These Are a Few of my Favorite Things…
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I read an article in the NY Times recently about people’s favorite things and superlatives from 2024. It seems like a good way to reflect on the past year and decide upon the things that really made an impression. None of the ones I read about were major life occurrences, but rather more mundane things in people’s lives. I thought I’d give it a whirl.
Favorite book of the year: Both novels, it’s a tie between James by Percival Everett and The Women by Kristen Hannah. Both were great reads and thought-provoking. Highly recommended.
Favorite place that we visited this year: Newfoundland. It’s a big island so to be more specific, though I loved it all, it was Fogo Island that captivated me the most. It’s a rugged, wild 420 million-year-old sliver of the North American continent sitting on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean. The coastal scenery was breathtaking, the walking was superb, the people were welcoming and it’s one of the four corners of the ‘flat earth’.
Best camping meal: While in Nova Scotia, we picked up some fresh sea scallops at a local fish market in Digby and seared them for dinner at our campsite. Perhaps it was the ambiance, the quality of the scallops, the fine company, or the white wine we sipped… whatever it was, it was a most memorable meal.
Favorite new recipe: Chicken Marsala and Mushrooms. I regularly check the NY Times Cooking section for new recipes to try. I save them when they sound good, but quite honestly, I rarely give them a try. This recipe was a winner. It was a bit time-consuming, but worth the effort. Here’s the recipe if you’d like to give it a try.
Favorite Daily Activity: We start each day by taking turns reading the NY Times ‘Morning’ to each other while sipping coffee… still in bed. It’s a lovely way to wake up, get informed, play a few word games and luxuriate in the fact that we don’t have to get moving immediately.
My second favorite daily activity? The highly underrated afternoon siesta!
The most nostalgic thing we did this year? Visiting our old house in Janesville, Wisconsin. The new owner let us roam around the house (it’s a B&B now) at will. It was bittersweet seeing all the changes they’ve made and remembering how much we loved this house.
Our home in Janesville, Wisconsin; Century Elms - bEST HOUSE EVER!
The best wine we drank? We’ve morphed from being every-night wine drinkers to rare-occasion wine drinkers. A bottle of Montepulciano d’Abruzzo with an at-home spaghetti and meatball dinner recently, however, definitely pleased our palates. So much so, we bought another bottle, just in case.
Favorite sounds: the crunching, crackling, rustling, satisfying sound of walking through dry leaves. We’ve been tromping through leaves on our morning walks and relish trekking through the piles that have accumulated along our community’s park pathways.
Favorite candy: Black licorice. Santa always remembers to put some in my Christmas stocking. Gotta love Santa. He just replenished my stock. Unfortunately, no matter what size package he supplies, it’s always a single-serving. Hmm…
Favorite dessert: Apple crisp, but I’ve yet to find a restaurant that makes it as good as I can make at home.
By the way, borrowing from ‘The Sound of Music’ tunes, ‘whiskers on kittens’ rates right up there with my favorite things!
What about you? Any favorites this year? Song? Book? Recipe? Place? Activity?