List 23

Love: Maple Syrup. Sure, it's fine on pancakes and waffles, but I love it more in other things. It's the secret ingredient in my favorite salad dressing. (I eyeball it so I can't pass on a precise recipe, but in order of volume it's olive oil, maple syrup, white wine vinegar,dijon mustard and salt). And these maple pumpkin pots de creme are a spectacular Fall dessert (if only Fall would ever fully arrive here in the Bay Area).

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Maple-Pumpkin-Pots-de-Creme-107388

Like: Song-writer Jimmy Webb was on Fresh Air recently and I was reminded again how much I liked a couple of his classics, especially "Wichita Lineman." The Glen Campbell original is the standard, although it's been done by everyone else from Ray Charles to R.E.M. Here's the original music video for it - back in 1969 it was apparently referred to as a promotional film.

Discovery: The Wells sofa from Room & Board. The camel leather version has a mid-century meets the 70s vibe. And this one in dark grey will be gracing our living room in the not-too-distant future if I have anything to do with it.

Obsession: Boxwood hedges. I love the formal garden style (see Filoli in List 22, or this shot of an English home below), and we're about to re-landscape our front yard, with liberal use of boxwood.

Complaint: Restoration Hardware. What's up with the ginormous furniture? It might work in a Plano McMansion, but I don't know anyone who could fit more than one of their pieces in a room.