Currently • December 2023

“It’s the most wonderful time of the year.”

READING:

• Books:

  • The Wildest Sun by Asha Lemmie — When tragedy sends Delphine Auber, an aspiring writer on the cusp of adulthood, from her home in Paris, she seizes the opportunity to embark on the journey she's long dreamed finding the father she has never known. But her quest is complicated by the fact that she believes her father to be a famed literary icon, Ernest Hemingway, a man just as elusive as he is iconic.

  • Here is a recap of my 2023 Goodreads Challenge — 30/30 books

• Links:

  • National Geographic’s Guide to Saint-Malo — I love to go back one day.

  • Outline of Notre Dame’s Spire Once Again Visible on the Paris Skyline (France 24)

  • How to Apply for Global Entry (Travel + Leisure) — I need to do this.

  • 30 Ways to Romanticize Your Life for Winter (The Every Girl - Healthy Living)

  • Christmas Movie Locations You Can Visit in Real Life (CN Traveler)

WATCHING;

• The final season of The Crown - Part 2 (Netflix)

• My favorite Christmas movies and specials: White Christmas, Love Actually, It’s a Wonderful Life, and Merry Christmas, Charlie Brown — Vince Guaraldi’s soundtrack always makes me smile while Linus’ recitation of the gospel of St. Luke always brings me to tears. “That's what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown!” We also watched Prep and Landing, Arthur’s Christmas, and The Holiday.

LISTENING TO:

• My Christmas Playlist — Everything from Band Aid to Bing. Occasionally, I add something new, but this list has been my classic go-to for decades.

• Smooth Jazz Christmas station on Pandora — I can never get enough of Vince Guaraldi and George Winston, especially at Christmastime.

• December Mini-Playlist:

  • Red, Red Wine (UB40)

  • The Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy (The Nutcracker)

  • O Tannenbaum (The Vince Guiraldi Trio)

  • Mon Beau Sapin (Carmen Campagne)

  • It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year (Andy Williams)

  • When My Heart Finds Christmas (Harry Connick, Jr.)

  • Joy to the World (Julie Andrews)

  • All I Want for Christmas is You (Mariah Carey)

  • In My Life (The Beatles)

ENJOYING:

• Ten days off — Although we don’t have any special plans for the holidays, I am so fortunate to be able to take a break.

• Decorating our five Christmas trees: Our beautiful silver, white, and glass tree in the living room, a Parisian-inspired tabletop tree in the loft, a nautical tree with ornaments from our childhood in “the boys’ room”, a mini tree with vintage hand-blown glass balls and silver icicles from a flea market up north, and a woodland/Scandi tree on the deck.

• Shopping for gifts and send Christmas cards to friends and family and lovingly wrapping packages just like Mom and Grandma Dodo.

• Hosting friends and family: Nan and Mark came in early December to shop and dine. We saw Michael Pink and the Milwaukee Ballet’s new rendition of The Nutcracker — Drosselmeyer’s Imaginarium and The Commercialists play Merry Christmas, Charlie Brown at Lupi and Iris. Uncle King and the Larsons celebrated an early Christmas with us on December 23rd with lots of lovely appetizer and Champagne, two sleepy teenagers, and 3 adorable beagles.

• Snuggling by the fire with Piper.

PLANNING:

• My 2024 photos challenge, blog posts, and Instapuzzle — This an excellent creative learning experience for me and a labor of love.

• Our spring break trip to Europe — 4 days alone in Paris as a couple (for the first time) before spending a week in Prague, Vienna, Salzburg, and Venice with PHS educators and music students. We leave in ten weeks.

2023 Reading Challenge

“Books are a uniquely portable magic.” — Stephen King

GOAL: 30 BOOKS | BOOKS READ: 30 •  9,947 pages

• Borrowed from the Library: 22; Borrowed from Friends: 1; Received as Gifts: 2; Purchased: 2 (1 at Shakespeare and Company in Paris)

• Books Set in Paris/France: 9; Books Set in Wisconsin: 1

• Scandinavian Lifestyle Books: 2

• Biographies/True Stories: 9; Historical Fiction: 7

• Books for Professional Development: 2

• Books by Female Authors: 32

• Average Book Length: 331 pages | Shortest Book: Tiffany’s Table Manners (96 pages) | Longest Book: Surrender (564 pages)

• Favorite Books this Year: Lagom, One True Sentence

For more information about these books, follow me on Goodreads.

