Die! Leaving No Trace

Last week, while at lunch with two friends, the subject of mothers came up. It seems none of our mothers left much behind (in the way of writing) for us to remember them by. No cute little anecdotes or places visited or stories–well unless you want to include a telephone book.

Carolyn’s mother actually left behind a long, slim book containing her friends’ phone numbers. What makes the book unique, in addition to its shape, is the short scribblings she wrote next to each person’s name. Sometimes personality traits, sometimes a particular food that person loved–things like that. So when Carolyn is thinking about her mother and she’d like to feel close to her, she reaches for that book in the drawer of her night table and she reads the pages for the hundredth time. That’s all there is.

My own mother didn’t do much better. The only thing I have are a few recipes that my mom wrote out that I luckily stuck into a three-ring binder along with other recipes. Just seeing her handwriting is soothing to me. It makes her real, but those recipes are all I’ve got.

I ask, no sometimes I actually beg, people to write stuff in a notebook. The answer I almost always receive in reply is, “I’m not a writer.” Geez! Give me a break! Can you talk? Then you can write, for pity’s sake.

Do you really want to die and leave no trace?

Croquet–The Wicked Version

For two glorious summers in the early 70s, every time I had a barbeque for friends, we got into the habit of setting up nine wickets and two stakes in my backyard and we played a wicked game of croquet. I say wicked, because that’s the only word I can think of to describe the mayhem. The USCA (United States Croquet Assoc.) would’ve never approved.

The truth is, I had the perfect yard to set up a croquet course. It was long, about 100 feet and about 50 feet wide–perfect for croquet, except for one small detail. Running completely across the width of the yard, was a rolling hill. I’m not too good with measurements, but I’d say it was a foot and a half high.

Trying to get a ball successfully up or down that hill while at the same time trying to aim your ball through a wicket was, as I mentioned, wicked. That first Saturday, when husbands and boyfriends, who were inside playing cards, heard the raucous commotion coming from the backyard and realized at once that the ladies weren’t playing an ordinary game of croquet, they issued the challenge–guys against gals. Once that happened, as you can imagine, the game became even crazier.

Oh, to relive those sunny afternoons when icy beers flowed, and the burgers and hot dogs tasted so, so good.

Thomas Jefferson Said

Evidently, Tom knew what he was talking about!

“If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issue of their currency, first by inflation, then by deflation, the banks and corporations that will grow up around them will deprive the people of all property until their children wake up homeless on the continent their Fathers conquered… I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies… The issuing power should be taken from the banks and restored to the people, to whom it properly belongs.” – Thomas Jefferson

Royal Wedding

She would be so proud.

I wished throughout the entire regal wedding ceremony that Diana could have been there. It was hard not to think about her while watching her two handsome sons do her proud.

Kate was beautiful as she made her entrance and walked down the aisle. One can only hope that she and Prince William will enjoy many happy years together.

Diana, you did a fabulous job making your sons approachable, yet dignified and dedicated individuals. Your legacy lives on.

10 Men I Like — A Lot

I haven’t listed any American presidents, politicians or religious leaders. That’s an entirely different list. My list is random. Although the names are numbered, no ranking is intended.

1. Prince William – He has done his mother proud.
2. Anwar Sadat – His death was a tragic loss to his country.
3. Joseph, Chief of the Nez Perce tribe – His ill-fated retreat of more than 1,000 miles from federal troops is legendary.
4. Martin Luther King – He had a dream. We’re still working at it.
5. George Carlin – He’s probably my all-time favorite comedian.
6. Paul Newman – A good man.
7. Danny Thomas – He was much more than met the eye. Visit the St. Jude Children’s Hospital in Memphis to see what I mean.
8. John J. Audubon – I’m a birder, so Audubon makes my list. He spent 50 years painting and describing the birds of America.
9. Norman Rockwell – He shared the spirit of America through his paintings. I grew up enjoying his artistry on the covers of The Saturday Evening Post.
10. Thomas Edison – Every time there is a power outage, I wonder what people did before the light bulb.

