
This thought dropped into my head this morning as I walked back from the library and pondered on today’s possible slice. So my letter of course would be ‘i’ and I could muse on some things that would be my ideal… would it work? Some thoughts might and some would not, best to stay off people and stick to objects, animals or places…..
So here goes…..
My ideal dog would be a dalmatian. I have always wanted one because they look so cheerful and full of life and so….spotty. I have never seen one misbehaving or being a nuisance and I’ve always wanted a biggish dog. They are also less common and I’d like to have a dog that most people don’t have.


My ideal cat is living in India, she is quite plain and ordinary, just a tabby and I had to leave her behind when I came back here in June. She is just the sweetest, most cuddly cat who acts as a hot water bottle in winter and a lap warmer whenever I’m sitting down and she’s around. The rest of the time she’s out and about doing all sorts of stuff without registration or chipping or any other stuff (the joys of having a cat in India). Of course I do fear she might eat poison put out for rats or someone might try to steal her (I’ve had a cat stolen in Nongstoin). When she’s heading home from an outdoor excursion she starts miaowing at the top of the pathway and doesn’t stop till she comes in the door. She mingles with our dog Molly and now she lies in various students’ laps if they’re sitting on the floor. My biggest regret was that I couldn’t explain to her that I had to go and didn’t know when I’d be back!!

My ideal house would be a little cottage in the Cotswolds, an area near the Lake District in England. Even though I haven’t lived there for years, my favourite houses are still English houses. They are charming and comfortable and these ones are built from honey coloured Cotswold stone hundreds of years ago. Nothing too big so it’s easy to keep clean but I need an open fireplace. The main drawback, I can’t bear the English climate, so it’s never going to work!

My ideal dessert is some kind of baked cheesecake preferably with fruit in or on it and cooked by my daughters. This I’ve been blessed with on quite a few occasions!

My ideal gift is always, always a bunch of flowers! I’ve had quite a few of those too! Oh and my ideal workplace is a school, so I’m fine there too!

It’s pleasant to dream a little from time to time…Do you have any ideals?

The letter ‘i’ is the second vowel I’ve used so far and it really is an easy short sound to pronounce (with lips forming a smile) that isn’t confused with any of the other vowels. There aren’t so many words starting with a short ‘i’ for our students to learn, apart from ones like ‘it’, ‘in’, ‘is’ and ‘insect’. However there are plenty of three letter words with a short ‘i’ in the middle, ‘pin’, ‘sit’, ‘lid’, just to name a few. Sometimes, the letter ‘I’ being a whole word can cause confusion, but usually kids understand that that’s a whole word referring to themselves, pretty quickly.


Love this treatise on “i” —that letter that can drive me to distraction when teens forget to capitalIze it! The English cottage looks like paradise. I think our Oregon weather and the English countryside have a lot in common. That cheesecake looks too good to eat. Lucky you with daughters that can create that m-m-masterpiece. I am loving these alphabet-inspired posts.
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Thank you again for voicing your enjoyment..! I’d kind of forgotten about teens and small ‘i’s, so annoying!
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I must say we have similar tastes. That home in the Cotswolds, perfect. But the weather, not so much. And leaving your cat without being able to explain your absence made my heart hurt a bit. Great idea for a post. Finding “ideals.”
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Thank you for reading and your encouraging words!
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Every photo is so gorgeous – that Dalmation!! That cottage! Ideal is a fabulous word (whew, not the one I am writing on tomorrow, lol) and reminds me of a magazine my grandmother loved, Ideals. I remember it mostly around Christmas, full of breathtaking photos of winter scenes, etc. Clearly that was her ideal. Oh, I know you miss your cat and that she misses you. Here’s to her safety and wellness until you’re reunited.
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I like this “ideal” idea. I really like how you get to divorce the picture from the reality (that house in the Cotswolds minus the weather is calling to me). I’m feeling sad about your kitty who looks so contented in your picture – and I’m sad, too, that you aren’t able to be with your students right now. Fingers crossed that the vaccines are distributed soon soon soon & you can be back with your ideals: students and cat. 🙂
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Thank you! I hope so too, although this has been a good opportunity to get the staff over there to rely on themselves and their abilities a lot more, which has always been the general idea. At the moment Australia won’t let anyone out of the country probably for the rest of the year, so let’s see…!!
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What a wonderful musing you have here! For what it’s worth, I’ve had a Dalmatian in the house. They are…INTERESTING dogs to have. You definitely have to keep them exercised and occupied and happy. =) But this idea of the ideal…what I really love about it is that it gives readers like me a view into your perspective. I’m thinking this would be a cool writing prompt for my kiddos…
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Thank you! I do remember now that someone told me dalmatians are a bit quirky! They had two and a lot of outdoor space and I think that helped! Yes, a view into my perspective was the general idea and I hope your kids will make something of it!
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Your alphabet strategy has me very intrigued! What an interesting way to generate an idea to write about! The next time I’m pressed for ideas, I’m going to try it!
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Thank you, it does have its drawbacks as I keep thinking of a letter that I’ve already used!! But I guess that means it’s a stretching exercise!
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I loved this post and now I’m thinking about my ideals! (Definitely going to borrow this idea soon!). That cottage is amazing. AND the cheesecake. I loved the photo of your cat–she is so beautiful. It’s very hard to have to leave our pets and not be able to explain why or that we’ll miss them!
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