Sunday, April 2, 2017

Letter of Recommendation

INGRID THOFT
In 2015, the New York Times added a column to its Sunday magazine called “Letter of Recommendation.”  Each week, a writer makes their case for a place, person, object or experience they want to share with readers.  The subject matter is extremely diverse—Uni-ball Signo UM-151 pens from Japan, arroyos, William Blake’s grave, attending movies alone—but always thought-provoking.

It made me wonder:  What would I recommend if given the chance?


The options are myriad: fluffernutter sandwiches, the New York City subway system, scuba diving, but one experience is a standout, and that’s reading to a child.  As the aunt of fourteen, I could make a case that I’ve read “Is Your Mama a Llama” more than some parents.  When the kids were little, nothing made me happier than curling up on the sofa with a good book and a snuggly, curious audience.  I loved watching their eyes widen with excitement at the turn of the page and their delight that things always turned out exactly as expected.  Reading was a wonderful excuse to take a breather and share a few quiet minutes together.  I highly recommend it.

What about you, Reds?  What would be in your Letter of Recommendation?


RHYS BOWEN: What would I recommend more than anything for a healthy, happy life? Time with family and friends, sitting around a dinner table and laughing. Time in nature, wandering along the edge of the ocean, sandals in my hand, letting the waves wash over my toes and just letting my mind wander. And Ben and Jerry's Heath bar Crunch ice cream.

HALLIE EPHRON: Go for an early morning bird walk with birders. There's a whole world most of us miss. Here near Boston, the prime spot is Mt. Auburn Cemetery, prime time spring (now!).
And if you get seduced by the birds, put on your bucket list a trip to the Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge in New Mexico, south of Albuquerque. Join other birders driving down before the summer sun rises and stand with them at the water's edge and wait. And wait. And as the sun starts to lighten the sky, the birds start to stir. Thousands of snow geese and sand hill cranes wake and start to rustle their wings. And then, as if a conductor has tapped his baton, the snow geese rise into the air. All of them. At once. Darkening the sky. They soar low, back and forth right over your head before heading off to the fields where they spend their day grazing before returning. It's breathtaking. Stay a little longer and watch the majestic sand hill cranes take flight in twos and fours. Stop on the way back to Albuquerque at the Owl Bar & Grill and treat yourself to a green chili cheeseburger.

Oh, and don't miss sunset at Zabriskie Point in Death Valley. No birds, but oh, the shadows.



JENN MCKINLAY: I would recommend star gazing. Whenever I am feeling stressed out about life on our little blue marble, I try to carve out some time to star gaze out in the desert away from the light pollution where I sit and remind myself that we are mere specks of dust in the Universe and that all those pesky things like chores, bills to pay, and worries about success or failure, really don't matter. I find great comfort in the vastness of the Universe. I haven't been there yet, but I am planning a trip with a star gazer friend to Chaco Canyon, New Mexico, as it has been designated an International Dark Sky Park and has some of the best star gazing in the country. I'll be sure to report in when I go! https://www.nps.gov/chcu/learn/nature/darkskypark.htm

DEBORAH CROMBIE: I'm going to go for a very small thing. It is glorious spring in Texas, and I have a flowerbed full of fresh mint. So on nice afternoons, I've been making a cup of fresh mint tea with a teaspoon of local honey, then sitting on my deck while I sip it. And just thinking. That quiet half hour makes the world seem a little more manageable.


LUCY BURDETTE: Wow, this is hard because it could be so many things! I'm going to say bike with your sister and the husbands through Provence near Coustellet until you reach a cute little town. There, order an éclair (vanilla custard filling with mocha icing) from the local patisserie. You will deserve every bite! http://www.provence-cycling-holidays.com/how_tours_work.html


HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: I always look at the sky. Day and night. Jonathan will say--what are you looking at? And I say--just checking in.  But a transporting experience? when we go to Nevis, we sit on the perfectly white beach, perfectly empty. I mean, not another person in sight, white sand, blue water. Then: the pelicans come. They fly parallel to the shore, skimming, looking down, watching for a fish. Then: Boom. They dive bomb, straight and fast and unerring and blam, into the water.  Boom.  They two seconds later, they're up with their fish. They gulp it down and twitch their little tail feathers in delight.    We watch them for hours. They never miss.  And: Pina coladas. Old-school, and foofy, but man. Delish.

JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: I'm going to step away from beautiful and life-fulfilling experiences and recommend the two most practical purchases I know: an AAA membership and a subscription to Consumer Reports magazine. I can think of a few people who wouldn't benefit from Triple A - city dwellers who rarely drive, car owners with emergency roadside assistance on their insurance or from their dealer, or a driver whose father/brother/boyfriend owns a towing company. For the rest of us, being able to dial that number and know that someone competent will show up to charge the battery, tow the break-down, bring the gas or fix the tire is worth far more than the annual fee. Hint: a membership makes a great graduation gift.

Consumer Reports is a boring magazine that has invaluable information on anything and everything you might ever have to pay money for, and a few things you won't. Just in the past few months, I've used its well-organized online search function to research oven ranges, house paint, used cars, and vitamins. CR has been around since 1936 and continues as a nonprofit and ad-free. They go to what seems like ridiculous extremes to test consumer goods, and when they say a product is a 'Best Buy' or 'Top Rated,' you can rely on it.

What do you say, Readers?  What would you recommend?


51 comments:

  1. Oh, goodness, Ingrid . . . there are so many things to recommend. Although fluffernutter sandwiches would never make my list, reading to a child is definitely included. And, for a special treat, listen to the child read you the book . . . .
    Stargazing, family time, walking through the flower garden, and deep dark chocolate ice cream also make my list.

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  2. Hallie, we just watched the sandhill cranes fly in to roost on the Platte River in Kearney Nebraska two weeks ago. But we couldn't find a hotel close enough to see them fly away in the morning. What a sight, though. I'd never heard of Bosque Del Apache until a year or so ago, but I follow the park on Facebook now, and hope to go someday.

    Any kind of nature is important to me, and enriches all our lives. Just being out in it, and noticing the colors, shapes, scents, and textures--everyone should try to drink them in as often as possible. It's good for the soul, and lowers the blood pressure.

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  4. Two books. The Desiderata and the Little Prince. Both seem to fill me with hope and peace whenever I read them and refresh my view of humanity.

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    1. I'm ashamed to say I'm not familiar with The Desiderata. I'm going to look it up right now!

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    2. I just read it, Kait. It's definitely a keeper.

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    3. Glad you liked it, Ingrid. My poor copy is tattered as all good books should be. I think I read it first on a wall poster - - in the 1960s. But I like the illustrations in the copy I have now so I was glad to find this particular hardbound.

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  5. So interesting that all of those recommendations - okay, except Julia's have to do with stepping out of our everyday lives. Taking a break, a breather, a change of scenery is critical to our well being. For that I'll recommend going camping, even though I don't do it much any more. Waking up to the scent of pine and clean air, making coffee and bacon over a camp stove or a wood fire, sitting at a picnic table outside with a good book or a deck of cards, not worrying about if you haven't bathed in a day or two? Heaven.

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    1. Maybe when our granddaughter gets a little older, we'll take her. We took the kids to Cape Cod camping a couple of times. Wonderful memories. And both John's and my parents were campers...

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    2. I haven't done it in many years but a very special camping trip was on an island in Lake George. Hope they still do that. There are campsites on several island but we were lucky enough to be on a smaller one with just the one campsite. It was wonderful. Well, except for the part where a chipmunk ran up my bare leg to try to get my cookie! Of course you will need a boat but there are several places that rent them.

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  6. Julia, how practical. I concur.

    And Deb, our mint isn't up here yet, but even just walking through it is calming, grabbing a bunch and crushing it in your hand ...

    Hallie, the southwestern deserts are a marvel in a singular category. I'd recommend you go on to Arizona and the Navajo and Hopi reservation, live a while with the people, an unparalleled experience.