These are the first ten names that popped into my mind. I probably missed a few of your favorites.

When Did Living in the USA Get So Scary?

I remember when the news was delivered on TV in an unbiased manner. You were free to interpret it whatever way you liked. What a surprise–we were intelligent enough to do that for ourselves.

Enter cable TV and Internet.

Now we have “pundits.” People who give opinions in an authoritative manner through mass media. (That definition is straight from the dictionary) These pundits pose as learned individuals. But it seems to me what they really do is stir up a lot of hate. It’s all about the ratings, folks.

And when did we turn the corner of humanity and find that public humiliation was a fun form of television entertainment?

When did bullying become deadly?

I mean, for Pete’s sake, this awful girl named Vera used to sit in the desk behind mine and pull my ponytail.  She was a bully. So was Jesse. She always grabbed my scooter and wouldn’t give it back unless I begged. (which, for the record, I wouldn’t) What a bully she was!

Here’s a little something to ponder on cyber-bullying. And to think I was worried about Vera and Jessie.

When did we become reticent, if not scared, to engage in political talk with someone who held an opposing point of view?

Of course, there was no Internet or Reality TV or Pundits back then.

But right now, in this time and space, living in a country that is so filled with hatred is becoming burdensome and frightening.

Do You Poop Or Do You Poo?

When did the word poop change to poo?

When I was a small child and I had to poop, I told my mother I had to do a #2. That was really a poop, except my mother didn’t want me shouting poop in the middle of a store, so her code word for poop was #2.

Now I’ve been hearing the new-improved, shortened version of poop being used, which apparently is poo.

I don’t know about you, but I have poo-pooed an idea or a piece of advice from time to time, but I’ve never pooed on a toilet, as far as I know.

Bowling – The Pin Boy

photo from

Well, it’s official. I’m really, really old! Yesterday I had to explain what a pin boy was. This “back in the day” knowledge of mine rushes in and sometimes startles me. I can’t believe how much the world has changed since I entered it.

Anyway, for those who lack my firsthand knowledge–The pin boy’s job was to set the bowling pins up after they’d been knocked down. Each boy covered four or five lanes and on a busy night, you sometimes had to wait for him to reset your lane. He was also in charge of clearing downed pins if they tipped over and stayed in the playing field.

There were no electric contraptions coming down to pick up and swish the pins backward. Everything was done by muscle. Oh, and the pin boy had to place the bowling ball in the chute to return it to the player, too.

It may not sound like it, but being a pin boy was a pretty good job. Several kids I knew held the job and loved it, except for the times they got hit in the ankle by a flying pin or bowling ball. But they had elevated steps to stand on located between the lanes, so an experienced pin boy hardly ever got hit unless he was caught off-guard moving from one lane to another. Then the players would hear him scream, “ouch.”

Jeez. Now that I think about it,  I can remember when the guts of a computer took up an entire room…but that’s another “back in the day” story.

Dr. Who – New Who – Who Knew?

Photo from telegraph.co.uk

Just thought I’d take a trip down memory lane. I’ve been watching “The Doctor” take off on new adventures in the Tardis since the 70’s. Back then Tom Baker was the Time Lord. His scarf was a bit off the wall, but it matched his personality.

For the last couple of years I enjoyed David Tennant, a totally different type of Doctor, but still endearing. Now he’s gone. He has regenerated into a new Dr. Who.

telegraph.co.uk

Meet the new Dr. Who – Matt Smith. Who knew a TV series could go on this long! Believe it or not, Matt’s the 11th Doctor. He brings something new to the role, but he’s still Dr. Who, the smartest Time Traveler in the Universe.

“New Tricks”- Is Anyone Watching?

New Tricks — Am I the only one who has discovered this BBC weekly series?

Photo from TV Page.com

Look for it on Monday nights. In my area, PBS airs back to back one-hour episodes starting at 8:00 p.m. (no commercials – hooray!)

TV.com writes a short summary.

New Tricks centres around Sandra Pullman who out of desperation to put her flagging police career back on track recruits three old veterans to lend a helping hand.

