JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: Last week, I stepped up on my parenting cred by keeping Youngest’s 15 year old mostly deaf/mostly blind Shih Tzu who is unneutered for medical reasons and who wears a diaper indoors because he’s also impossible to housetrain. Now Buddy has the virtue of being cute, sleeping a lot (I will too when I’m 105!) and he never pees when on a bed or sofa, so, you know, at least I didn’t have to add in extra laundry to the mix. Except for doing diapers for the first time in 18 years. Thank you, 20 Mule Team Borax.
I discovered something about myself in the eight days Buddy was in my care - as much as I love dogs, four of them is TOO MANY. Too much time dishing out three different foods, too much time getting everyone out and in, too much time making sure those who want cuddles are getting some and those who want to retrieve toys and sticks have the opportunity. Clearly, I was smart when I stopped after child number three.
This got me to thinking about other things I absolutely adore - that can also tip over into Oh, God, no, make it stop! Music is a big item. I seem to have a lifetime limit for most songs, and when I reach it, I’ll turn off the radio/tell Alexa to skip immediately. This put me in conflict with Ross, who was a guy who could listen to Alice’s Restaurant dozens of times on a single car trip to my parent’s house for Thanksgiving! Movies are the same way for me; even the ones I love, love, love I restrict to one viewing a year so i don’t get sick of them. Clearly, I would be a flop at Desert Island Discs. The greatest classical pieces ever would make me stabby if I had to hear them over and over and over again.
What else have I found is too much if too many? Well, ham, obviously. Travel, although it’s going to be some time before I hit my limit on that again. Looking at art - I’ve learned through experience to limit myself to ONE gallery at a museum, otherwise 1) I get blase 2) I get bored 3) I start to pay more attention to my feet hurting.
How about you, Reds? What are the things and experiences you delight in… in small enough quantities?
HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: This is hilarious. Yes, the limit thing. I have to says, Julia, once for Alice’s Restaurant is always welcome, and nostalgic, and fun to sing along. Twice, though, is a big no thanks until next year.
And thing is, you don’t know you’ve hit the limit until it actually happens. You’re all fine listening to the sound track of A Chorus Line, over and over (in the 1970s) until–stop! No more whining. No matter how relatable and inspirational it is. And “Alexa, SKIP this song” is a refrain around here, too.
And yes, I restrict movies, too. I want to protect My Cousin Vinny, and The Devil Wears Prada, and High Society and The Philadelphia Story. I wonder, though, about The Godfather. Might that be good no matter how many times?
Finally, I am worried about turkey sandwiches. I truly do NOT want to tire of those.
RHYS BOWEN: I’ve always felt enough is enough. I have friends who played bridge every day after they retired. I could not do that, or even tennis which I love. I keep my favorite music for certain rituals. Mama Mia when we drive from San Francisco to Phoenix. Two Christmas albums that have to be played as I decorate the tree. Die Fledermaus and Les Mis only once year.
I have favorite movies: Enchanted April, Midnight in Paris, Letters to Juliet, the Court Jester when I need cheering up. But I can watch certain British comedies over and over, laughing even though I know all the jokes!
LUCY BURDETTE: Julia, you are a very kind person! I hope you will take me in when I am deaf, blind, and incontinent. I know we will have a good time! And I will only bring two pets. As for getting tired of things, I know not to watch Love Actually more than once a year. I think it’s nearly perfect over that timeframe, but more than that it would get silly and old. Speaking of nearly perfect, have you watched the movie CODA? I watched it with friends and we all absolutely loved it. I am saving it to watch with another friend because I think two times through will be perfect. And one thing I barely ever repeat his books. I know some of you are wonderful rereaders, but I always want to move on to something new.
HALLIE EPHRON: I confess, I OD’ed on THE WIZARD OF OZ. SINGING IN THE RAIN? Once a year is perfect. And though I adore THE FIFTH ELEMENT, I get about halfway through and turn it off. The Harry Potter movies have now shown up for free on Peacock and I try NOT to turn to one when the rest of TV-land feels like a desert. Besides, the books are better.
