My mom’s handsome hero, Bob Barker passed away over the weekend. Someone posted that he lived as close to 100 without going over, which is dark, Price is Right humor. I think Mr. Barker would have probably chuckled at that. Thank you to all my friends who said they were thinking of me and my mom. I know I’ve posted, “Da Holy Hour,” many times now, but in…
I went to a fundraiser last Friday for Cystic Fibrosis and left realizing how thankful I was to have children who were healthy. My daughter’s had her health challenges, but has handled them beautifully and is a healthy adult now. When I think of people who have to deal with cancers, heart conditions, Cystic Fibrosis, and other life-threatening illnesses, yet don’t let these obstacles beat them down, I…
Jump on your holiday gift buying now and spend December eating bonbons by the fire. …
I am one of the lucky ones. I get to have two of my three kids for Thanksgiving, and given the state of things today, that’s pretty great. I can’t wait for life to change for the better, but so far, 2020 has been inconvenient, but not tragic. Again, I know I’m lucky. I’ve had time to think, write, and figure out my next steps. I’m so very…
It’s New Year’s Eve. I am snug on my couch in my flannel pajamas with my fuzzy, cream bathrobe on, keeping an eye on Topper, cozy in the corner. I am having a cocktail of Maker’s Mark whiskey and Canada Dry Ginger Ale with TWO cherries and am incredibly content. I’ve never been one to traipse around in high heels at New Year’s Eve parties. I always hated…
Each winter my mother and I sported a light coat of flour from December first to the 25th. My mom flew into a baking frenzy and I was recruited to grease pans, sprinkle sugar on hot fried twists of lemony dough, and run up and down between our upstairs and downstairs kitchens like lightning for whatever mom needed because she always said, “Honey, you gatta da fresh a…
I try to be deep, honest I do. I do my best to read classics and ponder life because I aspire to write deep, philosophical blogs. In fact, I’m currently reading Dante’s Inferno — who knew hell could be so icky? But because of the ADHD I keep denying I have, my brain prefers to escape the circles of hell and fixate on something I enjoy more, like…
Today’s election day, and you’re going to need a distraction. I’ve got a little story about my mom and a good, easy, Italian, comfort food recipe because we’ll all need some comforting today, and probably for a while. But be sure you vote. Too many people have risked and lost their lives for freedom in this country for you not to vote. Now back to the distraction. I…
I have been torturing myself with Duolingo lately. It’s a website where you can learn another language. For the past 40 years I have been trying (clearly not hard) to learn Italian. This week possession has been making me miserable because I can’t tell the difference between him and her. I’m learning handy phrases like: “Il gatto beve il suo latte,” which means the cat drinks his/or her…
My daughter’s been away, housesitting for the past few weeks and I’m getting a taste of what it’s going to feel like in this very empty nest. It will finally be clean, and very quiet. It really forces you to take a look at your life, think about what you’ve done, where you’re going and whether you want company for the rest of the ride. It brought a…