Positive Energy!

Positive Energy!

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A Satisfying Post, Rather than a Disturbing One. What to write about is often a dilemma. The subjects available expand like fireworks on the 4th of July. Exploding in my consciousness, the subjects entwine and then separate as I try to distill the words into a readable (short) blog post. Lately, I have struggled with two especially thorny subjects: one involves the medical-industrial complex and how dangerous it is to our health. The other searches for answers in the disconnect…

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Debutante

Debutante

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Debutante! The very name evokes images of young women in long white gowns twirling in the arms of young men dressed in white tie and tails or tuxedos and black tie. Or does it? How many young people today even know what “white tie and tails” means? Or twirling women in white dresses? Twerking is the word of the first quarter of the 21st Century. Elegance is a memory. However, in 1960, it was still very real for many well-bred,…

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A Week of Connections

A Week of Connections

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Life is full of ups and downs. I wrote this the week before I broke my hip. It just did not feel right to send it out at the time. Yet it was such a fun piece to write, and there is so much hope in it, I wanted to get it out there. So I am sending it now just as I wrote it. Remember that when you read this, it was written the week before Easter: “This has…

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Memorable Journey: My 1961 Trip to Jerusalem

Memorable Journey: My 1961 Trip to Jerusalem

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In 1961, when I was 19, my parents took me on a trip around the world. One of the places we went was to what is now simply called Israel. But we said we were going to Jerusalem. In those days, the city was divided into three sections. I believe they had the Muslim (It was technically Jordan), Christian, and Jewish sections. I was 19 years old and not paying much attention to the contemporary politics of the place. Instead,…

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Aren’t Weddings Wonderful?

Aren’t Weddings Wonderful?

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Weddings are such hopeful events. I am thrilled when I am invited to one. When it is in my own family, it excites me even more because these days I know how lucky I am to have a family that also believes in marriage. It makes me so proud of them for doing the traditional and time-honored thing. Love and admiration for them all fill me to the brim. I am grateful for my family. Saturday, April 25, was a…

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Sisi

Sisi

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 My Little Dog Sisi Died ​ She was such a free spirit! When let out the door, she would leap for joy. She looked like a young gazelle. It was amazing to watch. And it was joyful! Sisi was a miniature, short-haired, red female dachshund. She was a mature dog when I got her, and she had already had three litters. She was wise and completely at ease with people of all sorts. She never minded strangers touching her and…

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God had a different plan.

God had a different plan.

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Well, the best laid plans of mice and men… I was all set to have a very interesting and fun day. It was April 7th and I was visiting The Plains, Virginia, for my brother in law’s funeral. He was so loved, nearly every friend or relative would be there. It was exciting to begin seeing family members from all over.  I wanted to honor him as well, plus show my sympathy for his siblings and children. But Fate had other plans…

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Transforming Your Life from the Inside Out

Transforming Your Life from the Inside Out

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If you want to change your life, do you know what to do? How do you think about your life? Are you happy and proud with how it is turning out, so far? Are there parts you wish were different? Do you feel like a victim? Or do you feel confident that you are in control of your own life? If you are enjoying being a victim, you probably should move on. When you stop blaming your bad luck, come…

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Reviving Rugged Individualism: The Need for Strong Men Today

Reviving Rugged Individualism: The Need for Strong Men Today

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Standing up for rugged individualism has become a divisive act. Extolling the virtues of masculine white males because they built this country with their rugged individualism has become taboo. We need more men with this character type. The best of the best, “Be all you can be.” was a popular US Army slogan that inspired people to join the Army. These were the sort of men who were once looked up to as the pinnacle of manhood. Now this is…

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Why Last-Minute Trips Can Be Life-Changing

Why Last-Minute Trips Can Be Life-Changing

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My phone rang, and when I answered, it was my oldest grandson on the line. We commiserated about the snow and ice everywhere between his home in Baltimore, Md, and mine in Charlottesville, VA. Then he said, “When the weather is this bad, there is only one thing to do.” I laughed and said jokingly, “Go to Florida?” He answered, “No. Go to Jamaica.” His parents own a cottage at Round Hill, not too far from Montego Bay. He told…

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Burns Night to Celebrate the Poet

Burns Night to Celebrate the Poet

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The best gift is a memory. Recently, I was given a gift that made me happier than any other this year. And the last couple of years have been filled with gifts as my family has grown and thrived. There have been weddings, engagements, great-grandbabies, and puppies, beyond my dreams! But for my birthday this new year 2026, my children gave me an experience I will not forget. They all agreed to attend a black-tie, kilted gala for Bobby Burns…

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Was it serious?? What do you think?

Was it serious?? What do you think?

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Life keeps throwing new obstacles in my way! This past week has been an eye-opener in many ways. I learned I am comfortable confronting my mortality. Are you ready to face death if it comes? On Monday evening, I felt weird at the end of the day, and really, really tired. My son was watching football in my library, by a roaring fire. His dogs and my dogs were all draped over the couch. I sat down with them, too…

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Grateful, Changed, and Still Thriving.

Grateful, Changed, and Still Thriving.

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Looking Back on 2025 Grateful, Changed, and Still Thriving As the clock winds down on December 31, 2025, I’m sitting here in the quiet glow of a fire in my fireplace, decorations, Christmas lights, and a few still unsent Christmas cards, feeling a profound sense of peace. The house still holds the scent of pine, cinnamon, and the last remnants of holiday cooking. This year tested me deeply. A broken shoulder that slowed me but didn’t stop me, the shocking…

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Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving!

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It is over for another year! Thanksgiving, my favorite holiday of the entire year, has come and gone. This year was unusual because my broken shoulder is still healing, and my stamina is somewhat impaired as my body uses up energy healing itself. Nevertheless, I pulled it off. My family really pitched in, cooking and helping me in many ways. I also took advantage of professional kitchen help during the party. There were 22 relatives, including an infant great-grandson. I…

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Something Has Changed

Something Has Changed

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Clearly, something has changed, and I have decided to live! To thrive instead of just fading away as an old lady. Which is tempting at my age, with the world seeming to be in such turmoil and so many people still asleep. One solution is just to opt out. I discovered lately that I am not done yet. I cannot pinpoint when I changed my mind, but it may have happened last spring when I discovered I have alpha-gal, the…

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