Too much potato chips and sour cream/onion dip? That would be a tragedy.
As for pets, I’m pretty sure zero is the perfect number for me right now.
JENN McKINLAY: My entire life is pet care with three cats, two dogs, and two fish who won’t die, which is fine because they’re the easiest to care for. I said I was done with pets and then another dog appeared…sigh. Sucker, thy name is Jenn. It’s fine, everything is fine.
As for other things that I used to love but am over now. Sun. I used to bake like a cat in the sun, but after the skin cancer on the nose – nope, nope, nope. Also, I get bored just lying there when I used to fall asleep – which is code for “recover from a hangover”. I don’t reread books anymore because my TBR pile gives me stink eye if I don’t diligently chip away at it. I never rewatch TV programs or movies because the childrearing years set me back ten years in pop culture and I’m still catching up. Thankfully, I have yet to hit my limit on baked goods since I just discovered there is a Paris Baguette nearby and their walnut cream infused bun of yummy goodness is delicious enough to make me give up state secrets.
DEBORAH CROMBIE: I have to say that I am pretty much over big cooking projects. The idea of cooking for a big dinner or a party fills me with existential dread. I am over weekly menu planning, too, but that is not going away unless I actually end up on that desert island!
JULIA: I wish there were food items I was just so over, but I don’t seem to be wired that way, alas. Okay, dear readers, tell us your Desert Island Don’ts!
I’m chuckling over some of these . . . but Buddy was definitely lucky to have you there for him, Julia.
ReplyDeleteFavorite movies never seem to hit the “enough” limit, but some songs most definitely do.
Re-reading books is pretty much verboten because, as Jenn noted, the to-be-read pile is too huge, but I'd re-read rather than have nothing to read.
I never was good at weekly menu planning, but I haven’t yet hit the “enough” limit on cooking [or baking] . . . and I definitely never want to hit “enough” on macaroni and cheese [or chocolate] . . . .
For sure Joan, on preferring to reread rather than have nothing to read!
DeleteI have a few books and authors I reread regularly, by which I mean every few years. There is a great pleasure in going back to a good story and being able to anticipate, with pleasure, the events about to unfold as you turn the pages.
DeleteJulia, agree. The Lord of the Rings is one that I will read again.
DeleteRe-reading has no limit, because certain books are just what are needed to bring comfort--The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows) -- assurance that things will turn out all right -- Murder on the Flying Scotsman (Carola Dunn). And always, the immediate reread of Louise Penny, Julia Spencer-Flemming, Deborah Crombie because I've read too fast and missed lovely words.
DeleteRe-reading books, can't do it. I may skim/search for a favorite part, but there's too much books on my plate to re-read.
ReplyDeleteLimit on being "on", sometimes prefer the solitude.
That's a good one Dru--I am definitely an introvert who needs time alone in order to recover from socializing!
DeleteOh. Agreed. Being "on" can be draining when you're an introvert. Solitude feels so spacious.
DeleteDRU: I get it. I felt like I had to be "on" for the 4 days at ABQ LCC. It was wonderful so see friends in person but I took breaks alone in my room or solo walks outside.
DeleteDoes anyone else feel their socializing thermostat has been turned down over the pandemic? If I have an evening with four or five friends now, I feel completely wiped afterwards.
DeleteSee my comment below about houseguests. Yes, wiped!
DeleteJulia,
DeleteFeeling wiped out too.
Diana
Like Jenn, I used to be a sun worshiper (southern California girl all the way). Now I go to the beach at seven AM with my notebook and pen. Go for a walk, do some writing, take a dip, and leave by eleven.
ReplyDeleteI also don't reread books or rewatch movies - except you can't ever have too much Holy Grail or Life of Brian.
I OD'd a long time ago on people not keeping their dogs at their sides, but dog owners oddly don't seem to care what I think!
Edith, my daughter would agree with you - she once wrote a column about what she would like to say to dog owners who let their pets off leash in the park!
