In the late 1940s, when our family was still pretty young, my parents rented a house inDelray Beach, Florida. Every winter for three years, we would go down there for six weeksand stay in a magical house owned by the “mysterious” Dr. Koch (more about him later).The house was directly on the water, a few miles from town. There were no neighbors oneither side.The house was built in the style of the famous Addison Mizner, who designed houses in theSpanish…
Cancer! The word is terrifying. Cancer is on the rise. And the medical establishment plays on our fears. A friend of mine asked her doctor about using an “alternative” treatment. Her doctor told her that he would no longer be her doctor if she opted to use the alternative treatment. That is blackmail. She was forced to choose. She is dead now. But she chose the doctor and his protocol. My friend fought pancreatic cancer for two years before she…
My mother, Ruth Elizabeth Hale, liked men. She had a great desire for admiration. She feltit was necessary as a young person to have a boyfriend to enjoy life. And she was a magnetfor members of the opposite sex. Men adored her. Mother’s first real love affair was with a man named Edward Wheeler. His father was asenator, and a friend of my mother’s father, my grandfather. Mother’s father liked thefamily. When they began their relationship, my mother was 17,…
Character is built by making small decisions every day. There is no BIG decision that does it. Changing anything about oneself is difficult. Benjamin Franklin did it and he is much admired. Of course he was a genius which probably helped. Still it is often desirable to make changes. Stopping a bad habit like smoking or drinking could be the change you need. Or it might be organizational skills or time management that you are after. The point is that…
We were so powerful before they told us we were victims. In past centuries, women always knew that they were the powerful ones in the equation. They passed this knowledge down to their daughters. The men were stronger and faster and more bold. However, between women and men, women had the power, and the men knew it. Without us, there would be no human race. We had the babies. There was a saying; “The hand that rocks the cradle rules…
The other day, while looking for a sweet movie to watch with my youngest grandson, a suggestion popped up that interested me: “That Touch of Mink.” I knew it was not something my grandson would enjoy. But, I am a Cary Grant fan, and my curiosity was aroused. My memory of that movie was pleasant but vague. Then, I noticed a warning in the description of the movie. It said, “This film reflects the standards, language, and attitudes of its…
What a year it has been! I am so happy living here in Charlottesville, VA. My children say it is my “reward.” It is, in some ways, the best time of my life. Isn’t it strange how that works out? I will be 82 in January, and that number shocks me. I once thought that was old. And, of course, it is ancient to my grandchildren. Even my own children worry about me in a way they never appeared to…
Christmas decorating is fun. But it is also frustrating; lights work, and then they don’t. Find the ones you like and then realize you need another length of that type. In order to find them, you may have to go to Walmart, Target, and Lowes; You can also order online. I have done all of those. I could write a whole post about the sort of help I got in those stores. Some salespeople were above and beyond and so…
Christmas shopping gets me out to the stores. Typically, except for the food markets, some Amish markets, or “Southern States,” I just do not shop. I have enough clothes to last me the rest of my life. But at Christmas, I think of my daughters and daughters-in-law, my nine granddaughters, and a granddaughter-in-law. It is fun, but I am lost out there. Thank goodness! My family is pretty conservatively dressed, much of the time. Clothes do not look the same…
I really do NOT like to travel. It used to be fun, but that is no longer true for me. The elegance, the service, and the striking differences between countries all seem to have fallen out of favor. Being treated with care and respect as a valued guest only happens in very special places. At other times, we are treated like cattle. Pushed into holding cells, ticketed, frisked, and examined by Xray, our irises checked against impersonation; the whole experience…
Well, it is over now. But it was a massive success. There were 25 of us celebrating in my lovely house near Charlottesville, VA. I thought there were only 22 people to seat. However, when writing the place cards, I discovered that I had miscounted. There were 24 relatives who accepted. Ok. I put two extra places at each end of the larger dinner table. When the day arrived, the first guest at the door was Elias, my oldest grandchild….
The Story of How We Began to Drive Horses, Spend a Lot of Money, and Make Great Memories. Charley and I got the idea of learning to drive for pleasure after our children stayed with their grandparents in Newport, RI. It happened that “A Weekend of Coaching” was brought back to the resort in the summer of 1968. The children stayed with my parents, who owned a Newport Cottage on Bellevue Avenue. How perfect. When we saw the photos, we…
My parents lied to my sister, brother, and me. Their very own children, they lied to us about so many things. Do you lie to your children? It is such fun. I am guilty, too. Of course, it is so heartwarming to make Christmas a magical time for your kids. I did it. My husband read The Night Before Christmas to the children before we hung the stockings. We left cookies and milk for Santa when we hung the stockings….
So much has happened in the last few days…Why do “they” want to push us toward war? Our government is shoving us all into the jaws of war. Is it so they can keep their power? Now that we have started making political arrests, “the powers that be” need to stay in power forever. They know that if they are unseated, they themselves may be indicted. The rules of the game are changing. It is inconceivable to me, and yet,…
Most women did not work when I was growing up. Today, this seems too strange to be true, especially to young women. Having to work was not a good thing, not a desirable state. Only about 30% of women worked outside of the home in 1950. Women were happier at home. They took time to make their homes a haven, to garden, to arrange flowers, and to cook good meals. ( They were always healthy because the markets were not…