The show proves, conclusively, that you can’t teach old dogs new tricks!

6 Easy Diet Snacks

I’ve already demonstrated how to cook perfect hard-boiled eggs in my previous post, and they are the first items on my snack list, as well as on Heidi Klum’s.

1. 2 Hard-boiled Eggs (only 150 calories)
2. Eat your favorite cereal straight from the box. No milk? More cereal!
3. Look for The Laughing Cow light cheese spread triangles in the dairy case. 1 triangle = 35 calories. (I can vouch for the Swiss flavor–it doesn’t taste like artificial muck!) 1 triangle easily covers 6 or 7 saltine crackers.
4. Rice Cake smeared with 1/2 tablespoon peanut butter and 1/2  sliced banana
5. Low-fat Cottage Cheese with plenty of fresh blueberries mixed in
6. Listen up! There are 15 calories in a tablespoon of ReddiWip. Think about that. You can add some really good zippitydoodah to that blah jello. Live a little. Spritz on two whole tablespoons. I’m not talking about that fat free stuff, either. This is the real deal. Jello with fruit with a large dollop of whipped cream. Heaven help us!

Click for more helpful hints

10 More Great Places to Visit in the U.S.A.

This is my second Top Ten List–the Recap. Have fun planning your vacation.

1. Washington, DC
2. Cape May, New Jersey
3. Outer Banks, North Carolina
4. Key West, Florida
5. Macon, Georgia
6. Cape Cod, Massachusetts
7. Natural Bridge, Virginia
8. Salem, Massachusetts
9. Atlanta, Georgia
10. The State of Maine, including Acadia National Park

I have written at length about all of the above places in my previous posts. Enjoy!

If you’d like to see my first Top Ten List, go to 10 Great U.S. Cities to Visit

Maine

I’ve never been to Maine, but I’d like to go someday. Here are some of the places I’ll be looking for:

Natural Bridge, Virginia

A friend of mine had a temporary position in Virginia, a few years ago. She wanted some visitors because she was lonely. So, I told her to find some places in and around where she was staying and we’d go exploring. That idea culminated in a visit to Natural Bridge. We stayed two nights at the Natural Bridge Hotel. What I remember most about the hotel was their restaurant. The food was good and so was the music. Don’t go expecting a high-end resort, though. The hotel is historic, but quite charming.

Want to read more about the area?

Atlanta, Georgia

It’s been a number of years since I’ve been to Atlanta, but I remember my visit fondly. Probably one of the most innovative places in Atlanta is their underground shopping, where you’ll find unique shops and restaurants.

Also downtown, tour the World of Coca Cola.

Read more.

Cape Cod, Massachusetts

Photo from

Years ago, I went on a bus trip to Cape Cod. Spent a lot of time on the beach and seeing the sights. The journey ended at the extreme tip of the Cape at Provincetown.

Go here to read about the fun and the food.

10 Ideas (and more) When There’s No Money For Vacation

Over the past few months, I’ve pointed out a number of places to vacation. All in the U.S. All good for the pocketbook. All good to help boost the economy. But suppose you don’t even have enough money to hop on a plane, or a train, or to gas up the car? What then?

It could be time to get creative:

Macon, Georgia

photo from

[My computer has been sick, but it’s all better now.]

So, what’s doing in Macon, GA? That’s what I was thinking 5 years ago when a friend asked me if I’d like to go to Macon for the Cherry Blossom Festival. It turns out that Macon has more, many more, cherry blossom trees than Washington, DC.

And there’s more!

Key West, Florida

If you make it to the southernmost point in the U.S., you’re in Key West.

Okay, there’s beaches. I didn’t realize I gravitate to beaches, but it appears I do, since many of my favorite places are near water. But there’s more to Key West.

Read more and pack your bags

The Outer Banks, North Carolina

Image from

Right off the coast of North Carolina, you will find The Outer Banks. There is so much doing there, I hardly know where to start. Of course, the obvious–the beaches are superb.

But there’s much, much more.

