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Category Archives: Uncategorized
The Hamantaschen Fail
Hamentaschen (or Hamentashen, or Hamantashen), the tri-cornered cookies filled with poppy seeds, fruit jelly, nut mixtures, etc. were not part of my childhood holiday experience. Torrone nougat candy, bow-ties covered in powdered sugar, Italian bakery cookies, sesame and pistachio halvah……these … Continue reading
Posted in Cooking, Food, Humor, Uncategorized
Tagged cookies, Hamantashen, Hamentaschen, Hamentashen, holiday cookies, I can't bake, Purim cookies
6 Comments
Pink Snow
The inside of this small oval basket of woven rush is filled with very old potpourri, atop which rests a small bottle of peach-scented oil. The basket, which once belonged to my mother, is stashed behind some framed photographs on … Continue reading
Posted in Regrets, Uncategorized
Tagged holding on to memories, Memories, mom, peach scent, potpourri
3 Comments
I’m Not That Old
Today was the first time I have been in a movie theater to see a feature film in longer than I can remember. With the exception of attending foreign films with subtitles, I have pretty much given up on going … Continue reading
Posted in Aging, Coping, Deafness, Hearing Impaired, Uncategorized, Wow!
Tagged captioning glasses, hard of hearing, I'm not old, mid-life, movie captioning, Regal Cinemas, theater captioning
6 Comments
All Manner of Comfortable Things
“I’m built for comfort, I ain’t built for speed”. This line from a song keeps going through my head. I think it was Howlin’ Wolf . Didn’t Canned Heat do a version of it also? (I can’t find it if … Continue reading
Posted in Aging, Holidays, Humor, Uncategorized, Winter
Tagged Chillow, comfort, comfortable gifts, holiday gifts, hot flashes, midlife, over 50, over fifty, privilege
2 Comments
E
My right ear rings all the time. One day, about twenty years ago, it just started buzzing and it has never shut off since. As the hearing loss has progressed in that ear, the noise has seemed to get louder … Continue reading
Posted in Aging, Coping, Deafness, Hearing Impaired, Uncategorized
Tagged hearing loss, ringing in ears, tinnitus
5 Comments
The Sore Throat Remedy in Our House
It’s that good ol’, bad ol’ winter cold time again. There are a few theories as to why this works (and it does). I envision the bacteria in your throat, your lungs, your sinuses, being killed off naturally – just … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized, Winter
Tagged Colds, Health, home remedy for colds, sore throat recipe, sore throat remedy, winter cold
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Double Zipper – New Year
A few brief years ago, I finally reached what I consider a small plateau of maturity – determined not to freeze through yet another Very Cold Winter, I purchased an insulated down-like coat that was long enough to cover my … Continue reading
Posted in Are you kidding me?, Humor, Uncategorized
Tagged approach to New Year, frustration, winter coats, zippers
4 Comments
Rejoice the Winter Solstice
Rejoice! The Winter Solstice. The day began with a cup of chai. Then lunch at a little French bistro with family I haven’t seen in months. Warm holiday feelings. Chocolate. Baking. My Mother’s Boots. There are some fruit flies pinging … Continue reading
What Do You Do All Day?