DeleteEspecially when the town-owned park is CLEARLY posted, "You must leash, curb, and clean up after your dog." Grrr.
DeleteI don't re-read books for the same reasons already mentioned. HOWEVER, while road-tripping, I will listen to an audiobook version of a book I've already read. I need something to keep me company but if I get distracted by actual driving and miss a page or two, no big deal.
ReplyDeleteI also re-watch TV shows only because I rarely ever actually WATCH them. I have the TV on while I'm doing household chores, so again, if I miss something, no biggie. After the third or fourth viewing though, I'm done.
Annette, I should try your road trip audiobook technique. I always listen to a book when driving, but sometimes I get a little TOO involved in the narrative. One time (which my family will never let me forget) I was picking up the Maine Millennial at Smith (in Western Massachusetts,) was so absorbed in the book I was listening to I missed the proper highway exit, and wound up an hour north of the border in Vermont!
DeleteYes, I listened to all the Harry Potter books after I read them, enjoying them afresh with Jim Dale's performance.
DeleteI've found the same with Laurie King's Mary Russell series. A good reader makes it all new.
Same as others, I don't re-read books. My TBR mountains are in the 1000s.
ReplyDeleteSo many books, so little time.
Since I love to cook (and live alone), it is a challenge to not eat the same leftovers for more than a few days. Yes, I have a chest freezer but it's packed to the brim and it's getting too warm to use my balcony as temporary freezer #3.
Grace, that's the only part of winter I mourn with the arrival of spring - that free outdoor fridge!
DeleteJulia, you are good-hearted. That old doggie trippled your pet work load. We do one dog at a time and now that he's old and I am cooking his food...enough. Sadly, he may be our last German Shepherd. Neither of us has the energy for a strong, high energy puppy, we think.
ReplyDeleteIrwin reaches the limit on most things before I do. Leftovers...just once, please. Certain music, both of us need to keep changing the cd's. But since the pandemic, while I practically have given up tv, he is rewatching one old favorite series over and over.
Since I arrived here, my TBR pile/list is out of control. But, like Annette, I'll listen to books I have already read. I have been listening to Deb's series in order and I am loving it. (BTW, I just discovered another great audiobook reader. Angele Masters reads the Deanna Raybourn Veronica Speedwell series. Excellent!!)
Thanks for the recommendation, Judy! Yes, I switched to small dogs after our dear Marvin died. We had always had big guys like him, but spending four months supporting his hips whenever he had to go out or move around made me realize I didn't want to be wrestling with 85 pounds of elderly dog in the future. My Shih Tzus weigh around 14 pounds, and I can carry them with one arm each.
DeleteInteresting. I'm wondering what is wrong with me since I like things more than once. I enjoy rereading a good book and I like to watch a good movie at least twice; after that once a year is good. Even leftovers - since I am alone I end up eating the same food over and over, but try not to have it 2 days in a row.
ReplyDeleteBut I'm kind of getting too old for too many animals. I'm now down to 2 cats and an older dog. I'm pretty sure my days of dealing with a puppy are over. But you never know.
Judi, I think it's a matter of wiring, really. My dear Ross was the same way - never happier than when rewatching, relistening and rereading.
DeleteAnd I decided NO PUPPIES after "housetraining" three humans. That was enough for me; the youngest I will adopt dogs is around a year old.
Judy, I also like re-reading and rewatching at times when I need comfort and predictsbility
DeleteMe, too, Judy!! I reread books I really love. There is always room for old friends along with new ones:-) I listen to book that I've read, too. You process them differently. And sometimes you fall in love with a narrator...Maybe one of these days I'll get tired of listening to Kobna Holdbrook-Smith, but it hasn't happened yet.
DeleteWe've moved from mud season to weed season. I'm done with both.
ReplyDeleteJulia, we had my mother's toothless geriatric miniature poodle for fifteen months. He was too feeble to go for walks--and yes, if doggie strollers had existed, I would have used one--so twice a day, I'd carry him down the driveway and stand with him on the sidewalk watching the world go by.
We do what we do.
