My Favorite Things
- Liz Flaherty
- 3 days ago
- 3 min read
by Cathy Shouse
“It took on a life of its own.” That old phrase applies to the newsletter I’ve written and e-mailed to subscribers every other week since 2022. I started the newsletter when I began publishing sweet cowboy romances, as a way to keep in touch. But my readers and I have shared more than I expected, and have become friends along the way.
Sometimes I have “big things” to write about. (They’re big to me, anyway.) Other times, very little has gone on for me to share.
Recently I decided to share something about me. I’m always so pleasantly surprised to learn that many of us have experiences in common. I think in this big, beautiful, complex, sometimes painful world, the ordinary connections can be so very special.
Here’s what I sent.
The musical, The Sound of Music, was one of the soundtracks of my childhood. I know all the words to all the songs and all the scenes. There is the time when Maria the nanny makes play clothes for the children from the floor-to-ceiling bedroom draperies, and when she goes out into the open spaces and begins singing The hills are alive with the sound of music, and their stealthy, night-time trip sneaking out of their homeland because of dangers of the new regime.
A song from that movie, My Favorite Things, continues to inspire me today, and the title lives up to its name. It’s a pretty melody set to a list of what Maria loves. The lyrics end with, “When I’m feeling sad, I simply remember my favorite things, and then I don’t feel so bad.”
I find the lyrics a good way to remember to be grateful, no matter my mood. Here are some of what Maria loves:
Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens
Bright copper kettles and warm woollen mittens
As for me, I would add my own favorite things from the past couple of weeks :
Relaxing in my friend’s wicker chair on her porch (picture Scarlett O’Hara’s house with pillars in “Gone With the Wind”) late into the evening, gabbing about anything and everything, as spring winds its way into summer.
Sitting around the table with my “book club ladies” like I’ve been doing for twenty years, knowing what each one likes to read, laughing a lot.
Anticipating picking up my tomatoes and zinnia plants 50+ miles away. They’re “started” by the husband of my friend who played French horn when I played oboe in our quintet eons ago. (Yes, there are closer places to buy plants, but why would I miss a too-short visit with them?)
Side-by-side with my daughter and husband as we watched The Devil Wears Prada 2 on Mother’s Day. I was thinking how great Meryl Streep looks and acts for her age, or for anyone of any age, really.
Catching up with my daughter and sitting outside in a little new-to-me restaurant on a gorgeous late afternoon, although neither of us had what we really wanted to happen come through that day. Feeling glad to be in the same city, in spite of everything.
E-mailing friends, like my dear readers, and others, too, still finding that human connection we all crave, through words, even if that happens by technical means.
An unexpected chance to visit with a friend I haven’t seen in forever, grateful we still feel as close as when we were girls.
What are some of your favorite things? I hope you’ve managed to have some of them in your life lately.
You’ll find more of my favorite things in my six books, so far, in the Galloway Sons Farm Series. I was reminded of a major theme in the first book when I stumbled into the information that May is National Speech-Language-Hearing Month. What does this have to do with my books?
I’m glad you asked!
Book 1 in my cowboy romance series, Her Billionaire Cowboy’s Second Chance: Galloway Sons Farm Novel, A Fair Creek Romance, is the story of Wyatt and Sierra. She is hard of hearing and struggling to adapt, and when he comes back to town, this is something different for them to cope with. Health issues of any kind aren’t easy, and they go through more than most in this story (partly thanks to his lovable dog’s bad manners). There are also many other people to get to know, from the coffee guys at Delaney’s Diner to Wyatt’s brothers, and darling little Max.
Whether you have experienced hearing loss yourself, like me, or know others who have, reading their story is one way to have a good read (always the priority!) and to have a glimpse into that world.
The book is a full novel at 99 cents, to tempt you to try it, and if you’re enrolled in KU, it’s free! (Plus, to keep in touch with me through my newsletter, please sign up at https://cathyshouse.com