    Everyone's contributions have made my morning happy. Thank you.

    And mine?

    1. Make amends, 'fess up, settle all unfinished business. I'll start with Hank. Sometime last summer Hank sent me a copy of PRIME TIME. It arrived when we were in a flurry of donating boxes and boxes of books to the library. So when I looked for my new book, it wasn't to be found. I was heartsick. And ashamed. And silent.

    Saturday morning, that book literally fell out of a bookcase when I bumped into it. a book case of Julie's books, not mine. And I was over the moon!

    Thank you Hank, and I apologize for misplacing your gift, for telling you how much I enjoyed it when I hadn't read it yet. Guess what I did all Sunday afternoon!

    2. Read. Read everything you can. I am sorry I read that book said no one EVER. There is no single activity, and I'm including sex and food, that brings as much long term pleasure, that never gets boring, that lasts one's entire life. From Harlequin romances to War and Peace, it doesn't matter what, just read. (And do not try to diagram that last sentence.)

    Ann in Rochester, pensive this morning.







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    1. Am I the only one who gets a hankering for a mojito when I smell mint?

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    2. I'm right there with you, Ingrid!

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  7. Jenn, I'd be right there beside you if we had somewhere away from light pollution to go. Out in the ocean, I suppose, is the closest if you're in Boston.

    Finta: Noted!

    Karen, the Platte River Sand Hill cranes are on my list!

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    1. We saw a few snow geese in Kearney, too, Hallie.

      I thought surely, in the middle of the ocean when I was in Galapagos, I'd be able to see billions of stars. Newp. Every night the marine layer completely covered them. So disappointing.

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  8. FInta, what a great story--aw. It's only a book. And I am so pleased to be about to have given you a pleasant Sunday afternoon! Hope you loved it.
    Edith, I'm so with you on bacon. But camping? Not a chance. Seriously. And that's probably a whole nother blog. Fluffernutters. Gah. But Jenn, cannot wait to hear about the stars.

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    1. I'm with you on the camping, Hank. What about glamping?

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    2. Glamping? IF we are in a hotel. Or something along those lines. Electricity, bathroom, room service.

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  9. It may be a cliche, but take a walk with a child--and see everything new again. And a variation on reading with a child--sit while a child reads to a dog. Even a child who is struggling to read will relax and their eyes will sparkle and the book becomes a story that comes alive to them and their companion.

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    1. I thought about putting a walk with a child on my list, Flora! Don't plan on getting to your destination in a timely fashion, but you'll notice things along the way that you've never noticed before.

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  10. Having just flown overnight from Honolulu and awaiting my next flight in Atlanta, there are many experiences I could recommend in Hawaii. One of the most moving experiences I had was a couple of years ago when I went to the Hawaiian island of Molokai, where the leper colony had been. I'm big on being awed by standing in places o great historical significance. On Oahu, the cliff where Kong Kamahmah warriors pushed the opposing forces off into the abyss is a really historical and spiritual place.

    Of course, I have to choose as most special reading with my kids and now reading with my granddaughters. When after reading To Kill a Mockingbird, my middle school son (who will turn 30 this summer) turned tome and said, "wow" with all the enthusiasm and passion I could ever wish for, that was indeed a moment!

    And Hallie, I think I could become a birder. I was fascinated by the red-crested cardinal in Oahu. We have the completely red make cardinal here. And, one day before my trip, I looked out my kitchen window and the backyard was filled with robins. Awesome!

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    1. Love robins. They are hilarious..and sometimes fill our yard. So weird! And they bob, right?

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  11. I recommend ocean swimming. There is something primal about immersing oneself in salt water. Warm water is fine, but cold works for me, too. Here in Maine the ocean swimming season is short, but oh, so sweet.

    Our Sunday ritual is to walk the beach and yesterday - the day after a spring snowstorm that dumped 10 inches in my back yard - I found myself yearning to dive in. It will be probably three months until I actually do, but spring is tugging me in that direction. The cool (okay, cold) water cures what ails me, every single time.