Cape May, NJ

Photo from

If you live anywhere on the east coast and you’re thinkin’ where can I go where the entire family will have a wow of a time without spending a boatload of money, look to the Jersey shore. For everything your heart could possibly desire, zero in on Cape May, New Jersey.

Here’s the lowdown.

Washington, DC

Photo from The DC Traveler

As I mentioned a few weeks ago, with the economy in the doldrums, you should consider a staycation–one where you stay in the U.S. and spend your vacation dollars at home. A perfect city to visit is Washington, DC.  Most of the tourist spots are free. It doesn’t get better than free. And it’s wonderful on the Fourth of July.

There’s plenty more to read

Happiness Or Unhappiness?

One evening a Cherokee elder told his grandson about the battle that goes on inside people’s heads.  He said, “My son, the battle is between the two ‘wolves’ that live inside us all.  One is Unhappiness. It is fear, worry, anger, jealousy, sorrow, self-pity, resentment and inferiority.  The other is Happiness. It is joy, love, hope, serenity, kindness, generosity, truth and compassion.”

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, “Which wolf wins?”

The old Cherokee simply replied, “The one you feed.”

Someone sent this story to me months ago. I liked it so much, I thought I would share.

My Job Was Eliminated

I have been eliminated–not laid off with the hope of being rehired. No, I am an eliminated entity. That’s like erasing all the writing from a chalkboard with one sweep of an eraser. One minute there’s something there; the next minute it’s gone.

The thing is, one doesn’t know what to do with oneself when the alarm doesn’t go off. I remember all those mornings when that annoying alarm sounded and all I wanted to do was catch another 20 minutes of sleep. Now, for some reason, I don’t crave the sleep. I get up like always, but I have no place to go.

After several days of thinking and analyzing and speaking to my family, I have decided to move in with my daughter. We will be three generations in one house. That has spawned much discussion among my friends and acquaintances.

Many families, not just mine, are merging together out of necessity. I didn’t realize that while I was still employed, but it appears families are circling the wagons. They have run out of other choices.

In some instances, it is a good thing. My ophthalmologist has opened his doors once again to his son, and his nephew, too, is having a hard time finding another job. He is expecting to find him on his doorstep any day now, as well. However, he welcomes the opportunity to help both boys through this crisis and believes he will come to know each of them a little better because as he puts it, ” I only know the boys as they once were, not as the adults they have become.”

I think my decision to join my family will also be a good one, but I know there are many family situations that are not conducive to combining generations in one home.

I just had a discussion with a friend five minutes ago, while I was writing this post as a matter of fact, who is not looking forward to what the near future has in store for her. Her mother-in law and brother-in-law are preparing to move into her home. She is forced to give up space that she worked hard to create for herself and her husband over the years. That may not sound like much, but it’s huge. Furniture put into storage to make room for other furniture being moved in. Drapes to be hung in a sun room that will now be used as a bedroom, no longer a place of refuge. She views this turn of events as an end of her peace and comfort, something she craves when she comes home from work. The fact that she is forced to give all of this over to people she doesn’t particularly care for, but who she is obligated to help in their time of need, makes it all the more an enormous struggle. Yet, she will do it because she loves her husband.

I think depression will be the likely result for those who are forced to join together and make unwanted and unforeseen changes in their lives. What a pity. What to do? What to do?

Tea Tree Oil – Who Knew?

I was cleaning out the medicine cabinet last week (something everyone should do every six months, at least). Anyway, I found a bottle of Tea Tree Oil. I had no idea what the oil is used for and it took me a few minutes to recall why I bought it in the first place.

Read more from me and Tree Hugger

Recipe for Buttermilk Pie

Here’s a story about Buttermilk Pie.

A few years ago, my friend went to Texas for a week. She ate lunch in the same diner every afternoon for a week, and each time, she topped her meal off with their buttermilk pie. She had never tasted it before. By the end of the week, she managed to wangle the recipe from the cook.

When she returned to work, she laid the recipe on my desk and said, “Make it. You won’t be sorry.” I said, “Why don’t you make it?”