"We do what we do," may become my new mantra, Margaret!
DeleteI agree - what an excellent motto!
DeleteOur nearly 18 year old cattle dog died feb 28th. Even a month earlier she needed two 40 min walks a day and a stroll around the block in the evening. Plus cooking her food, feeding, in and out the door. I loved her and miss her, but I'm done with taking care of four-legged children. (Our last cat died three days after the dog - RIP to my buddies)
ReplyDeleteI can listen to music more times than I would have thought - as long as it is instrumental. Its
the words I don't want repeating in my head.
Gardening is a perfect hobby because up here in the north it only goes on so long. When I'm tired of weeding, deadheading, mowing, etc. the cold comes in and puts a stop on it. When Spring comes I've forgotten the tedious chores and rejoice in the opportunity to get out in the yard and play. And so it goes each year.
Many hugs, JC. Xxx
DeleteThank you, Hank
DeleteJC, I'm sorry for your loss. I still get wistful about the dog friends I've lost. I understand you perfectly - after my last Shih Tzu, Louie, died in '18, I was done. I needed a break from the care, which included cooking his food, just like you... until last summer, when apparently I was done being done and adopted Rockie and Kingsley.
DeleteThank you Julia. Yes. Perhaps one day I will adopt again.
DeleteSo sorry for the loss of your dog and cat, JC. Hugs.
DeleteLosing them is an inevitable consequence of having pets, since they live such shorter lives than we do. Sometimes the heartbreak is just too much. Hugs, JC.
DeleteThanks Debs and Karen. Yes, the decision of when to end their life and the grief is something I've had enough of - for a lifetime, or at least for now.
DeleteGlad to see there are at least a few other commenters like me. I'm often comfortable with re-doing things. For example, my favorite thing when I'm working in the kitchen is to put on a TV show that is VERY familiar or very formulaic, so I can be entertained by it without needing to actively listen to every word. I re-watch movies periodically -- they're kind of like comfort food. I can't listen to the same popular music too often, but there are some jazz and classical instrumentals that I can hear over and over again. I rarely re-read books because there are so many wonderful new ones to get to, but I do usually enjoy it on the odd occasion that I do re-read a favorite.
ReplyDeleteAnd Julia, I think you're a saint for your care of the elderly pooch. I'm pretty sure you will get an extra star in your crown in the hereafter for that effort!
I'm hoping to model the correct behavior to my daughter for when I'm mostly deaf, mostly blind and in diapers, Susan!
DeleteSusan, I love having familiar shows on the kitchen TV when I'm doing chores. They're company and only require a bit of your attention.
DeleteI remember a time I could not wait to have a baked potato with broccoli every night for dinner. I thought about it all day. And then suddenly, boom, I could not face it. Same thing happened with sesame bagels with strawberry jam. So delicious! Until they weren't.
ReplyDeleteCaptain Crunch. I ate it every morning as a child until... nope. Haven't had it since I turned 9.
DeleteWhen I was a child I would go through food fads for months until suddenly I wanted something new. I could eat grilled cheese every day, grilled tomatoes for breakfast Now I like variety
DeleteSO funny!
DeleteI am a re-reader and a re-watcher. A good story is worth experiencing on the page or screen multiple times over. I've still not reached my limit of re-visiting Russ and Clare in Millers Kill or watching the bakers in Great British Bake-Off. Maybe it's a gene thing?
ReplyDeleteAs for pets, I thought I was done after our chronically ill cat, Blanco, died of kidney disease a few years back. However, I lasted a mere six weeks before we adopted two new cats...we are down to one now. No dogs here.
Amanda, I was saying to JC, above, that you're done with pets, until suddenly you're not done.
DeleteI can reread my books over and over and over ad inf. But not all, just certain authors. We are pet free now though cats have played a large part in our life. Julia’s boys come and visit us which is lovely. I find I embrace silence more and more but classical on Sirius XM is my driving choice, but I looove the Beatles any day. Movies, yes - Love Actually, moonstruck, the original Thomas Crown Affair, James Bond but not the Roger Moore ones. Walking on the beach? Yes please, every day but sadly that doesn’t happen enough.
