Things I Am Trying in Winter/Spring 2024

I love a good list. Here's one about things I am trying out in 2024. Actually, it might be better to say I'm trying them out for this season, or maybe for a couple of seasons. I shall report back to you, dear readers, with my findings.

1. Baking Scones- As you can see from the gorgeous picture above, I have become something of an amateur baker with incredible photography skills recently. I'm kidding. That's a stock photo. But my last batch of scones did turn out very well. If you want to be added to the list of people I bake for, you can let me know...and move to the city where I live. :)

2. Bowspring- This is a new to me form of movement. It reminds me of yoga and pilates, but the movements are different and sometimes slower than anything I've experienced in those two forms. I'm excited to try it out and see how my body feels with it.

3. Music by the Decade- If you want to win me over, a good playlist is a great way to start. What I've been realizing is that I want to have a sense of history when I listen and play. I am going to try out different decades starting...I'm not sure. Maybe far back (Hildegard von Bingen, anyone?), maybe not so far (Celine Dion?). All I know is that I'm definitely looking forward to the swing era, so maybe should start there.

4. Reading Old Books- I read a lot as a child. So much so that my family would send someone up to the library if I was late for dinner. I have found, though, that some of my knowledge of the Western cannon is incomplete. Scarlet Letter? Never read it. A Brave New World? Nope. Beloved by Toni Morrison? Hadn't heard of it until a while ago. I don't have a grand plan to read 20 or more titles from the Penguin Classics list of all lists. I just plan to pick up something that's considered a classic and see if I like it or not. Review(s) to come!

5. Hiking with Friends- I tend to be a bit ruminative. Maybe a bit too much sometimes. while a walk in the woods by myself is generally good for me, I'm also trying to make sure I invite people to go with me.

6. Reading Books From Other Countries- This is something I tried a bit a few years ago, and it was really fun. Basically, I will pick up a poet or a novelist from a country that I've never read anything from before. Previous titles in this category have been the 100 year Old Man Who Walked Out A Window And Disappeared (Sweden)

7. Writing Songs/Poetry- This last one is something I've been doing a bit more over the past year. I now own a piano, a ukelele, and a guitar, so I feel it is my responsibility to give my musical children a chance to shine. Last year, I wrote a real banger (as the kids say) called The Pumpkin Song. It was all about a shy girl trying to say hello to a boy she liked but all she could do get out was the nonsense word "shoobeedadoo"...You had to be there. (Yes, it might be autobiographical) If I do write a song or a poem that I really like, I promise to share it here. Beauty is beauty even if I'm the only experiencing it, but it is fun to give it away, too.

Excited to share my hopeful findings and beautiful discoveries. Happy 2024!