November 2023 in Pictures

“Colour is everything, black and white is more.” – Dominic Rouse, photographer

Currently • November 2023

"As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest form of appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them." — JFK

READING:

• Tiny Little Things by Beatriz Williams — “In the summer of 1966, Christina Hardcastle—“Tiny” to her illustrious family—stands on the brink of a breathtaking future. Of the three Schuyler sisters, she’s the one raised to marry a man destined for leadership, and with her elegance and impeccable style, she presents a perfect camera-ready image in the dawning age of television politics. Together she and her husband, Frank, make the ultimate power couple: intelligent, rich, and impossibly attractive. It seems nothing can stop Frank from rising to national office, and he’s got his sights set on a senate seat in November. But as the season gets underway at the family estate on Cape Cod, three unwelcome visitors appear in Tiny’s perfect life: her volatile sister Pepper, an envelope containing incriminating photograph, and the intimidating figure of Frank’s cousin Vietnam-war hero Caspian, who knows more about Tiny’s rich inner life than anyone else. As she struggles to maintain the glossy façade on which the Hardcastle family’s ambitions are built, Tiny begins to suspect that Frank is hiding a reckless entanglement of his own…one that may unravel both her own ordered life and her husband’s promising career” (Goodreads)

• The Summer I Met Jack by Michelle Gable — “Based on a real story - in 1950, a young, beautiful Polish refugee arrives in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts to work as a maid for one of the wealthiest families in America. Alicia is at once dazzled by the large and charismatic family, in particular the oldest son, a rising politician named Jack” (Goodreads).

WATCHING:

• All the Light We Cannot See (Netflix) — The story of Marie-Laure, a blind French teenager, and Werner, a German soldier, whose paths collide in occupied France as both try to survive the devastation of World War II. I read this book in 2016 and remember being especially intrigued by the model of Saint Malo, a beautiful city that I visited in 2005.

• Suits (Netflix) — “On the run from a drug deal gone bad, brilliant college dropout Mike Ross finds himself working with Harvey Specter, one of New York City's best lawyers.” We held out for a long time, but since colleagues and family are talking about it, it was time.

• The final season of The Crown - Part 1 (Netflix) — I remember the events surrounding the death of Princess Diana like it was yesterday.

• A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving (Apple TV+) — 50 years later, it still makes me smile. I love Peanuts.

LISTENING TO:

• I’m still in cool jazz mode and will likely keep listening to Vince Guaraldi radio on Pandora throughout the holidays. A November favorite is always George Winston’s Autumn.

• My November Instapuzzle Mini-Playlist:

  • Pictures of You (The Cure)

  • Twinkles & Shimmers (Familiar Stranger)

  • Macarons (Charlēne)

  • Autumn in Paris (Jan Baars)

  • Thanksgiving Theme (Vince Guaraldi)

  • Tour Eiffel (Cavendish Music)

  • French Café Kisses (Global Genius)

  • Back in Black (AC/DC)

  • Black and White (Three Dog Night)

ENJOYING:

• Slowly decorating for the holidays — I was home sick for two days (bronchitis) and beautifully falling snow inspired me to slowly start bringing out the holiday decorations. Usually, I am insistent about celebrating one holiday at at time; therefore, no Christmas decorations come out until after Thanksgiving. Yet, this year, I started with “winter” decorations — my little white village, snowflakes, etc. Over Thanksgiving break, I trimmed my five trees: Icy white in the living room, Scandi/outdoorsy on the deck, French in the loft, antique glass ornaments and silver icicles in the guest room, and nautical in “the boys’ room”.

• Early snow — It snowed all day the Sunday after Thanksgiving. Our home already feels so festive and cozy and Mother Nature upped the ante.

