"Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens,
Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens;
Brown paper packages tied up with string,
These are a few of my favorite things."
Not mine, but Maria from the movie, "The Sound of Music." Although I have compared myself to her, our opinions differ when it comes to what tickles our fancy. Some of the things I call favorites include tomatoes, two wheels and twilight.
My family has a special spaghetti sauce recipe which goes back many, many generations. It is not written down but learned "over the shoulder of the older." This ritual right of passage is usually a rather big event and includes a meal made by the student. Only family members are privy to the recipe so just in case you thought you could weasel the recipe out of me, know there's NO WAY to get it except you "marry in." (Line up, guys and gals... I still have three available offspring who have rights to the recipe!) Do I need to tell you how absolutely delicious this gravy is? That it's robust flavor and delicate texture draws taste-buds for miles? How it's aroma leisurely mesmerizes anyone in it's path? The "Sauce" makes anything it relaxes on, my favorite.
Speaking of relaxing, nothing eases tension like a ride on my motorcycle. From start-up to kick-stand down, all my stress seems to roll off as I slip the clutch into gear. It's sleek profile and classy burgundy/cream exterior give me a sense of pride, knowing he was modified just for me. (Yes, you heard me right, I said "he." I prefer my motorcycle be male instead of female.) Some of my favorite roads take their residence in the mountains of North Carolina, but when I can't be there, a ride along the St. Johns River through Mandarin in the moonlight beats all.Moonbeams on the river remind me of twilight touching the soft cheeks of my sleeping children. I especially love tip-toeing into my kids rooms to watch them sleep. They don't believe me when I tell them about the kissing liberties I've taken... not having to fight a child who's too busy or too old for such nonsense. It's my way of getting what's mine, not to mention how gratifying it is.
Enjoyment comes in many forms and wha
t floats your boat or makes you smile varies tremendously from person to person. The beauty of it is no one need agree with your choices. I truly believe God intended for simple pleasures to reverse negative circumstances. That's why it's no coincidence that "stressed" is "desserts" spelled backwards!My curiosity is up! What are a few of your favorite things?
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16 comments:
Beautifully Done and Thoroughly enjoyed!!!! What "modeling agency" did you hire for those photos? I LOVE SO MANY THINGS that I'd need a book. But because of the Fall weather here, one of my favorites is EVERY WINDOW IN THE HOUSE OPEN (with screens of course). There are so many things to hear! The sound of silence, the sound of birds, the sound of trains, airplanes, rain (oops; close the windows.) My old dream was to live in a Swiss Family Robinson house and cook while watching the trees, to even have my sewing machine right there in the open! (With electricity, of course.)
Mom
Mom,
As to the modeling agency, well, I have you to thank that I or any of my offspring (Joanna is pictured making her flagship batch of the sauce) have never been camera shy.
I would love to open my windows more often. Be glad you don't suffer from any allergies which keep you shut in.
When God said He was preparing a place for you in heaven, I wouldn't doubt yours is in the trees. I can see you giving Him glory from every bough. It's gonna be fantastic!
I think I have too many to list but here are a few:
One of me absolute favorites is a strikingly clear night with bright stars and a full moon. I could camp out every night under that. Add mountains and it's perfection! It goes along with one of my fav Bible verses, Ps 147:4 He counts the number of the stars and calls them by name.
Another favorite is coffee. I LOVE coffee! It's invigorating, relaxing, helps me zone-out, focus, and party! Did I say I love coffee?!?
My third favorite is old movies... my mother's generation movies. They are SO MUCH BETTER than the foul-mouthed examples of today. Any genre is better pre-1965... well, maybe not Sci-fi! :D)
Patrice,
I met the Lord on a night like that. I had an encounter with Him while camping, under the stars, at the summit of a beautiful mountain. The revelation of His beauty took my breath away!
Do you like coffee? (hahaha)
You would love the class I'm teaching called Movies as Literature... several of our movie titles are from that era. You could audit...
