Building brain cells occupies my mind these days. As the years take their toll, it behooves us to find exercises for our mind, body, and spirit. I love a challenge, but I know my limits to some degree. For instance, learning a new language is far down my list, as I have never had much luck with that. Now, I have discovered Mah Jongg. And it is exactly like learning a new language! But it’s more fun for me because…
I learned on Saturday that I no longer cry when I hear wedding vows between a young woman and a young man. Age has made me wiser, calmer, and more realistic. Weddings are so beautiful and moving; women love them. While most men seem to wish they could avoid going altogether. Marriage is full of ups and downs. Some are so small you barely notice, and others are as strong as earthquakes. I believe in Marriage. Taking Marriage vows is…
He is Risen! Easter is the most important religious holiday for Christians. But I did not go to church on Easter. This made me feel momentarily guilty, but on the other hand, my gratitude to my Higher Power was demonstrated differently. Family! Ours is large and boisterous and full of love for each other. Not everyone is so blessed. It seems to me that gathering those relatives together to celebrate Easter is undoubtedly the right spirit to have. We are…
There is a story about a teacher who took a live fish out of its bowl of water, and then left it on the desk. The teacher told the children they would be expelled if anyone left their seat. Then he left the room. The poor fish gasped and twisted with a classroom of children watching, as it flopped around…All of the children sat and watched as the fish struggled, gasping for life, wanting to be back in the water….
One of my earliest memories is of my mother sitting in the chair next to her bed and holdingthe black receiver of the telephone. I heard her say, “Operator, I need “Long Distance” can you get me a Leesburg Virginia number ….” Leesburg was less than forty miles away. But it was a long distance, andit was the operator who made all long-distance calls. If the call was far away, the operatorwould call you back when she got the connection….
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…