October 2023 in Pictures

"The October sun filled the world with mellow warmth...The maple tree in front of the doorstep burned like a gigantic red torch. The oaks along the roadway glowed yellow and bronze. The fields stretched like a carpet of jewels, emerald and topaz and garnet. Everywhere she walked the color shouted and sang around her." — Elizabeth George Speare, The Witch of Blackbird Pond

Currently • October 2023

“I’m so glad we live in a world where there are Octobers.” — Lucy Maude Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables

READING:

• Books:

  • The Dress Thief by Natalie Meg Evans — “A modern tale of desire and deception set in the world of 1930s Parisian haute couture - perfect for fans of The Perfume Collector or The Paris Wife. Alix Gower has a dream : to join the ranks of Coco Chanel to become a designer in the high-stakes world of Parisian haute couture. But Alix also has a she supports her family by stealing designs to create bootlegs for the foreign market. A hidden sketchbook and two minutes inside Hermès is all she needs to create a perfect replica, to be whisked off to production in New York. Then Alix is given her big break - a chance to finally realize her dream in one of the most prominent Parisian fashion houses - but at the price of copying the breakthrough Spring Collection. Knowing this could be her only opportunity, Alix accepts the arrangement. But when a mystery from her past resurfaces and a chance meeting has her falling into the arms of a handsome English war reporter, Alix learns that the slightest misstep - or misplaced trust - could be all it takes for her life to begin falling apart at the seams (Goodreads).

  • Mastering the Art of French Murder by Colleen Cambridge — “As Paris rediscovers its joie de vivre, Tabitha Knight, recently arrived from Detroit for an extended stay with her French grandfather, is on her own journey of discovery. Paris isn’t just the City of Light; it’s the city of history, romance, stunning architecture . . . and food. Thanks to her neighbor and friend Julia Child, another ex-pat who’s fallen head over heels for Paris. Between tutoring Americans in French, visiting the market, and eagerly sampling the results of Julia’s studies at Le Cordon Bleu cooking school, Tabitha’s sojourn is proving thoroughly delightful. That is, until the cold December day they return to Julia’s building and learn that a body has been found in the cellar. Tabitha recognizes the victim as a woman she’d met only the night before, at a party given by Julia’s sister, Dort. The murder weapon found nearby is recognizable too—a knife from Julia’s kitchen. Tabitha is eager to help the investigation, but is shocked when Inspector Merveille reveals that a note, in Tabitha’s handwriting, was found in the dead woman’s pocket. Is this murder a case of international intrigue, or something far more personal? From the shadows of the Tour Eiffel at midnight, to the tiny third-floor Child kitchen, to the grungy streets of Montmartre, Tabitha navigates through the city hoping to find the real killer before she or one of her friends ends up in prison . . . or worse” (Goodreads).

  • A Shoe Story by Jane L. Rosen — “Esme Nash jumps at a second chance to step into the future she's sure was meant to be hers. As she retraces her steps, one pair of borrowed shoes at a time, making new friends and reconnecting with her old love, Esme tries on versions of herself she didn't know existed. But the hazy August days and warm summer nights pass too quickly, and Esme must decide how much of the life she imagined still fits, and what--and who--is on the road ahead of her” (Goodreads).

• Links:

  • The 10 Prettiest Places to Visit in the Fall (CN Traveler) — I have been to 7/10 of these places, albeit not always in the fall. I don’t love #9 — totally not my vibe, but maybe I would like it better in autumn. I am excited to be traveling to #7 next spring. #4 and #5 are two of my favorite American cities and I especially love them in the fall. I have visited #3 several times in the spring and summer. I don’t know about fall, but this city is legendary for it’s Christmas decorations so I would like to return during the holidays. #2 is only ninety miles from home, yet I don’t go there often enough and I don’t know if I’ve every visited in the fall. And of course, #1 is my favorite place to visit at least once a year no matter the season.

  • 40th Anniversary of the Violent Femmes — I wasn’t able to get tickets, but I’m looking forward to watching the concert on PBS.

