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Send, please don't rely too heavily on the historical authenticity of Downton Abbey.*

Please do read Pride and Prejudice in the original, though - it's worth the getting used to. "It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a fortune must be in want of a wife..." Jane Austen is *fun* :)

In Northanger Abbey, the young men are obsessively competitive about how fast their horse-drawn carriages are. You're right, nothing really changes.

*Claim to fame - my son was an extra in (?) Matthew's stag night scene. The producers trawled the area for anyone who had his own dinner jacket!
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The T.V. shows derived from the literary classics are amazing, teaching history and the social graces of the times.
Downton Abbey and Pride and Prejudice are but a few.

What amazed me was the sibling rivalry, gossip, and class differences, so very similar to today. Be careful though, one could learn too much about putting on airs accidentally mimicking bad behavior.

In Downton Abbey, one sister wrote to a foreign embassy to cause a scandal about her sister; the other sister ended that sister's engagement prospects with a word to her fiancee. Such hate!

In Pride and Prejudice, the main character was just as guilty of prejudice than those she wrote about, hated for their gossip and prejudice.
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I've made it a habit to check a web cam on a local beach a few times each day, I love to see how the weather changes the colours and waves, plus it's fun to spy on all the beach goers too.
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"Llamalover47,"

I'm glad you "returned" but hey, you could have felt like being "retuned!" upon your "return" - I thought it was funny nonetheless.

I think I had the same mindset (prior to COVID) about my husband and I going somewhere - the "what if..." scenario. And now, not only are we older but the pandemic has really made us feel we lost out on many of our traveling opportunities. My biggest lesson from this pandemic is "procrastination" even in the simplest of things.
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NobodyGetsIt: My poor vision got me! That was supposed to read "We *RETURNED*."
Going to Bermuda was YEARS ago before mother got to age 80. "Because what happened if mother took ill when we were away on a trip." That mindset turned out to be VERY wrong as now we're elders ourselves.
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"Llamalover47,"

Bermuda three times?? You lucky lady!

You "retuned????" Just kidding - ROFL!!
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NobodyGetsIt: We've been to Bermuda x3 and no issue with the <> - We retuned! ROFL.
Good for your DH.
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"Llamalover47,"

Ooooh, I've never been to Bermuda but, I've seen beautiful pictures of it - just stay out of the triangle :)

Ahhh, sunflowers - sounds familiar; real ones, knick knacks, garden decor...

My husband likes Lennon.
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Everything Bermuda
Everything sunflowers
Everything Lennon
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All things chocolate - especially milk and dark! I will eat white but, it's not my favorite.

Love going to our Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory (now if only I could live in the Rocky Mountain State of Colorado) and indulge in the myriads of fudge, candies and chocolate covered gourmet apples -rocky road being one of my favorites!

Chocolate cakes, pies, ice creams, cookies, doughnuts, cheesecakes, chocolate covered strawberries and cherries, mocha flavored coffees...

While in Alaska, my mom and I visited "Alaska Wild Berry Products" where they house the world's largest Chocolate Waterfall - 20' high using 3,000 pounds of chocolate. There's a neat picture of it on the website's homepage.

Ahhh, I'm going to my pantry and have a piece of chocolate!
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Being surrounded by flowers!

When I was young I really didn't think much about flowers until I went to Butchart Gardens in Brentwood Bay, British Columbia, Canada.

I've never seen such beauty all in one place. The different gardens along with the many different types of flowers was truly a sight to behold.

Here are just a few of my favorites: Orchids, poppies, peonies, irises, lilies, seeing large fields of super big sunflowers while traveling in the mid west, in the desert various species of cacti have some beautiful, bright and colorful blooms, poinsettias -

and of course roses...

"The more you love roses the more you must bear with thorns."
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NobodyGetsIt: You're very welcome.
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"Llamalover47,"

Yes, I especially love watching programs about Mount Everest - I can't even imagine attempting to climb it! There truly are so many beautiful mountains around the world.

The purple irises are my favorite along with the pink and red.

Thank you for the mini history lesson about The Lilliput Troupe - I had no idea who they were but, just looked up the word "achondroplasia." They must have had quite a story behind their survival!
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NobodyGetsIt: Glad to hear that you also love mountains and irises. The Lilliput Troupe was actually an amazing group of people with achondroplasia, who survived Birkenau/Auschwitz.
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I love animals!

My favorite out in the wild is deer - they have such beautiful, big, dark eyes and are so graceful. I was fortunate to have one come within six feet from me while visiting up in Montana.

My favorite in the ocean are dolphins - they are extremely intelligent and playful. While in Cancun, I had a training session with a dolphin trainer and one of the dolphins she worked with. She taught me how and where to touch their skin and at the end she had me signal the dolphin to kiss me on the cheek. Awesome experience!

Others I love are sea otters, seals, porpoises, penguins, giraffes, kangaroos, monkeys - they are so fun to watch and many, many more.

Birds especially the cardinals - they really look like they have an attitude!, hummingbirds, doves, blue jays, finches, chickadees, kittiwakes, puffins, seagulls, sparrows...

And of course I love dogs and kittens...
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@ "earlybird,"

At first, I thought I wrote this - every word (except skiing - I'm not coordinated and value all my limbs but, I wish I could do that!)