CLICK HERE FOR THE REST OF THE STORY

10 Great U.S. Cities to Visit

For the past few months, in an effort to encourage travel within the United States, I’ve been writing about cities I have enjoyed while on vacation.

This year in particular, it’s a good idea to spend your vacation dollars right here in the good old U.S.A.

Have fun, while stimulating our economy.

Click here for the list of links.

Savannah, Georgia

Oglethorpe Square

If you’re looking for southern hospitality, try Savannah, Georgia. On the menu–candy for the eyes. It is chock full of quaint B&Bs, but the main attraction is its charming 22 park squares that are situated throughout the historic district of the city. There’s lots more

San Francisco, California

Golden Gate Bridge

When I travel I like to visit places I have read about in a book or magazine. I become the ultimate tourist. My intent is to take the words off the page and experience them in real life. San Francisco is a prime destination where you can do just that.

For one thing, a lot of stuff you’ve read about is within walking distance of each other. You can visit the sea lions AND MORE

New York, New York

The Big Apple

When you read that title, New York, New York, tell the truth, didn’t you automatically hear the lyrics in your head? I can almost picture a line of dancers kicking up their heels in unison at the Radio City Music Hall.

New York City is the next city on my countdown for vacationing on a budget and where to do it in the U.S.

READ MORE

Philadelphia, PA

Sculling on the Schuykill

If you’re vacationing in the U.S., Philadelphia is a good choice. It’s got a little bit of everything: history, art, sports, Broadway-caliber theaters, nightlife and great food.

READ ALL ABOUT IT

Good For The Waistline-Good For The Pocketbook, Too

It’s time to cut out some of the fast food drop-ins on your way home from work. Notice I say some, because there are days when you’re just too tired to cook, or you don’t have time to cook, or you’ve got to have a greasy cheeseburger, no matter what!

On those days when there’s no getting around it, be prepared. It doesn’t have to be a fast food burger. I buy a pound of ground beef, but instead of freezing it, I shape it into four burgers (very simple–nothing whatsoever added to it). Those individually wrapped burgers are always in my freezer. I freeze burger buns, too. Instant meal!

And if you want to make it healthier, smother every burger with tomato, lettuce, pickle, onion and a little cheese. The more lettuce, the better. It adds crunch.

Another thing you might want to consider is, once the kitchen is cleaned after dinner, put up the “Closed” sign. I don’t mean literally, but I remember my mother wiped and dried her kitchen sink. She shined the faucet and folded the towel and, believe me, you didn’t mess up her sink after that. It was her way of closing the kitchen for the night. It was a good policy. No one in our family had a weight problem back then.

And, incidentally, if you want to read a book about losing weight the fun way, try reading a book written by Janice Taylor titled All Is Forgiven, Move On. I mention her book because one of her suggestions is to close your kitchen at 9:20 p.m. every night.  My mom was doing that back in the 50’s.

Janice also has some nifty charts, some great recipes and motivation ideas for getting healthy and staying that way.

You might also want to visit Janice’s site http://ourladyofweightloss.com/ It’s an interesting read.

You’re the Boss of “You”

Ya-da, ya-da, ya-da, yeah, yeah, yeah. It’s a new year and everyone is going on a diet. Forget it!

If you’re interested in getting healthy, don’t stop eating–stop working. Now that I look back on that sentence, I guess if you stop working, you’ll automatically stop eating–no money. But I wasn’t talking about quitting your job.

In order to get healthy and stay healthy, it’s time to stop laying in bed worrying about what you need to do tomorrow. It’s time to slooooow doooown. Give your mind a rest.

Have you ever read the Desiderata? You should. That says it all and the funny thing is–it was written by Max Ehrmann in 1927. The advice is still pertinent today. Just reading it brings a sense of peace and warmth to your mind and body.

But getting back to the work thing–you need to know when to work and when to stop.

Take next weekend off. You’re the boss of “you.” Declare a two-day holiday. Grab a friend, or a member of your family, and make time for some personal enjoyment activities.