  • The Best Cities in the US: 2023 Readers’ Choice Awards (CN Traveler) — Guess who’s #3 in the Best Big Cities?! “So much more than just a day trip from Chicago, Milwaukee has many (if not all) of the same qualities that make other cities on this list buzz—and then some. Located on the shores of Lake Michigan, the city’s surprisingly eco-diverse location makes it a hotbed of locavore cuisine. A spate of award-winning restaurants have helped Milwaukee shed its beer-and-cheer reputation, though you can still get your fill of both between fine dinners. The dedicated revitalization of neighborhoods such as the historic Third Ward and Lincoln Village has also kept visitors busy with specialty shops, galleries, and more creative businesses.”

  • Stroll, Sip and Dance Through Paris, in the Footsteps of Artistic Giants (NYT) — I love historic, literary, artistic Paris.

  • Still Popular: For Wicked’s 20th birthday, Kristin Chenoweth and Idina Menzel reunite to talk about high notes, low rumors, and onstage emergencies

WATCHING:

• Halloween Favorites:

  • It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown — a seasonal tradition (3 times so far this year).

  • Hocus Pocus — Would it be Halloween without The Sanderson Sisters?'

  • Practical Magic — I love the vibe of the town, the house, and the 90’s fashion.

  • Beetlejuice — Favorite Scene: The Banana Boat Song.

• Lupin Part 3 — “France’s most wanted gentleman thief is on the run, but he’s heading back to Paris when Lupin returns for Part 3. Assane Diop (Omar Sy) is planning his most intense — and probably most insane — heist yet. The master of disguise is not afraid of danger, and this stunt is a 12 out of 10 on the danger scale” (Netflix). We binged the season in one weekend.

• Lessons in Chemistry — “In the 1950s, Elizabeth Zott's dream of being a scientist is challenged by a society that says women belong in the domestic sphere. She accepts a job on a TV cooking show and sets out to teach a nation of overworked housewives way more than recipes” (Apple TV+). I usually prefer the book to the movie or TV show, but this adaption is visually captivating.

LISTENING TO:

• Cool jazz: It just reminds me of fall.

• My personally curated Halloween playlist: “Thriller” (Michael Jackson), “Superstition” (Stevie Wonder), “Zombie” (The Cranberries), “Devil Inside” (INXS), “Ghost Town” (The Specials), “Psycho Killer” (Talking Heads), “Peek-a-boo” (Siouxsie & the Banshees), “One Step Beyond” (Madness), “Dead Man’s Party” (Oingo Boingo), “I Want Candy” (Bow Wow Wow), “Rapture” (Blondie), “Season of the Witch” (Donovan), “Witchcraft” (Frank Sinatra), “Moondance” (Van Morrison), “Somebody’s Watching Me” (Rockwell), “Time Warp” (Rocky Horror Picture Show), “Ghostbusters” (Ray Parker, Jr.), “The Munsters”, “Love Potion Number Nine” (The Searchers), “Purple People Eater” (Sheb Wooley), “Werewolves of London” (Warren Zevon), “Witch Doctor” (David Seville), “Evil Ways” (Santana), “Spooky” (Classics IV), “The Addams Family”, and of course “The Great Pumpkin Waltz” (Vince Guaraldi).

• My October Instapuzzle Mini-Playlist:

  • The Great Pumpkin Waltz (Vince Guaraldi)

  • Les Feuilles mortes (Yves Montand)

  • Couleurs de l’automne (Jean-Denis Frigault)

  • A Bushel and a Peck (Doris Day)

  • Hello October (Sugar Lime Blue)

  • Spooky (Classic IV)

  • I Want Candy (Bow Wow Wow)

  • Halloween Waltz (moon blues)

  • Thriller (Michael Jackson)

ENJOYING:

• October —- It’s one of my favorite months of the year — the colors and the smell of the changing leaves, “sweater weather”, bonfires and football, comfort foods and red wines. October is a big hug.

• 36 hours in Door County — It was chilly and windy, but we enjoyed wine tasting and lunch with friends, hiked in the woods, picked apples and sipped cider, shopped, dined, and relaxed, and just when we were ready to head back home, the sun came out beckoning us to stay a bit longer. So we sat by the Bay and watched the season’s final sailors batten down the hatches.