Life, Lived Better – Outdoors
Thankful & Reflective
As we near the end of 2024, my mind tends to wander over the past 10 months. What went right, what went wrong, what could I have done better, so on and so forth. I’m my own harshest critic and tend to look at things through the “glass half empty” prism. But I have to remember I’m only human – fallible and all. I need to give myself a break. I need to give other people a break. It’s the time of year to be Thankful for the many blessings, realized or not, and to be Reflective. Not in the sense of what went right or wrong, but in a sense of what I have learned in both successes and failures. I am Thankful for Growth. I am Thankful for You.
Have a Great Holiday Season!
Wayne Romain
Patio World
Life, Lived Better – Outdoors
What’s New at PW:
Christmas World is Officially Open at Patio World – Riverside!
We have dozens of New Trees, 1000s of Ornaments, Ribbon, Decor, and More!
Riverside’s Oldest and Largest fully dedicated Christmas Store for over 39 Years!
Bring Your Family. Bring Your Friends. Enjoy the Festive Holiday Delights at our Family-Owned Shoppe.
Follow Us on Social Medial for latest happenings and arrivals:
Out & About
→My Alma Mater Vs. My Hometown – Can’t We All Just Get Along?
→Arriving at a Dealership Near You – Is that rust I see?
→ Oh to be 31 Again – Quick Trip in the Hills
→ Don’t Mess With – Rudolph
→I prefer fresh, but – It’s Jarring!
→ $200 Trillion + Diamonds + Scientists – Promises Promises
→McD’s May Have Solved Their Ice Cream Issues –More Promises
→Late Again for Dinner – Your So Demanding
→ Where Do They Winter – Hopefully Somewhere Far, Far Away
→No, Cybertrucks are Not – Bulletproof
→A semi-healthy Meal – Before You Pig Out Over the Holidays
→”Lived-In” Backyards – I may like this trend
→Beautiful in Your Garden – But Invasive
→The Best Winter Flowers – For Pots
(WBR) Wayne’s Book Review
My New Year’s Resolution / Goal for the year is to read one book a month. And aren’t you lucky – You get a rare glimpse into the mind of Wayne Romain and his take on said book. Just so you know, I’m not a reader. In the last 10 years, I have probably read six or seven books at the most. No literary giant here, but like a lot of things in life, you get outside your element, do things you don’t normally do, and you might learn something.
What does this have to do with the outdoors? Maybe nothing. Maybe a lot. But it does represent another pastime that we can enjoy (or muddle through) in The Outdoors.
This month’s book:
by Joseph Conrad (1899)
Book Overview
For a detailed synapsis, please visit Wikipedia’s Article.
Heart of Darkness is told through the protagonist sailor Charles Marlow. The story follows the journey of Marlow, who is given an assignment as steamer captain for a Belgian company in the African interior. The assignment is to find an ivory trader, Kurtz, who has “gone native” on a trading station far up the “River of Darkness”. What transpires on the journey to find Kurtz, what occurs when he finds him, and the journey back to “civilization” is the outward theme of the novel.
The central and underlying theme though, is the examination of the differences between “civilized people” and “savages”. Concluding, there is very little difference. Heart of Darkness implicitly comments on imperialism and racism. Conrad draws parallels between London (“the greatest town on earth”) and Africa as places of darkness.
I had to read, actually listen via an audiobook, multiple times. Not the book’s fault, as my mind has been wandering much this past month.
It is a dark and brooding tale with flashbacks and a timeline that jumps around, requiring my full concentration to follow. The energy and storyline reminded me of Quentin Tarantino films mixed with Francis Ford Coppola’s – Apocalypse Now. Dark, serious, and not a simple read. Even after several re-reads, I still missed some key points. Not my favorite genre or type of reading, but one that still hooks you. It made me really ponder not just the storyline, but the allegory to life during the turn of the century in this region.
On a scale of 1-10, I’d give it a 6.
Note: This is my unprofessional, biased, informal review. I make no claims and receive no money or support for my reviews. It’s just an extrapolation from the mind of WR.
La Última Palabra (The Last Word)
““Peering from some high window, at the gold of November sunset and feeling that if day has to become night, this is a beautiful way.”
— E. E. Cummings
Have an idea for a future newsletter? Want to berate me for something I did or said? Go ahead! I want to hear from you: The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly. You can leave a message here or email us at patioworld@patioworldonline.com
Whether at home or out in the wild, take it all in. Remember that life is truly lived better outdoors.
Take care,
WR
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