Since I have been officially out of the workforce, people who are working full-time or who I have not seen in a while will inevitably turn to me and say “So…….now that you are not working, what do you do … Continue reading
Posted in Aging, Are you kidding me?, Bucket List, Perspective, Uncategorized
Tagged not working, out of the work force, retirement
4 Comments
Writhing With Guilt
Today I realize my shoe-a-holism has gotten a bit out of control. I sit here and writhe with guilt. As posted previously in this blog, I have a lot of shoes. Shoes of many colors. Not “designer” shoes, just comfortable, … Continue reading
Posted in Fashion, Perspective, Regrets, Shoes, Shopping, Uncategorized
Tagged excess consumerism, excess shoes, guilt, red boots, red cowboy boots, red cowgirl boots, red shoes, Shoe-a-holics, Too Many Shoes
6 Comments
Disposable World
There’s really no reason to get rid of my Sears Kenmore CounterCraft Food Processor if it’s still working, right? All it needs is a replacement part. It gets taken out of its box a few times a year for some … Continue reading
Posted in Are you kidding me?, Humor, Rant, Shopping, Uncategorized
Tagged counter appliances, customer service, food processors, Lexan, replacement parts
8 Comments
Hiding Behind a Tree
As if my heart could not get any fuller, my first-born grandchild started his very first day of pre-school this morning. Wasn’t it but yesterday when I had to leave my first child in daycare? There was no choice…I had … Continue reading
Posted in Aging, kids, Perspective, Uncategorized
Tagged children, first day of pre-school, grand parenting
1 Comment
A Two Boy Wedding
It is a few days past the wedding, and I am still awash in an almost dream-state; every once in a while welling up with emotion which brings me onto the edge of tears. It is an honor to be … Continue reading
Posted in Friends, Uncategorized, Wow!
Tagged gay wedding, magical rainbows, marriage, rainbow wedding, two boys wedding, Wedding
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Spidey
We have had ants this summer, the large black variety. Not too many, but occasionally one will be spotted making its was across the kitchen floor or even the counter. There have been so few compared to other years, that … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized, Wildlife
Tagged insects in the house, spiders in the bathroom, The Daily Spider, tiny spiders, webs
5 Comments
Left Out
There are always challenges in the reshuffling of families, friendships and loyalties when it comes to a divorce. Over the many years since mine occurred, there have been waves of problems laced with intense hostility interspersed with moments of peacefulness … Continue reading
Posted in Coping, Divorce, Friends, Perspective, Regrets, Uncategorized, Vent
Tagged being excluded, divorce, divorcee, ex-husband, ex-inlaws, former family, former inlaws, hostile divorce, rules of divorce
4 Comments
Elusive, Delicate Rainbows
A small thing for the Bucket List, but one never-the-less. I have always wanted to visit a butterfly sanctuary, and it finally happened. Walking into that sheltered world of warm breezes, tropical flowers and rainbow-hued butterflies elicited pure joy. They … Continue reading
Posted in Bucket List, Photography, Uncategorized, Wildlife, Wow!
Tagged butterflies, butterfly sanctuary, lightness and being
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Our Lady of the Perpetual Kitchen
My grandmother was Catholic, my mother was raised Catholic, and so she tried to raise us as Catholics too. I consider myself a “Collapsed Catholic” and will usually check “none” on any form asking my religion. I never was able … Continue reading
Posted in Perspective, Uncategorized
Tagged Catholic, Immaculate Heart, mom, religion, religious relics, Virgin Mary Statue
4 Comments
Salmiak is Salmiak
Licorice is one of those things that people usually like a lot or totally abhor. You are pretty much into it or you’re not, there is not much waffling on the fence concerning licorice. I am in the licorice camp. … Continue reading
Posted in Travel, Uncategorized
Tagged cravings, drop candy, Dutch candy, salmiak, salt licorice
5 Comments
Slowly I Turned……
“Slowly I turned, step by step, inch by inch….” I realize I am dating myself here, because about half the people I have said this to know what I am talking about and the other half don’t. The line is … Continue reading
Posted in Bucket List, Friends, Hearing Impaired, Humor, Travel, Uncategorized, Wow!
Tagged Bucket List, Canadian Border, chick travel, Niagra Falls, road trip, vacation, women friends
4 Comments
Octopie
I just could not resist the creativity of it. OK, I know I have been running on about berries the last few posts. This is the very last thing I am going to post about pies, or blueberries, or probably … Continue reading
Posted in kids, Uncategorized, Wow!