Ahhh, yes - the good old days!!!

@ "Llamalover47,"

Love the mountains and irises too (don't know anything about Lilliput - actually never heard of it until now) :)
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Dark rich chocolate, banana splits ( in my dreams), homemade chocolate cream pie. Taking a long walk in nature, listening to classical music, spending a few days in the mountains, hiking, skiing, traveling, spending time with family are all my favorite things I used to do, and did often. Oh the good old days.
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Everything mountains
Everything irises
Everything Lilliput
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Beautiful music! I love a variety of music except for a few genres.

Since right now I need something that is calming and soothing, I am listening to a live stream on you tube called "Beautiful Relaxing Hymns, Peaceful Instrumental Music, 'Saturday Morning Sunrise' " by Tim Janis. He is a composer from Maine and created his channel as a place to visit, relax and find peace. He incorporates sounds of nature with flute, piano, harp and violin music. The scenery is so beautiful - oceans, meadows, waterfalls. flowers even some animals like horses, puppies, owls, butterflies and birds. Some of the scenes are a little out of focus or grainy but, overall it's very good.

When I'm a little down, I listen to a song my parent's used to listen to in their day (they were 40 years older than myself) which always lifts my spirits and mood - "The Blue Danube Waltz." Makes me feel like dancing!

The sheer power of music is truly amazing!!
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"NoTryDoYoda,"

It's one of those things we probably all took for granted - the ability to just go wherever we want and by any mode of transportation. Between Sept 11th and now the COVID pandemic, it took the enjoyment out of it for my husband and I.

I know what you mean about going somewhere to celebrate an anniversary. My husband and I enjoyed going up to Sedona's Oak Creek Canyon to stay at a bed and breakfast where we spent our honeymoon nearly 23 years ago. It was owned by a husband and wife and there were four cabins; three of them two levels and the other one was a single level. Her husband made the cookies and muffins for breakfast and she did the decorating for all the seasons/holidays. It is very unique - they are only for 1-2 people, there are no tv's or phones. The idea is for it to be a place to relax away from the hustle and bustle of the city and our overly busy lives. They use to have real wood-burning fireplaces but now that they are both older, they replaced them with electric. They have all kinds of trees, plants, bird feeders and a big pond with fish and a turtle. No pets are allowed but, they always would say we could pet theirs! Great hospitality.

I'm sure now more than ever, you would love to go to a family reunion to see your God-sister - kind of hard for her to be your responsibility without seeing her. I'm sorry your wife isn't able to travel and see her identical twin sister and am so glad you've always been able to tell them apart - lol!

May your hope of being able to travel in December to your already planned and booked vacation during Christmas week be granted and if that can't happen at least your son who lives nearest to you will be with you and your wife for Thanksgiving.

Yes, times are a changing!
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Yes and I miss traveling too. Like going somewhere exciting for my anniversary; and going to my family reunion where I get to see my God-sister. She's now my responsibility since her Godfather, my dad, is dead.

I know my wife misses being able to travel to see her identical twin sister who I enjoy seeing also. At least, I can tell them apart.

I hope in December, our family will be able to travel to our already planned and booked vacation for Christmas week. I know we can't travel to get together for Thanksgiving, but the son who lives the nearest to us will come home for that.
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I miss traveling freely so much - these are some of my favorite places:

Ketchikan, Seward, Homer, Anchor Point the westernmost point in the North American Highway System, Whittier, Portage Glacier, Mendenhall Glacier, Prince William Sound, Denali National Park, seeing an actual reindeer (yes, they are real - they are known as caribou), driving along Turnagain Arm considered to be one of the most beautiful stretches of highway in America - all in Alaska. Even flying into Anchorage was beautiful. A very majestic place to visit!

Glacier National Park in Montana, Estes Park in Colorado, Grand Canyon National Park at sunrise and sunset, Bryce Canyon National Park in Utah.

Victoria, BC, Butchart Gardens in Brentwood Bay, BC on Vancouver Island, Whidbey Island and Anacortes, Washington.

Ah, the beauty of nature!
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Since my friend who writes and plays piano music as well as sings sometimes makes more money when I listen to her music on Spotify, I play her and others' music in a folder that I have there. The music is so smooth that it does not distract me from whatever I'm doing on the computer at the time. She's told me that Spotify pays her more than Pandora for the same music.
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Somehow I've grown away from listening to music, possibly because I'm not driving much and listening to the radio and I think I also used to be exposed to a lot by the kids (yeah,they haven't been kids for a long time). Tonight I had a song running through my head so I pulled up one of my old playlists - oh yeah 😄
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Everything alpacas
Everything geography
Everything poetry
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Notry? I hope the dog's not reading your list!

1. My dog
2. My dog
3. My dog
4. Bones
5. My dog...
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My books
My dog
My Highlander Platinum
My Man Cave
My being retired!
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Dots Pretzels from North Dakota
Spicy
Yum.

Received as a gift from Texas.
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Nature is awesome, even in the fire areas.
A pyrocumulus cloud grows in the Lake Fire near Castaic, view from Santa Clarita, CA.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f1Hk-ZY8uA4&feature=youtu.be&fbclid=IwAR3Mxh5jBa_YG3niJ
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..🐦
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