I was just standing in wait at a local food establishment, and a stranger also in line complimented me on my red clogs (my favorites, by the way). So I told the stranger I worked at Highland, it is game day, and I wore school colors on my feet in the spirit of, well, school spirit. The stranger then said he was a Highland alum and asked sincerely how things were at school. It was a small moment, but on a rainy Friday night I was touched by a brief exchange with someone I do not know at the end of a busy week.

An idea germinated. What follows is a catalog of things I appreciate; some are specific to Pocatello, some are general, but many (most) fall into the charmed life / life is good category. Call me a Pollyanna – guilty as charged.

At life’s foundation, I would want readers to know that I appreciate and am grateful for family in all its iterations, friends and friendship, freedom, an education, just about every privilege. I take none of that for granted.

My friend Jane says it is a great gift to have a set of furry lungs in the house (or in the household). I agree – heartily. The dog and I are staring at each other even now, and he’ll follow me to bed, lying at my feet, keeping my toes warm. My husband and I have been married for 42 years and had three dogs in that time (Judson, Smitty, and Edgar), so apparently Clarkson dogs lead the life of Riley.

Last week I came back from walking our dog to find an unfamiliar one running loose. We live in a place with very busy car traffic and this critter was clearly spooked and nervous. Somehow I collared him – wearing a nice collar, dog license, rabies tag – but alas, no owner identifiers. I was relieved to know that I could take him to the Pocatello Animal Shelter for the night. He was a sweet dog, some kind of Shepherd mix, who practically sat in my lap in the car while we waited at the shelter. And then a very nice Pocatello police officer took him on a lead to the shelter where he spent Friday night (hopefully as part of a canine slumber party) and was hopefully reunited with his people the next day. Again, a small moment, but a positive and affirming one.

Driving around town, I get a kick out of gleeful dogs in cars and trucks, quite happy to be a passenger companion. It is mood medicine to pull up behind a vehicle to see one (or two) dog heads sticking out a window, tongues lolling, tails wagging, taking it all in. I am convinced that dogs smile.

The Bannock Highway offers two things I appreciate. In August and September, there are great stretches of the road lined on both sides with sunflowers. What is required to survive a brutal winter, unceasing car traffic, and searing temperatures . . . yet still bloom for weeks? I don’t know, but if it could be bottled, I’d take some. And there is a business with signage on the road that advertises, entertains, and encourages (all at the same time) with sayings and aphorisms. A couple of my favorites: No Pressure, No Diamonds; and Prove Them Wrong. The owners of that

business cannot possibly know how their signs have propped me up during the last couple of years. Thank you.

Pocatello has the typical array of retail establishments and places to spend your money, but we also have a robust offering of service providers who extend the life of purchased items, who repair and fix, or who use their great skill to create items that are entirely new. In Pocatello, you can find cell phone and computer repair, jewelry makers and metalsmiths, carpenters and contractors. We are fortunate indeed to have so many makers and doers in our midst. I want to send out particular gratitude to the good folks who are our car mechanics – not just incredibly nice, but hard-working, thoughtful, and understanding of our need to keep our old cars on the road. A truly evolved town has an expert shoe repair person, which Pocatello has. When the much-spoiled dog mentioned above chewed the bejesus out of our summer leather sandals (note the plural: sandals), I was able to have them repaired and they gave us another couple of summers. When our son Joe was getting married, I dreaded the thought of having to buy a mother-of-the-groom dress (my Aunt Ellen wanted to know what my “frock” was for Joe’s wedding!) and in a terrific stroke of luck, a local seamstress was recommended to me who made the perfect dress (pockets, the right length, comfortable, washable) that I wore for the wedding and have worn since.

The Pocatello Farmers Market is a gem in its new location in front of the Marshall Public Library. The offerings of fresh produce (vegetables and fruit), plants and starts, clothes and jewelry, wee donuts, fresh bread and baked goods, homemade foods / jams / items, information tables, and much more is one of the welcomest parts of the warmer months. Not sure about you, but after the winter of 22 - 23, I needed the Farmers Market like a real medicine. The early summer crops offered in May (peas, lettuces), leisurely strolling for half an hour on a Saturday morning, and the opportunity to talk to friends and neighbors outside in the warming sun was a balm to my soul.

A good book? It offers a window into another world, or culture, or process, or life. It is a gift, a distraction, a puzzle, an inspiration, a motivation. The places that hold books, information, and knowledge for the public benefit – our libraries and collections – are a resource of incalculable value. A library can’t possibly address all our challenges, but a library, along with laboratories and classrooms and workshops, have long been (and will continue to be) foundational to our societies and our future.

Speaking of a good book, I am in the final pages of Andrea Barrett’s collection of stories entitled Natural History. The stories are connected by location and the characters. It is so good. Have you read Barrett’s novella Ship Fever about the Irish fleeing across the Atlantic during the potato famine? It can be found in the Marshall Public Library and I recommend it highly.

All of this is to say that a mood is a powerful force, good and bad. When you feel the latter creeping in, find those things – your things – that will serve as your mood medicines.