I agree to everything you said. I need sauce, a motorcycle, and dessert. All of those things would make me happy.
If I had to pick one.. It would be a motorcycle!
Joanna Larson
Ooh, girl, you are a chip off the old block!
Nothing like the intense taste and smell of leftover garlic from the sauce. And please don't offer us a piece of gum to cover the flavor. If you don't like garlic breath, FIND SOMEONE ELSE TO HANG OUT WITH!
Did you say DESSERT? When???
Hmmm, the motorcycle for the Sauce? I don't know about that... but it's a close second :)
Love you!
Material:
My 2005 Harley-Davidson Softail Deluxe: I, like my big sister (you!) have a crush on my motorcycle. I love riding down the road with my hair *kinda-sorta* blowing in the wind (I wear a helmet), and I love pulling up to a light and getting the thumbs up from guys & gals, and I love, love, love the sound of my pipes. Although I haven't quite decided whether my bike is a male or female, nothing beats my rides on my Harley!!!
Sushi: I absolutely INHALE sushi. I'm not joking, I eat it so fast that I get the hiccups!!!! Seriously!!! I can't even make it out of the parking lot at Publix before ripping it open just to eat one piece! It reminds me of a favorite place (Kahala, Oahu, Hawaii) where I lived, a place where I had some of my best "growing up" years!
Non-material:
Jesus!
My familia! What can I say except at the top of my list of favorite things, is a long list of favorite people - which is "everyone Bifano" and extended!!!
Maximus, Sparky, Nash & Allie!!!!!! My babies!!!!!!
My husband: he is the love of my life, the greatest love of all, my true blue, my "the one"! I chased him for 5 years because I knew the second we were introduced for the very first time that I would spend the rest of my life with him. He owned my heart. And so since we became a couple "officially" a couple years ago, he has proved time and time again that chivalry is not dead, that you can can be totally in love with your spouse, and with no doubt in my mind, I know with all that I am, that he will forever be true. And that my friend, is at the very top of my list of favorite things!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Cathi Wilcox
Cathi,
Ditto (exception- Hyosung!)
Ditto, any sushi is inhalable!
Ditto, He is my hero too :)
Ditto, Si - Mi familia!!
Ditto, (Juliette subs for your four tails)
Ditto, I like your husband but I love mine!!!
And I love you, Sisto!!!
On of my favorite things is rodeo-ing because, i get to hang out with people that have similar attitudes and are very outgoing. Another one is the truck. the reason is i love driving around with nothing to do or having to worry about anything at all. Those are two of my most favorite things.
Emily,
There is something to be said about brainless activity. Granted, Rodeo-ing is far from brainless, but by now, it's part of your second nature. I can relate to the driving therapy... I get the same feeling on my bike. Good Stuff!
There are bunch of things that I like to do, but i'm going to list three of them.
1. Sleeping to the sound of the waves crashing at the beach house (with the windows open.)
2. Also sailing in a Sunfish or a Catameran
3. Shotgun and rifle shooting
Garrett,
All of your favorites include the great outdoors... whether it be by land or by sea, fresh air is where it's at!
I must admit, there is no better sleep than zzzz's accompanied by ocean waves!
The three things i enjoy the most are driving (preferably very fast), because it's just such a great feeling. Fishing, because it's extremely relaxing for me. And sleeping, for the obvious reasons.
Gee Walter, all three of your favorites have to do with some form of relaxation, burning as few calories as possible. Too bad laziness isn't next to Godliness.
three words
Playing Competitive Baseball.
while playing baseball is probably my favorite thing however i enjoy watching/playing just about any sport. I also enjoy dancing and acting
Contrary to Walter, you Thomas, will forever be on the move. Isn't it funny how opposite some of us can be? As I said in the blog, it's not to say that one is right and the other is wrong, it's our choice when it comes to what rings your bell.
This dancing thing is new. Can we see some moves?
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