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    1. Brenda, I feel the same way when I walk along Puget Sound; I want to dive in regardless of the time of year! The smell always gets me first because if I close my eyes, I feel like I'm back in my hometown in Massachusetts. When I was little, we swam all summer long, but now I'm lucky to get in a swim or two during my August visit. It used to be that 63 degrees was my cut off, but I think that number is creeping up as I age!

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  12. Reading, star gazing, bird watching; these are all wonderful things. The sandhills and the whooping cranes used to migrate directly over my house when I lived in the country, and the stars were wonderful out away from the lights. But there are two things I would totally recommend above all others: get a dog and make a garden.

    If you get a dog, you must train her, and really learn to partner with her. Take her for walks each day. Snuggle with her on the couch when you watch old movies, and be sure to share your popcorn. Learn to read her body language, because she will surely be learning to read yours. I can think of dozens of people who swear they would never have made it through some life crisis if they hadn't had a dog. Cats are good, too, but they won't make you walk, or throw a frisbee.

    And then make a garden, even if it's a couple of pots on your apartment's balcony, or some succulents under a grow light. You'll learn to follow the seasons, and you'll get your hands down into the soil where the anti-depressant bacteria grow. Sure, you can hire somebody to plant the big shrubs, but get out there and do most of it yourself. Choose the plants, tuck them into the beds, and watch your vision emerge. Learn from your mistakes. Have patience. It will all be beautiful eventually.

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    1. Love the anti-depressant bacteria Gigi! Eating out of your garden is pretty special too, particularly because every year when it's bare the garden looks like it can't possibly grow to anything

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    2. Gardening is one of my great joys, too!

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    3. Gardening is my sanity, Gigi!

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  13. Gigi, my first thoughts were your two suggestions. (One of the many reasons we are friends, I suspect:-)) And, Ann, reading, of course. Nothing enriches life as much as reading.

    And birds. I used to be quite a serious birder (so much so that I wanted to be an ornithologist, hence the degree in biology, or at least partly.) These days I watch the feeder on my deck every day, and the birds in our trees and garden, and it is so restoring.

    And all that reminds me that it's time to put the hummingbird feeders up!! Our little ruby throated summer visitors are the biggest of delights.

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  14. Lucy, you inspired me! I bought two tomatoes, a pepper, an eggplant, and a squash to go in pots this year. Not 5 gallon buckets, but big pots I decided to retire from the deck and patio. And of course there are lots of smaller pots for all the herbs. That's another thing to add to today's recommendations: water lavender and rosemary and basil and thyme and lemon balm, first thing in the morning, and breath in the scents. It will make you giddy with happiness.

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    1. How are you going to prepare your eggplant when the time comes, Debs? I ask because I love eggplant, but I never know quite what to do with it!

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  15. Indoor recommendation: Spend time at my craft table making collaged cards for friends. Also, sharpening my rainbow-wide selection of coloured pencils. I love a sharp point!!
    Outdoor recommendation: I agree with Deb. Take a cup of tea to the cottage gazebo deck and watch the view across magnificent Lake Winnipeg change by the minute. If you're lucky, the bald eagles will fly across that view.

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  16. What great recommendations. Kait, my dad gave me a copy of The Desiderata when I went off to college and it is one of My Favorite Things Ever.

    Me? Plant some rosemary and smell it often. Okay, a little weird, but the smell of rosemary? Awesome.

    And visit El Yunque National Park in Puerto Rico. So green and fresh. Wonderful.

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    1. There is scientific evidence that the fragrance of rosemary can keep your memory fresh. Shakespeare was onto something!

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  17. These all sound like great things to do. How I'm wishing I could do them instead of head to work on this Monday morning.

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  18. The Fluffernutter is the taste of my childhood! Lately I'm working on staying off my phone -- trying not to check email, social or anything until I'm done writing for the day. I find that when I can wean myself from that dopamine hit of WHAT'S NEW NOW?? it's easier to focus on the story I'm trying to tell.