Tagged baking, berries, grandchildren, Kracken, octopus, pie
2 Comments
Tradition
The tradition continued into the next generation when I took my three-year-old grandson blueberry picking for the first time. With his little pail and my big one, we ventured off into the field and down the row of bushes together. … Continue reading
Posted in kids, Photography, Uncategorized
Tagged berry picking, blueberries, generations, grandchildren, grandparenting, Summer, Traditions
5 Comments
Pie
I made a blueberry pie from all those blueberries I picked. Then I ate it for breakfast two days in a row. Just because.
Crossing a Line
No stranger to comfortable shoes, one peek in my closet will reveal a significant selection of Birkenstocks, Danskos, Naots, Merrills and Clarks. I have spent good money on good shoes because I can’t stand it if my feet hurt. I … Continue reading
Posted in Aging, Perspective, Shopping, Uncategorized
Tagged boomers, comfortable shoes, growing older, over fifty, Shoe-a-holics, Shoes, shopping with elderly
8 Comments
Saturday Market
Posted in Gardening, Photography, Uncategorized
Tagged bounty, Farmer's Market, Harvest, Summer, vegetables
3 Comments
Green
As a child, my father and I would occasionally enjoy a delicious glass of carrot juice together. Many years later, he introduced me to the idea of doing some serious juicing myself when he gifted me his old Omega juice … Continue reading
Posted in Diet, Photography, Shopping, Uncategorized
Tagged cabbages, Color, Dad, Father's Day, green, greens, juicing, Memories, missing you, my father, Produce, Spring, Summer, visual memories
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Cicada Love
They have arrived in some areas here, the emergence/invasion of the cicadas….pockets of ringing, singing, screaming cicadas. Then you turn the corner to meet a vacuum of silence where there are none. I stood among them watched them climbing the … Continue reading
Posted in Are you kidding me?, Photography, Spring, Uncategorized
Tagged big bugs, cicada invasion, cicadas, insects, Summer, the magical cicada
2 Comments
Revival
When I first moved to this latest house in a long line of homes, one of the more lovely aspects of the place was a gorgeous, well-established white peony that someone had planted by the front of the fence. The … Continue reading
Posted in Daeja's Garden, Gardening, Photography, Spring, Uncategorized
Tagged monkey's paw, Monsanto, mutant plant, peonies, plant poison, weed killer
4 Comments
The Art of Napping
Why can’t I nap? Taking a nap is probably a very healthy thing to do. There is actually a study out there stating that people who nap may have a lower incidence of coronary disease. Sounds like a lovely way … Continue reading
Posted in Aging, Deafness, Hearing Impaired, Uncategorized, Weather
Tagged a woman's space, baby boomer, boomers, cozy room, napping, naps, resting, siesta, sleep
2 Comments
A Change of Status
I am unemployed. Or “retired”, as some people have congratulated me on, although that word doesn’t seem to quite fit. I feel like I am actually a “retirement imposter” in a sense, because this “retirement” was mostly unplanned, not affordable, … Continue reading
Posted in Aging, Hearing Impaired, Perspective, Uncategorized
Tagged baby boomer, boomers, disability, growing older, identity crisis, now what?, retirement, the autumn years, unemployed, who am i now?