ReplyDeleteI find I am becoming a little set in my ways
Celia, I think "set in my ways" is another way of saying, "Prioritize the things that make me comfortable and bring me joy while minimizing the things I don't care for."
DeleteOh, Dru...I'm with you on people overload! Give me my solitude.
ReplyDeleteAnd Jenn, "I never rewatch TV programs or movies because the childrearing years set me back ten years in pop culture and I’m still catching up." - I don't feel so bad about our son's teasing us for being so far behind on what's NEW while we cruise through Castle, NCIS...mixed in with the occasional worthy new show.
We don't rewatch much (except for certain holiday movies), and the only book I reread with any regularity (once a year, when I need an escape) is Douglas Adams' Hitchhiker's five-book trilogy in one volume.
CL, I take great pleasure in watching TV shows that everyone else saw four years ago. At least you know the series comes to a conclusion! I've had the story rug yanked out from beneath me too many times when following a show as it was broadcast/streamed. (Also, when the review consensus is that the sixth season was terrible, you know in advance and can stop with the fifth!
DeleteOooh, Julia - been there too! And I'll take the "set in my ways" definition ;-) Yes, I tend to order the same thing at certain restaurants rather than trying something new and being disappointed.
DeleteNot as adventurous as I used to be...
Cyndi
I thought I never wanted another pet, but my granddaughter captured (and injured) a little white butterfly. She (we decided she is a girl) can walk and flap her wings, but not fly. And I have kept her alive for several days!! She requires almost nothing (a little sugar water) and never wanders too far.
ReplyDeleteAs for the real topic -- for me, almost always, once is enough -- my husband likes to go to the same restaurant and order exactly the same thing; he watches movies over and over -- not I! Fun topic.
You two sound like me and Ross, Denise Ann. It definitely takes some marital negotiations!
DeleteCongrats on the butterfly - I think captured insects straddle the line between pet and science project. :-)
I find that I often order the same thing when I go to a restaurant. I mean to try something new but I knew my favorite was good
DeleteThere's nothing worse than NOT ordering your favorite and then the new dish turns out to be terrible!
DeleteA favorite waitress, at a favorite restaurant (at least twice a week visits) once threatened to refuse to serve me if I ordered Ceasar Salad with grilled salmon -- again. On the next visit, she said "sorry we have no salmon today, but the mahi mahi is great on Ceasar Salad". It was. And I've never been sure if there really was no salmon.
DeleteMy one time for always ordering the same thing - when on book tour, I always get Caesar salad with grilled chicken. Every hotel offering room service has it, and it's impossible to mess up. It's also guaranteed to be fine on my occasionally travel-touched tummy.
DeleteYes, that's a book tour go-to for me, too. Also a hamburger, no bun, and salad. You have to be SO careful...
DeleteI used to like both Neil Young, et al, and Stevie Nicks/Fleetwood Mac, until Pandora wore me out with their songs. No matter what playlist I used they somehow snuck in, until I clicked on the downward thumb whenever they came on.
ReplyDeleteSame with almost all the Christmas movies/plays, with the exception of Love, Actually. I can't sit through another version of A Christmas Carol, and it's a hard nope to It's a Wonderful Life. Don't hate me. By the time Christmas comes so many places have had holiday music playing for more than two months. I refuse to listen until two weeks before Christmas.
Bakery birthday cake. My oldest daughter acts like it's the epitome of dessert, and insists on it taking center stage at every occasion. Can't we have pie or chocolate mousse once in awhile? Lemon sherbet? Watermelon ice? Anything but white cake with gobs of overly sweet icing.
But the worst is houseguests, which I never thought I would say. I have always loved entertaining, but we have had SIX rounds of houseguests since Christmas! And then a friend in California--who invited himself here last year for a week--invited himself and his wife for this weekend, on one of the busiest weekends we have scheduled for the foreseeable future. We had no idea what to do, but his wife must have caught on to Steve's lukewarm reaction and they changed their minds about visiting. Hallelujah.