• Dine out
• Go see a movie
• Have a DVD marathon (I recently enjoyed an entire Saturday watching NCIS episodes with my granddaughter)
• Go to the park, take some deep breaths. Inhale positive energy; exhale all of the negative energies, and then go enjoy an ice cream sundae. (Gosh, the total opposite of what the rest of the world is doing–Heaven forbid!)
• If you are spending your downtime alone, relax and read a book (the entire book, from cover to cover, without feeling guilty because you should be running the vacuum)
• Take a bubble bath
• If you’re crafty, spread all your supplies out on the table and create

Right about now, you should be starting to feel the stress fall away from your body as you think about your “work-less weekend.”

Oh, and if you still feel it’s necessary to start a diet. That’s okay, too. But remember, it’s not enough to whip your body into shape, your brain needs attention, too. Give it a breather.

Santa’s Secret Village

This is a repeat from last year’s popular post.

With Christmas right around the corner, you’ll want to go to this site and share some quality time with your child or grandchild. It’s an amazing place to play. These are just some of the things you will find at Santa’s Secret Village.

1. The kids can write a letter to Santa and he’ll write back.
2. Create a personalized Christmas story.
3. See Disco Dancing Santa.
4. Read a book.
5. Do some coloring.
6. Connect-the dots
7. There are loads of recipes that you can prepare with the kids.
8. Rhyme words.
9. Watch movies and videos.
10. Build a snowman.

The list goes on and on. There are activities galore.

For home schooling, there’s even an Elf Pal Academy with lesson plans that combine learning with fun.

If you can dream it up, they probably already have it at this site.

Go here http://www.northpole.com/Village.html. You’re going to be glad you did.

Hospital

Frances Ellen is in the hospital.  Visit the site next week for an update.

Ghosts, Candy & Hitting Up The Drunks

Back in the day, Halloween was sheer delight. No one worried about razors in apples, or the safety of the streets. Parents stayed at home and gave out candy. Kids went door to door showing off their costumes. (most homemade using a bit of ingenuity.)

READ ABOUT THE GHOSTS, CANDY & DRUNKS

What Does Chewing Gum & A Mental Disorder Have In Common

I guess I’m stuck in some frivolous time warp because this week I’m going to discuss chewing gum. Did you know that if you want to chew gum nowadays, most of the gum on the market contains aspartame? This applies to all chewing gums, not only sugar-free gum.

READ ON

“Dumbfounded” by Matt Rothschild

Before I even started reading this memoir, I had to chuckle over the Author’s Note. Matt wrote:

“I’m not going to feed you that same old baloney about how memory is imperfect…The truth is that while everything in this book happened, it didn’t always happen the way I say it did. Sometimes I changed names or descriptions of people and places. Big deal. Sometimes I altered chronology…made people look foolish when they weren’t so foolish, made people look good when they were fools…–I know you’ll love this one–said things happened in one place when they really happened somewhere else. Okay, so maybe that is a big deal…Some of this stuff is damn funny and some of it’s tragic. Just don’t take the window dressing too literally.”

READ MORE ABOUT DUMBFOUNDED

DO NOT Keep a Diary

About a week ago, I sent an email out to several friends asking them to share a favorite childhood memory with me. Many of the those who replied were the same people who have been telling me they can’t write.

If you’ve been reading my blog for a while, you know I strongly feel everyone should be writing something –anything– so that the only thing one leaves behind isn’t just ashes. What would be the point of your being here if that’s all you leave?

Don’t even think about keeping a diary. Because you probably won’t.

A DIARY? NO WAY! READ MORE

Things My Mother Told Me

My mother would say to me,”Don’t spray cologne on your neck.”

Here’s her rationale. The skin under your chin, the “front” of your neck, is thin, delicate skin. It is one of the first places where people show their age. Since the first ingredient in cologne is alcohol, this is NOT a good thing to spray on your neck year after year after year. Her advice–spritz a little to the “back” of your neck, your wrists and the inside of your elbows.

