage instead of a room for entertaining friends. I'm guessing he's still single!

I'll bet if he ever dates he comes for his date in his truck.

You're right, laughter is great for health. Mine is pretty good after reading this thread and the posts.

OK, Windy, GA and Hope...you all are truly entertaining me. I literally laughed out loud...and GA your comment about the guy who stored tires in his living room made me remember an experience I hadn't thought about in years. Back in college (a gazillion years ago) my BF and I visited his friend. Now I genuinely liked Leo...he was quite a character, but somewhat lacking in basic social skills. The door to his apt. opened directly into the living room. Not 1 stick of furniture. There was, however, a fully torn down truck engine spread out across the floor boards. Leo greeted us with, "Hey, pull down some chairs". He was serious. In a far corner there were 4 or 5 big, overstuffed, upholstered armchairs piled 1 on top of another right up to the ceiling. I once (as in 1 time only) used Leo's bathroom. It was actually quite clean BUT there was no soap...no towels. There was however, a large can of GOOP ( now there's a guys favorite thing) and a big pile of those purple industrial type paper towels (wow...another guys favorite thing).....you know....the kind you used to find in gas station restrooms (maybe another guys favorite thing?!). Leo had a mad crush on my BFF. She was mightily P.O'd tho when she found out he had inquired after her by saying to me, "Hey, where's your cute friend....you know...the fat chick." LOL...OK, I guess I am somewhat off topic BUT you guys did make me literally Laugh Out Loud and that is definitely one of my favorite things...and quite good for your health, also!