Share Four Somethings – February

Something Loved

Hubby and I traveled by car down to Florida last month to visit my sister and brother-in-law. They live beside a golf course in a tiny town called Howey-in-the-Hills. This was our first trip as a retired couple and I loved everything about it.

We took our time driving from Pennsylvania to Florida and back again, stopping in Richmond, Virginia and Savannah, Georgia on the way down and Charleston, South Carolina and Rocky Mount, North Carolina on the way home. We tried out local cuisine at each of our destinations.

While we were in Florida, we enjoyed running on a path by the lake near our hosts’ house. I never knew whether to risk tripping by looking at all the exotic birds or to keep my eyes firmly on the path. I usually opted for the former. Seeing the flowers blooming and feeling the warm Florida sunshine made us want to extend our visit; back home, a polar vortex raged.

The best part of the visit, of course, was spending time with my sister and brother-in-law. We cooked in and ate at some wonderful local restaurants (I had the best spinach salad I ever tasted while sitting at a table overlooking the lake). We took walks and played card games I haven’t played in years. Almost every night of our visit after dinner we got comfy on the sofa and binge-watched “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel“, which I highly recommend.

On our way home, we drove right into an unexpected snowstorm and crawled the final miles home from Washington, D.C. What a way to welcome us back to Pennsylvania!

Something Said

“Another world is not only possible, she is on her way. On a quiet day, I can hear her breathing”. – Arundhati Roy

Arundhati Roy, an Indian author, is one of my favorites. Her most well-known work “The God of Small Things” is about forbidden love in traditional Indian culture. Yes, there were “Love Laws” in India fairly recently that dictated whom you could love and how you could express that love. Many older Indians still follow those laws.

Roy is a political activist, focusing on causes promoting environmental preservation and human rights. Her quote gives me hope and stirs anticipation of a better world.

Something Learned

 

My seven-year-old grandson loves to do magic, so we learn magic tricks together. This month we learned how to suspend a plastic cup from an ordinary rope.

My role in the tricks is to provide all the supplies needed, then help him get the trick set up. This usually involves cutting, gluing, taping, and tieing knots. Once the trick is set up, he practices it a few times, then performs it for his grandfather and younger brother while I make a video. He loves when I post the video on my Facebook page so he can tally up his “likes“. He’s getting to be a great magician if I do say so myself!

Something Read

After reading “The Soul of an Octopus” last month and loving it, I went on a Sy Montgomery kick. This month I read “How to be a Good Creature“.

In this book, Ms. Montgomery recounts stories of 13 animals who have had an impact on her life. The animals range from the cute (four dogs she loved at different points in her life) to the exotic (a wild weasel who tried to steal one of the chickens from her hen house on Christmas Day) to the creepy (a tarantula named Clarabelle).

The animal stories are entertaining and easy to read, but what makes this book a favorite are the descriptions of the lessons learned by the author from these animals that she encountered.

I am linking up with Heather Gerwing for her “Four Somethings”. Thanks, Heather, for giving the opportunity to think and write about four such compelling topics.