Julia, thanks, I needed that! Apparently. LOL
OMG, Karen. But your home is so fabulous, who wouldn't want to visit? I can't imagine having anyone, even our kids, stay for a whole week! Instead of using less room, we've spread out throughout our house since the kids moved on...
DeleteJudy, all three of our kids live far enough away (one on the other side of the country, one on the other side of the world) that we expect them to stay with us when they visit. I designed this house with that in mind, because I really enjoy having everyone here. My one request for our 40th anniversary celebration was that they could all be here together, which was wonderful. However, due to an illness and subsequent death in the extended family of one daughter, they had to make three more trips to Cincinnati, mostly unexpected. And fraught with all the drama you'd expect. It was exhausting.
DeleteOne of our weeklong houseguests was my elderly mother, who needed constant assistance. I love her dearly, and really enjoyed spending time together, but it was a lot. For both of us I suspect.
Karen, when it comes to house guests, I truly love to see them come and I also love to see them go. :-D
DeleteReread books? Absolutely. But only after several years pass.I have to give myself time to forget most of the plot!
ReplyDeleteMovies over and over? Nothing most of you would be caught dead at for the first showing, but I will watch both "Mouse Hunt" and "Blades of Glory" every time I need cheering up. Also, we watch a half hour of QI every evening, right after the national news. It makes us laugh. When we finish the series, we go right back to the beginning. It never gets old, and Sandi Toksvig is as good as Stephen Fry -- well almost.
I do food binges. Presently it is toast with half a banana smushed over it. Before that it was an Italian ice, mango. Before that it was Chobani yogurt, also mango. Before that it was frozen strawberries with vanilla yogurt. Then three graham crackers and some kind of yogurt. Can you see we have a trend here?
Yesterday we got home about six from a splendid Easter dinner with relatives. I was too full to consider dinner and went up to read and be quietly alone after a day of increased input. About 8:30 I came back down and had toast and banana for my dinner.
I'm easy.
We have one cat, Eliot, and two dogs, Penny Lane and Sgt. Pepper. I looked at them last night and realized these would be my last pets. That's ok. I hope they all outlive me. They are small, manageable, don't shed -- at least the dogs don't -- and don't smell. All are house trained, and all are endlessly entertaining. They play with each other, which means I get to be a spectator. That suits.
Pepper is our pandammit puppy, and I've shared his adventures with Clementine Rader-Day and Lottie and T-Bone Isleib-Burdette. The little dogs are within days of the same age and all will be two next month. Ah the stories we could tell. And have.
Ann, you gave me the shivers. Hugs.
DeleteAnn, I find the length of time it takes for me to forget most novels' plots is shortening rapidly!
DeleteI will reread books from favourite authors like Ursula Laguin or if I realize I have forgotten important aspects from a series and the next installment is coming out. They are like old friends who are always there no matter how long it has been.
ReplyDeleteToday, with winter still hanging on, I find my patience waning with snow and wind.
I should have included winter, CD! Always welcome when it arrives in December, and always overstaying it's welcome into March.
DeleteLeguin. Autocorrect changed it three times!
DeletePeanut butter and honey sandwiches. I gave my mom an easy time all those years I had to take my lunch to school every day. Always the same. Loved loved loved them.
ReplyDeleteAnd now, all these decades later, I still do. All right, not every day, because now there's also grilled cheese, egg, or cucumber (none of which worked well in a lunch box). And no longer on plain white bread or cracked wheat (do they even have that any more?) because we have much more interesting breads these days.
I'll also have PB&H on my toast in the morning, too. Like today.
Susan, you just gave me a sensory memory. What my toddler brother called "Peanut Buddah um Honey Sammiches" were a special treat, and yes, always on that soft white bread. How on earth did mother's spread anything on that stuff?
DeleteThis is hysterical! I have a low boredom quotient. I can't watch, read, or eat anything multiple times. Hubs is exactly the opposite - sigh. I love "rediscovering" favorites again and again. Gee, it's been a long time since I've heard that George Strait album, or Jimmy Buffet album, and it's time for the Wizard of Oz again are phrases often heard at my house, but then, once is enough. Hum, think Quiche Lorraine needs to be on the menu soon!
