What Am I Grateful For?

Anne Wayman has suggested several ways that writers might express their gratitude today on her blog, About Freelance Writing. Her first suggestion was to come up with 108 things they're grateful for. She put together her own list of 108 things and said it took her 45 minutes, mostly because she added links.

I wondered, could I do that? And how long would it take me?

So here's my list (completely off the cuff), started at 10:17 p.m.:

1. The ability to walk.
2. The ability to speak.
3. The ability to write.
4. My novel, IDENTITY CRISIS.
5. My two published short stories, one in CHESAPEAKE CRIMES and the other in The Back Alley.
6. The short story that will be published in CHESAPEAKE CRIMES: THEY HAD IT COMIN'.
7. My family.
8. My husband.
9. My friends.
10. Chocolate.
11. Sunny, warm days.
12. California.
13. Cars.
14. Trains.
15. Planes.
16. Bicycles.
17. Dancing.
18. Singing.
19. Movies.
20. Books.
21. Reading.
22. Theatre.
23. Cranberry sauce.
24. Computers.
25. Social media.
26. Twitter (that gets a special mention).
27. Scientists.
28. Medical advances.
29. Light bulbs.
30. Ovens
31. Microwave ovens
32. Television.
33. DVDs
34. iTunes.
35. YouTube.
36. Breathing.
37. Smelling.
38. Flowers.
39. Grass.
40. Mountains.
41. Beaches.
42. My neighbors.
43. Buddhism.
44. Sisters in Crime.
45. The Maryland Writers Association.
46. The Mystery Writers of America.
47. The Private Eye Writers of America.
48. The American Independent Writers.
49. Network Referral Group.
50. Anyone who's ever paid me to write.
51. Miss Solomon (my teacher in 2nd and 3rd grade).
52. New York City.
53. Baseball.
54. San Francisco.
55. San Diego.
56. Fresno. (Really!)
57. My cousin, Christine.
58. Chocolate-covered strawberries.
59. The Firesign Theatre.
60. The Internet.
61. My cats.
62. Wine.
63. Espresso.
64. Strawberries.
65. Warm blankets on a cold night.
66. The ability to sleep well.
67. My college education.
68. My post-graduate studies in law and library science.
69. My trip to Italy.
70. Mystery conferences.
71. Talking to my sister on the phone.
72. Visiting family in Portland, OR.
73. Visiting family in Boulder, CO.
74. Running.
75. Laughing.
76. Jokes.
77. My house.
78. Electric razors.
79. Air conditioning.
80. Central heating systems.
81. Pretzels.
82. My mother-in-law. (Yes, really!)
83. My husband's extended family.
84. Nancy Drew.
85. Catcher in the Rye.
86. The Big Sleep.
87. Film noir, in general.
88. Hardboiled detective fiction.
89. Honey West.
90. The Avengers.
91. Diana Rigg.
92. Erle Stanley Gardner (and Perry Mason).
93. Mary Tyler Moore.
94. Carol Burnett
95. The Marx Brothers.
96. Night at the Opera.
97. John LeCarre.
98. To Kill a Mockingbird.
99. Alfred Hitchcock.
100. John Ford.
101. The Coen Brothers.
102. The Big Lebowski.
103. Woody Allen.
104. Hannah and Her Sisters.
105. Annie Hall.
106. Stardust Memories.
107. Playtime.
108. The ability to make this list.

End: 10:48 p.m. (without links)
10:58 p.m. (after adding the links)