1. Fagor Premium Electric Pressure and Rice Cooker—Cooks risotto in 6 minutes, baby back ribs in 35 minutes, black bean soup in 45 minutes, and pho in 2 hours, and yep, cheesecake in less than 30 minutes! Need I say more? I hear it washes windows, too. 

2. Spring Mountain Winegrowing District in Napa—This terroir grows what I most desire from a Napa Cabernet Sauvignon. The unmistakable intense flavor and delicate, balanced tannins are the signature of Spring Mountain wines. Pride Mountain and Spring Mountain are two of my personal favorite vineyards there. Both have excellent tours. Can you say full-bodied?

3. Focal Audio Speakers—High fidelity speakers handmade in France. They are the world leader in high-end speaker drivers and loudspeakers. Gina purchased these for me and they are hands down the best home speakers I’ve ever had. Performance and pleasure are their hallmarks. Sensual, huh? Focal delivers on both.

4. Rye Whiskey—Most people know me as a wine lover—and that remains true. But for some reason Rye Whiskey called my name in 2016. Maybe its because I’m a Tennessee boy. Perhaps because it’s the bad boy of grains. It’s big, bold, and spicy when made well, delivering a slight and fascinating burn, something you’ll turn to again and again—sounds a bit like sex. I drink rye for that kind of excitement: a “ping” on my tongue followed by zest and flame that cuts through a mixed drink like a shooting star.

5. Rain Harvesting Systems—Eco-friendly, fairly easy to set up, and the purest water on earth. Just three inches of rain yields a whopping 500 gallons of sparkling and refreshing water. I believe more people should be using this amazing resource. A side benefit is that it gets you off the grid just in case Trump goes even more psycho than he already is.

6. Induction Ovens—Imagine my disappointment and dismay when our new Samsung Chef Collection Oven that we purchased when moving into our new home went on the blink after only six months. Then envision the surprise and apprehension when Samsung and Best Buy told us they were replacing the oven with a newer induction model that retails for $1,500 more than ours—but at no cost to us. I had previously heard the word induction but knew nothing about the technology. I was a bit skeptical.

After a bit of research (thanks Google) I learned Induction cooking heats a cooking vessel by magnetic induction, instead of by thermal conduction from a flame, or an electrical heating element. Because inductive heating directly heats the cooking vessel, very rapid increases in temperature can be achieved. It is quite efficient, which means it puts less waste heat into the kitchen, can be quickly turned off, and has safety and cleaning advantages compared to conventional cooktops, because the eye itself does not get very hot. Oh wow! Let’s just say once you go induction, you’ll never go back. Ever.

7. Brilliant Female Authors—Two in particular. Krista Tippett and Sarah Blakewell. Tippett challenged me like few authors of my life in her book Becoming Wise. A lofty title to live up to, but she exceeds all expectations. This is a book I plan to re-read every year. I want to soak it into the wallpaper of my life. Blakewell is presently rocking my world (and Best Of lists everywhere) with At The Existentialist Cafe: Freedom, Being, and Apricot Cocktails. And be still my heart, Blakewell also has an award-winning tome about my one of my favorite influences—Michel Montaigne. I believe Jean-Paul Sarte’s muse, lover, and collaborator Simone Beauvoir would be so proud of these two ladies.

8. Forbidden Pleasures—Books, magazines, movies, artists, and outdoor showers, to name just a few. Sing with me, “These are a few of my favorite guiltiest things.” My religious and moralistic upbringing forbade almost everything. My life was like an eternal Bonfire of the Vanities with Savonarola hovering everywhere. So I didn’t have to look very far to find forbidden fruit. Lest you think bad of me, (oh, God, will I ever escape the guilt and shame programmed into me?) I shall only name a few of the more tame ones. Authors: D.H. Lawrence, Dominique Aury, and Henry Miller; Directors: Bernardo Bertolucci, Stanley Kubrick, and Peter Greenaway; Movies: A Clockwork Orange, The Last Temptation of Christ, and Monty Python’s Life of Brian. Television: American Horror Story, Game of Thrones, and Politically Incorrect. Artists: Alberto Vargas, Helmut Newton, and Lucien Clergue. 

Oh, and while I’m confessing, now that Gina and I are alone in our wilderness retreat, we watch TV while we eat, walk around the house naked, and swear like sailors. Because we can. Never fear, when guests come to visit, we put on our clothes, clean up our language, and turn off the TV during dinner. Visitors probably suspect we swear like pirates and slouch around in our birthday suits when no one is here. But we rein it in when guests are here. We act like respectable people again. It’s good for us to practice moralism and manners during their visits. Just for old times’ sake. Just for the hell of it.

9. Highlights on Kindle—One of the greatest features on earth. I am a voracious reader and obsessive highlighter. And the gods be praised, this year I discovered how to print and save my highlights. Simply, go to https://kindle.amazon.com, then click on Your Highlights (you may be asked to sign into your Amazon account at some point): And you will see all your highlights or notes for each of your books: You can then select and copy whatever you want from there (or do a screenshot, or use the snipping tool). Now if Amazon would only quit limiting the number of highlights per book. C’mon, Bezos. It’s digital and you have more hard drive space than God. Quit limiting my highlights!!

10. Our Home Rivendell—One only needs to spend six months in the wilderness in an ancient run-down rat-infested thirty foot RV and another five months in a tiny 200 square foot cedar cabin with no running water or bathroom facilities, to fully appreciate a real home. Every morning this year as I got up and availed myself of a real toilet and washed my face in our en suite that has warm running water and protection from the elements, I realize the extraordinary blessing of a home.

After living in twelve different places—and homeless for several months— during the chaos of the past five years, I’m finally, truly home. Despite its semi-isolation, our home Rivendell has already lived up to its name—we’ve had guests from around the world. For outsiders it has proven to be a “refuge for the weary and the oppressed, and has been visited by peoples of all races seeking sanctuary, healing, and encouragement.” Sing with me once again, “We’ve all had years of cramped-up city life, trapped like a duck in a pen, All I know is I’ve found life that can be simple again, Rocky Top, you’ll always be, Home sweet home to me, Good ol’ Rocky Top, Rocky Top, Tennessee, Rocky Top, Tennessee, Rocky Top, Tennessee.”