ReplyDeleteJimmy Buffet. Don't get me started on Jimmy Buffet. Ross discovered the Margaritaville radio station when he was sick and it was on rotation EVERY evening for HOURS.
DeleteI do love revisiting favorites, especially in music. Bonnie Raitt is back in my life recently and I am very grateful.
DeleteYour dog story reminds me of when my son had to dog-sit for a friend's ancient and incontinent foul-smelling pug. Diapering this dog was difficult and Matt never really got the hang of it. Re-reads can be delightful and definitely helped me during the pandemic when the library was closed. As teenagers, my twin and I read the Lord of the Rings trilogy over Christmas break several years in a row.
ReplyDeleteGillian, we did a family Christmas break rewatch of the LotR movies for many years. I always felt there was something I had missed in the last viewing.
DeleteI'm done with a lot of stuff. I just haven't figured out what all yet. Definitely done with dressing up for special events and the special events themselves. Casual forever. I'm done with losing people and pets. I think I'm done with gardening. Although I will have room at the new place for some tomato plants. Yay! I don't think I'll have any more dogs after Jack departs, but then I've said that before. I haven't been able to sit through any "classic" movies on TV lately. I'm up for house guests at the new place. Of course I am very particular as to who gets invited. I do reread books when the mood strikes. I feel guilty about it since my TBR pile is huge but sometimes I just need to revisit some book friends.
ReplyDeleteNO BOOK GUILT ALLOWED, Pat!
DeleteI'm not sure I am OVER anything, at least nothing I can think of right now. However, I know I would get tired of something, so every time the desert island game comes up, I freeze.
ReplyDeleteRight? The only thing I can think of is the complete works of Shakespeare. Or maybe the Encyclopedia Britannica, if book sets aren't cheating.
DeleteI think there's a book in this for generous Julia, TOO MANY DOGS. My sister's in the same plight now, though she doesn't have to take care of offspring's chickens as well.
ReplyDeleteChickens??? Oh, my...
DeleteSome items on my lists have already been mentioned in the main post. I love the soundtrack to Mama Mia, but I couldn't listen to it over and over again at one sitting. I have favorite songs, including some from Mama Mia, that I do sometimes listen to more than once in a row, but, again, not in a continuous loop. Rereading books? My shelves and piles of unread books would kick my butt if I did that. I used to reread certain books, like Hound of the Baskervilles, but it's been a long, long time since I felt I had the time to do that. Now, in reviewing books, I often go back and reread sections, but not a whole book. Movies and television shows or streaming shows? I'm so far behind on ones I'd like to watch for the first time, I can't fit in a re-watch. Love Actually is one of my favorite movies, and I used to watch it every so often, but I haven't even returned to it in several years. Exceptions to the re-watching are certain Christmas or holiday movies, such as Planes, Trains, and Automobiles at Thanksgiving. Then, there's a couple of Scrooge movies at Christmas (the Muppets' and Patrick Stewart's Christmas Carol) and the first Home Alone and the first Die Hard. With food, I can't really think of anything that I'm over, except that I'm afraid I might be close to pausing my chocolate cherry cake with the delicious chocolate icing. That one hurts a lot
ReplyDeleteJulia, I think you are a saint for taking on four dogs at once, with one so needy. We have one dog, and I like that number, although I could probably be talked into another Brittany Spaniel to go with the one we have.
Did you say chocolate cherry cake, Kathy? Feel free to send it my way ;-)
DeleteJenn, I did. It's my family's favorite, as well as mine. The cake is so yummy with one can of cherry pie filling in it, and the chocolate icing is one I finally found a few years back that is the bomb.
DeleteI am super late today.
ReplyDeleteHank, turkey sandwiches never get old. Trust me on this. Especially if you can change up the bread and cheese.
Hallie, there is no such thing as "potato chips and sour-cream-and-onion dip is too old."
