Never have I known a year that flew by as quickly as this one. Lots of highs, some lows, but plenty to be grateful for, without a doubt. I am trying to ponder the shape of 2024. But before I go too far down that rabbit hole, here’s a random assortment of things I liked/loved in 2023:

To Read: I enjoyed Chesterton’s delightful Manalive, The Faint of Heart by Kerilynn Wilson and the classic YA novel, A Wrinkle in Time. Manalive is the perfect antidote to nihilism. The Faint of Heart is beautiful and (no pun intended) heartfelt. And A Wrinkle in Time was my companion when in the throes of The Plague last month.

To Watch: I unexpectedly loved the new season of Shetland (the island is on my bucket list) and Munch was an absolute delight.

To Grow: It was a weird garden year. My potatoes grew like mad. My peppers were an absolute failure. But the real winner was the Lacinato Kale. Heads up: homegrown kale tastes nothing like grocery store kale. Far more flavorful, much less bitter, this grew like crazy and is still growing. In December. Granted, it’s under plastic and tucked up in straw, but it’s been a thrill to have a vegetable this late in the season.

To Enjoy: Locally, two new favorite spots were Elephantine Bakery in Portsmouth and Two Bees in Dover. And birthday drinks with my parents at Wild Bevy was grand.

To Make: The Wiksten shift top I sewed will probably be worn until it falls apart. And this knit beret pattern has gotten some heavy rotation.

To fend off that “The world is blowing up and I want to escape in a space pod” feeling: India Rose Crawford’s stop motion videos were 100000% the best thing on social media in 2023.