When my mother reached the age of 80, we thought little of it. Of course, she was older, but so what? She did not look it, and she was happy. She was in love with a childhood sweetheart whom she married at 81. Mother never mentioned much about aging to me. She was interested in her clothes, the jewels that matched them, her dogs, her friends, and her family.She was a happy person who rarely ever complained about her own…
The rest of the story about my foot. People really do not like to see other people deviate from the norm. I found this out recently when I hurt my foot. It may or may not have some broken bones. The injury is on the inside of the left side of my left foot. My foot is completely black and blue on the bottom left side. I have decided not to get an X-ray. My foot is much better today….
Health is everything. Normally, I am completely healthy. That changed on Sunday night when I had a fall. I was climbing up two steps in the garden at a friend’s dinner party. We had been having drinks and chatting about the affairs of the world, which are staggering these days. When it was time to go to the lovely outdoor table, I rose from my chair and walked with the other guests to the two steps leading up to the…
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…
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….
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…
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…
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…
Wyoming is addictive. Where we were, a 360-degree view of infinite space, breathtaking and nearly indescribable, filled my heart with joy. When driving from Denver (6 hours!),the dramatic rock formations come one after another. As we got closer to our destination, the land became more and more spectacular. Unfortunately, this was not visible at the time. For one thing, it was nighttime. Visibility was near zero due to a storm of fierce wind, heavy rain, and jagged lightning followed by…
Are you a boy or a girl? There are only two sexes. That is the Science. Same with pronouns…! Pronouns are a gateway drug says Megyn Kelly who once felt comfortable using the gender preferred ones that people requested. She has since awakened to the harm of all this “preferred pronouns” and transgender hype and hysteria. She has a daughter and so she understands the harm that is being done to all young girls during this very strange time in…
Many years ago, as a young married woman with three children, I found myself visiting many different doctors. Of course, there were the pediatric visits necessary (I thought) when you have very young children. One of my children had terrible earaches, and so we had many visits to the doctor for him. Sadly I gave that child antibiotics over and over during his youth. I did not know better, and apparently, neither did their doctor. However, it is my own…
Peanut Butter the pony I was ten years old, and he was the love of my life: Peanut Butter, a palomino pony who was exactly 14.2 hands, technically a pony rather than a horse. This meant I could ride in large pony classes in horse shows rather than the regular adult classes. This was supposed to give me a better chance to win, but Peanuts was no show horse! My father knew I wanted to have my pony located in…
The idea of getting married is now considered controversial.How did that happen? Two-time Super Bowl champion kicker Harrison Butker of the Kansas City Chiefs delivered a speech to graduates at Georgia Tech on May 6, 2023. He gave this advice: “Get married and start a family”. He said this in reference to finding a way to better people’s lives in this country. Some people cheered when he said it. Some did not. And it has gone viral as a “controversial…