I can re-read the Harry Potter books once a year. But only once. I will admit that I can zone out in front of the movies just about any time, but it usually happens when I'm too tired to do anything else.
Yes, I can play a song or playlist too many times in a row, but give it some time and I can come back to it. For example, I love, love, love Billy Joel. His music will never get "old" for me. But I can only listen to my Billy Joel playlist a max of two times in a row before I have to switch to something else.
And Julia, bless your heart. I love dogs, but I think I'd max out at two, especially if they are different breeds. I might be able to do three greyhounds (assuming I had the space) because they are so quiet and require so little maintenance. But dogs like my brother's Yorkie-poo? One, maybe two. Brooklyn is darling but she does like attention.
I'm the late night poster here, Liz. Have no fear. No one is ever as late as me.
DeleteOh, whew, Liz!
DeleteMy annual tradition is rereading all of the Jungle Reds' novels once a year while waiting for the new book launch.
ReplyDeleteYour story reminded me of my grandmother. She loved ice cream and her oldest sister took her out for ice cream every day while their parents were on vacation. Because my grandmother had ice cream every day, she never wanted to eat ice cream again. LOL.
Trying to remember if I ever got tired of the same thing again. Yes. I was staying at a hotel where they showed the same movie all day again and again. Eventually I got tired of seeing the same movie - THE HAUNTED MANSION (a Disney movie). LOL
Diana
What a WONDERFUL tradition! Thank you!
DeleteHank, thank you! Diana
DeleteI love this post. There are definitely things that you can have too much off. I ate almost a whole bag of Fritos when I was a kid and was sick. Now I can’t stand even the smell of them!
ReplyDeleteI love vacations but only to a point. After 1.5 weeks I’m ready to be home to cook my own food and sleep in my own bed.
Julia, you are Buddy’s angel. I try to limit watching favorite movies to once every three or four years. Love the anticipation!
ReplyDeleteNo, no, no. I cannot rewatch, reread (there are exceptions), redo, re-anything. I have come to dislike "Alice's Restaurant" with a vengeance. I live outside Eugene, Oregon, often referred to as "The Place Hippies Go to Die." Once a year turkey sandwiches, fine. Yes, I could watch CODA again, but only once. I changed from Pandora (too repetitive) to Spotify in order to listen to music I've never heard before. I tend to eat breakfast habitually. Ate scrambled eggs with spinach and herbs de Provence so much that I can't stand scrambled eggs anymore. So sad. And YES, Julia, my social thermostat has been turned way down. And I'm happy about it. Thanks for this thread. I needed this. 😉
ReplyDeleteWhat fun it has been to read all these comments and replies on such a thought-provoking topic: this is one of the advantages to posting late. As for me, I can re-read books and re-watch movies (but not very often or too many times). But where I think I'm most repetitive (and not apologetic about it) is when it comes to breakfasts and lunches for myself. I'm glad to be creative when making dinners for my husband and me, but we make our own breakfasts and lunches at our own times, and I'm content to have tea and bread with butter every morning and bread with peanut butter plus a piece of fruit every noon. Occasionally I substitute cheese for the peanut butter, but that's it. Not that I HAVE to eat the same things at the same times, as if it were ritual. I can eat out and order completely different foods, or decide to finish a leftover instead. But I am so grateful for having one less thing in my life to plan that I COULD eat a peanut-butter lunch every day for the next twenty years and by happy.
ReplyDeleteThank you Dr ogugu for helping me to get my lovely partner back in my life. I am so blessed that you use a non forceful way of reuniting us. Our past, and future seems to have all merged into one. You told me that everyone has a compatible soul mate whether in their life of waiting to come into their lives. I am glad it's my partner of old. I did not want to really go and be with someone else... You have removed the extra baggage that has been affecting us and holding us back. Peace to you Dr Ogugu. Anyone out there with 8 problems should try and contact Dr ogugu his website, I assure you your problems will be solved by this great man.
ReplyDeleteSolutiontempledrogugu@gmail.com
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