    Some days I can last until mid-afternoon. Some days until right about...now.

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    1. So you had Fluffernutter in Milwaukee? I always assumed it was a New England thing. Good luck with that phone thing...

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    2. Yeah, Nick, I set a timer for one hour. That's as long as I can go. And turn off the sound on my computer so it doesn't ping when a new email comes it. That's just unfair.

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  19. Similar to Kathy Boone Reel, my recommendation is related to coming back home after travelling to Iceland, Hawaii and San Francisco for the past month.

    Go out and explore. The travels could be a short drive from home or clear across the globe. But you definitely appreciate and experience the diversity of different cultures (people, cuisine, history, natural landscapes and wildlife) when you leave your home country (or state/province). And when you come back home, you will have these wonderful memories and experiences that enriched you. And hopefully, you realize how lucky you are to live that life that do (at home).

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  20. Kathy Reel! Do you know you won Nupur Tustin's book? Email me! hryan at whdh dot com

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    1. No, I didn't know that. Yippee! I'll email you, Hank!

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  22. For something truly majestic, watch the sunrise over Angkor Wat in Cambodia. Then grab a hot bowl of ka tiew (Cambodian noodle soup, similar to Vietnamese pho) for breakfast at a tiny hole-in-the-wall with a glass of iced coffee on the side. Truly one of the wonders of the world.

    For something a little closer to home, soak up the sun with an ice cold beverage in hand (lately obsessed with iced chai latte with coconut milk, but I'd never say no to some sangria) and do absolutely nothing. I'm a really restless person, but I try to do this once a week when the weather behaves. It quiets my mind and lets me enjoy things in the moment.

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  23. I've not been to Cambodia, Mia, but we visited Vietnam, and there were definitely some wonders of the world on that trip! I'll have to try coconut milk in my iced chai latte...I would never say no to sangria, either!

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  24. Take a canoe or kayak out on a lake or river, early in the morning, when the water is at its calmest. So quiet and fresh and peaceful (cuz the yahoos with their motor craft don't get up until 10)

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  25. Letters of Recommendations...

    Ingrid, great idea about reading to a child. I always read to a child :-)

    Rhys, agreed about having a healthy, happy life - time with family and friends; stopping to smell the roses, laughing, and Ben and Jerry's ice cream

    Hallie, walking is one of my favorite things. Have you been to the Boston Public Gardens? When I visited a friend in graduate school in Boston, we went there and saw the Swan Boats.

    Jenn, star gazing is so fun! When we go away from big cities, we are able to see the stars in the sky.

    Deborah, a cup of tea is always wonderful. That is one of my favorite things.

    Lucy, I heart eclairs!

    Hank, watching fish swim is fun :-)

    Julia, definitely! AAA membership is a must! I have AAA membership and I always consult Consumer Reports when shopping.

    All of the recommendations sound great! I cannot add anything new.

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  26. The greatest thing I have to recommend is time well spent with your family & friends. I've been extremely blessed with both of those. My parents were (my Mom stepped into the arms of Jesus in 2010) the most generous & loving people. Mom had a Guest Register & in one year over 500 people signed it!! That did not include those that came to the countless Wedding & Baby Showers & Assorted Women's Teas she hosted each year. It did not include my hordes of friends who knew our door was open 24/7 & there would be Homemade Ice Cream EVERY Sunday afternoon! It also didn't include other family & friends who stopped by every day! They taught me to value FAMILY & FRIENDS & how important each of these groups are to me as they have both taught me to be a better person. I have friends that I've known all of my 58 years, & some of my closest ones I've known for 41 years. One of my dearest and best friends stepped into the arms of Jesus this past November after having Stage 4 Colon Cancer "live with her" for 14 years. She never missed a beat as she continued working full time as a Social Worker at a Dialysis Clinic, served on every Board imaginable, went on 10 overseas Mission Trips, belonged to numerous Professional Organizations and was the funniest human I've ever known. Seize the Moments - with your family - your parents, your husband & children and your friends!

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