The bests of 2023

This morning's New York Times newsletter mentioned all the "best" lists that have been coming out, so I thought I might list a few of my own...

Best book read - Remarkably Bright Creatures, by Shelby van Pelt.  A cleaning lady befriends a giant octopus at an aquarium.  Yes!  A very interesting group of characters.  Lots of fun, and a great book to gift to family this year.

Best movie, either in person or on TV - I know that Oppenheimer is the most high quality movie I saw this year, but I really liked All the Light We Cannot See.  It was a wonderful adaptation of the book I loved a few years ago.  I also enjoyed The Holdovers for a feel-good experience.

Best new recipe - hands down, the Facebook Bread Machine group's "Antique White" continues as my favorite loaf and roll recipe.   It never fails me.   I looked for easy recipes this year, and my sister in law Linda's fruit tart became another favorite I can make again and again.

Best quilting project finished - Arboretum was a lot of fun to make and swap blocks for.  It just seemed to go together so quickly and easily.  I was glad to give it to Preservation Burlington for a fund raiser.

Best outing - we went on a few long trips as well as day trips, but I think I enjoyed going to Staunton, VA, and Asheville, NC, last March the best.   That trip included visiting the Virginia Quilt Museum with its thrilling Jinny Beyer retrospective, attending two plays at the American Shakespeare Center, and getting together with cousins I hadn't seen in 50 years.  Along the way, there were other fun experiences, making for a very full vacation.

Best thing I did - turn over the treasury of the Barre Town Democrats to a young man who actually seems to know what he's doing.  I'm so glad to have a little more free time and hope to continue to make more time for myself in 2024.