3 Comments
Stitches
Found in the bottom drawer – my mother’s pillow cases. She loved those cotton slip cases that came lightly pre-stenciled with designs, which she would embroider over in bright colors. Unlike her own mother, my Nona, embroidery was not mom’s … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged cleaning out, embroidery, love, Memories, mom, Mothers, stitches
7 Comments
Nettle Peace
A few years ago I was drumming with a number of women on the side of a mountain not far from where I live, at the home of a local herbalist. Outside her front door she had a patch of … Continue reading
Major Artistic Deficit Disorder
Having grown up the child of artists, it naturally followed that those we interacted with and bonded with would lean towards the creative. And so, throughout this life, I have found myself surrounded by an abundance of talented friends. I … Continue reading
Posted in Aging, Friends, Perspective, Regrets, Uncategorized
Tagged Am I an Artist?, art as a living, artist life, artistic friends, artists, creativity, lack of focus, talent
14 Comments
The Season of White Jordan Almonds
There is something about the blossoms of spring and those white Jordan Almonds. They are connected for me. Weddings and blue sky and white, white sweetness. That little bundle in the mesh bag, a small handful like tiny birds eggs; … Continue reading
Posted in Spring, Uncategorized
Tagged cravings, Jordan Almonds, Memories, Spring Blossoms, weddings, white Jordan Almonds
5 Comments
The Up Seat
Not having posted anything in a while, I really hate to pick up the blog after a hiatus by opening with a pet peeve, but I suppose this annoyance is the impetus that has provided enough kick-start to sit down … Continue reading
Posted in Humor, Rant, Uncategorized, Vent
Tagged habits, mess, messy habits. co-habitating, messy partners, pet peeve, Pig Pen, toilet seat up, unmade beds, war of the sexes
9 Comments
A Golden Squirrel
My sister Charlotte always had squirrel-like attributes. As a child, she tended to hoard her things. As an adult, even in the leanest of times, she managed to save, to “squirrel away a little something” for the future. Looking at … Continue reading
Posted in Holidays, Uncategorized
Tagged Christmas, christmas ornaments, Christmas tree, Family, Memories, Memorium, Sisters, Suster
1 Comment
Certain Unalienable Rights
Second section in Declaration of Independence, 1776 – “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the … Continue reading
No Thanks, I’ll Pack Myself
I assume the pay scale for checkers and baggers at big chain supermarkets is probably rather pathetic. Perhaps because of this, some positions are filled with less than stellar employees. But really, does anyone even train these people on how … Continue reading
Posted in Humor, Rant, Shopping, Uncategorized, Vent
Tagged annoyances, grocery baggers, grocery shopping, heavy shopping bags, shopping
8 Comments
The Holiday Visitors
The Holidays are upon us and the visiting has begun. This year, along with their significant others and the grandbabes, both of my children insisted upon bringing their dogs home for Thanksgiving . It was sort of chaotic, but they … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged big dog little dog, dachshund cross, dogs, Family, holiday guests, kitchen companions, new age, pets, rescue dogs
1 Comment
Hacked
My credit card bill came in the mail today. Usually this particular card is only used for online purchases that use secure sites, and there were only a few purchases made this month, so the anomalies jumped out at me … Continue reading
That Snooty Woman With All the Fancy Instruments
One of the things I like to do for leisure and sometimes passion is to play percussive instruments. I like to drum, especially on drums played with the hands – a djembe, a doumbek, a frame drum or riqq. I … Continue reading
Posted in Deafness, Friends, Hearing Impaired, Perspective, Uncategorized
Tagged aloofness, Drumming, group dynamics, perspective, possessions, unfriendliness
4 Comments
Adventure and Distraction in the Autumn Garden On a Saturday Morning
I decided to spend just a few hours this morning cleaning up. Just a few, since we had plans in the afternoon.. a couple of hours, before that gardening backache sets in. Just enough to tidy up, because I have … Continue reading
Posted in Daeja's Garden, Gardening, Humor, Uncategorized, Wildlife
Tagged autumn garden, distraction, fall clean-up
6 Comments
Zucchaloupe
Speaking of compost, some strange things manifested in my garden this year. I did not plant them, but a couple of random squash vines grew unbidden amongst the tomato plants. All I can think is that they must have been … Continue reading
Whole Earth
There was a time when The Whole Earth Catalog, published by Stewart Brand, was my bible. It was the portal to resources on how I wanted to live, how I wished I could live, how I intended to live – … Continue reading
Posted in Gardening, Humor, Uncategorized
Tagged best of intentions, compost, composting, Whole Earth Catalog
14 Comments
Taking the Birthday Week
It was the first birthday after a potentially life threatening and definitely life-altering illness, where the concept and approach to birthdays changed. I was never one for making a big deal about my birthday. I think I was maybe eight … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged a present to myself, birthday, birthday week, cancer, celebrations, Kindness, self celebration
12 Comments
