While visiting my son Tom's house recently, I noticed an interesting chirp. I went to the family room where everyone was sitting and asked what was making a noise like a cricket by the computer.

The reply: 'It's a cricket; we get them all the time.'

Crickets are a sign of good luck, so I thought perhaps that was why they seemed to be such a lucky, happy family. They had crickets in the house.

"American Idol" is back on the air. A bunch of contestants received a golden ticket for the first show in Los Angeles. I wonder if the idea came from Roald Dahl's "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory." If you follow the show, you know the path isn't the brass ring for everyone who receives a ticket, just the one who wins, but most of them have a great time along the way.

Caroline, my 9-year-old granddaughter, e-mailed me the other day. She wanted to tell me about a school event. It seems that the school mascot at Wasatch School where she attends is a German shepherd named Satch. Every year they have a school spirit contest where everyone practices barking like Satch. Each grade chooses a winner who does his or her dog bark in front of the whole school.

Now just why a pretty little girl would want to stand up in front of everyone and bark like a dog just doesn't compute in my head, but it sure did in hers. (Likely being 9 years old and peer pressure.) She and her friend tied, so they both got to try it.

She was so excited.

The very next day there was a candy guessing contest and she guessed 82 pieces, tying with another girl to win the candy. She really felt lucky, and when I read it to her cousins, they thought she was a most lucky girl, too.

Usually I'm not very lucky when it comes to winning things. I can sit at a table with eight people and seven of them will win something but I won't. But I've gotten used to it, and I'm OK with the fact.

There are other ways to feel lucky other than winning something.

After Christmas we had a family gathering for a week that brought with it the usual variety of "bugs" from California, Arizona and Utah to mix and mingle. This year three of our little babies in the group got RSV the next week.

That is one scary illness for little ones, something I learned firsthand holding Stacy and Tom's twins. It was especially dangerous for Jim and Shamberlin's 6-week-old. They all survived it and that is lucky in my book. However, Steve and Barb's baby girl somehow didn't even get a sniffle.

Now that is really good luck.

Another reason I'm feeling lucky is my 49th wedding anniversary is coming up. Anyone who has been married a long time, has been divorced or didn't get married at all knows there is luck in finding someone you can live with for 49 years. Looking back at my 20-year-old self it sure likely wasn't good judgment because I don't remember being real strong in that suit.

I think I chose my husband because I liked football players, and he tells me he was always a sucker for a pretty face, which always makes me feel good whether it is true or not. You know women, we go for a line like that.

Oprah Winfrey made a pretty good comment on luck: She said, "I feel that luck is preparation meeting opportunity."

It really doesn't take much to make most of us feel lucky. Finding something we really wanted on sale, seeing a dollar on the sidewalk or winning a dog-barking contest will do

Preparation meeting opportunity.

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