FOR MORE MOTHERISMS

6 Ways To Beat The Cost Of Groceries

1. Don’t throw those leftover veggies in the garbage. Save them in a large container in the freezer. Keep adding to it. Leftover beef and chicken can be collected in the same container. Chop meat into cubes before adding. When the container is full, dump it into a pot of broth (chicken, beef or vegetable). Better still use some low-sodium bouillon cubes. It’s such a healthy meal, you don’t have to feel guilty about serving it with a big loaf of Italian or French bread.

Click Here For More Suggestions

Happiness Is A Walk In The Rain – Spontaneity

image from

Last Saturday afternoon, as I was getting ready to walk home from my friend Bev’s house, the clouds shuddered and an unexpected shower of rain began pelting the windows. It sounded good to me. It sounded like bad timing to Bev.

READ MORE ABOUT SPONTANEITY

Text Messaging Is Bad, I Think, Maybe

I don’t text message. What I mean is, I don’t send them and I don’t receive them because I don’t use a cell phone. I don’t own one,  I don’t want one, and I hope I never have to rely on one. That said, I do understand why people feel they need to have one.

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My Mother

It’s May, and Mother’s Day is right around the corner. This is the time of year I especially miss my mother. I’ve mentioned several times in this blog that I regret not asking her more questions about herself. But every year when May rolls around, I realize I do actually know a lot about her, if not everything.

For instance, I didn’t know it then, but I see it clearly now in retrospect, she was a feminist before that word even existed.

READ MORE

Hospitals–Do They Help Or Hinder Recuperation?

For quite some time, I have been putting off cervical neck surgery. Unfortunately, disk degeneration goes on hiatus for no man. Finally, one is forced to accept the truth–it’s time to face the music and have surgery.

Too bad the surgery requires a stay in the hospital afterwards, because things ain’t like they were “in the old days.”

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At Your Own Risk

Last Wednesday, March 19th, I took part in a Telephone Conference sponsored by the Breast Cancer Fund. They had just released their latest report showing the connection between the Environment and Breast Cancer. One of the points I found most troubling was the undeniable fact that early exposure to toxic chemicals increases one’s risk of contracting cancer as an adult.

The Breast Cancer Website not only lists its findings, but it also lists Federal and State Recommendations to put into place in an effort to make our environment cleaner and safer. Although there are some strong advocates in Congress; Rep. Louise Slaughter, Sen. Orrin Hatch, Rep. Nancy Pelosi and Sen. Hillary Clinton, to name a few, it should come as no great shock that the amount of time it takes Congress to enact laws, especially those having to do with the environment, could take years.

Therefore, I suggest starting at the ground level–in your own home.

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Keltic Dreams, Corned Beef & Cabbage, And How To Catch A Leprechaun

Every year, when St. Patrick’s Day approaches, I think about cooking up some corned beef and cabbage. Nine times out of ten, I pull out a big pot and spend the rest of the day smelling the aroma of Ireland. The dish is easy to make, but oh so time-consuming.

I think what really put me in the mood this year was an email I received this past week about the popularity of Irish Dance at a school in the Bronx. The New York Times wrote about the music teacher and posted one of the most heartwarming videos I’ve seen in a long, long time. I’m so used to seeing bad news that the sight of these inner city kids kicking up their heels gave me goose bumps, it really did. Go here to see the video — Keltic Dreams.

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First the Soapbox, Then Mom’s Italian Wedding Soup Recipe

Okay, I’m on my soapbox again, encouraging you to write something this week about yourself. If you do, I can almost guarantee one of your children or your grandchildren will thank you someday. You are living in their “good old days.”

I can’t tell you how many times I could kick myself for not asking my mother more questions about her life. Now it’s too late. The only things I have of hers, in her own handwriting, are a few recipes she gave me over the years. At least when I see her handwriting on the page, it helps me to remember other small things about her. I’m going to share one of her recipes with you at the end of this post.

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A Short, But Incredible, Friendship

These pictures were taken near the coast of Canada’s Hudson Bay. A polar bear sees sled dogs.

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December – The Perfect Month to Reminisce

Because so many things occur in the month of December, dreaming up something to write about is as easy as 1-2-3. I’m here to spur you on with some writing ideas because I know how important your memories are, even if you don’t realize it yet yourself.

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