At the start of a new year, I revive the habit of listing my blessings each night before bed. This year is no different. Appearing at the top of my list remains ‘being born in America.’
The best part of a vacation is, as Carley Simon sang: anticipation. It gives you something to look forward to. I always know I am due a ‘vacay’ when the smallest things at work or home seem larger than they are, and the daily grind feels like drudgery. That is when I think, “I need a vacation,” and just the thought of getting away buoys my mood and increases my productivity.
The CDC recommends not traveling unless you absolutely must; and if you must, be smart about it. Weighing these recommendations, I thought about my upcoming and necessary trip to Miami, Florida. Should I rent an RV and drive? With a pull-along bed, bath, and kitchen I could quarantine throughout the three day drive down. It seemed like a responsible way to travel.
I know buying a new car is a luxury, not an investment, but that does not keep me from purchasing one. Recalling the evolution of one’s cars is a lot like tracing the evolution of one’s life.
What good is a blog without honesty? Who wants to read about a perfect person living a perfect life? Personally, I want to watch the crazies: The Osbourne’s, Trump, and daytime Soaps. By watching other poor souls struggle and make mistakes, I feel better about my own actions and the crazy voice (I like to call Devil Speak) in my head.
For many of us, this Christmas will be different. As I sit and think about my growing grandchildren, I reflect on Christmases past.
I’m not good at remembering proper nouns: people’s names, places and events. But I am good at remembering all the other sentence structure that make for good conversation and storytelling.
I love flower arranging, cooking, and being outdoors, but gardening is not my jam. The ground is just too far down there, and it wreaks havoc on my nails. But my son, Gray, loves the soil and the science of plants. He gardens without gloves!
Understanding the importance of art to our society is subjective. There are so many mediums that speak to a wide variety of people in different ways. For instance, I love big, vibrant paintings and ballet, my kids and now my granddaughter love singing and theatre, and my son-in-law’s family is filled with musicians.
Well, I finally did it. I fulfilled a promise to my late girlfriend, Sarah Smith, and had the dreaded colonoscopy. The diet modification for this procedure begins a week in advance and, on the day before, you are instructed to consume only liquids. This is some good advice, because that night’s prep is eventful, and not in a good way.
I am a crossword puzzle geek. And if you are a crossword puzzle geek, you know that the questions asked and words used are repetitious. Because of this repetition, the more puzzles you work, the better you get at solving them. And the better you get, the more you are able to graduate to harder puzzles.
You know, mothers know everything. Early on, I knew -and my mother knew- my first born, cherub-like son was probably gay.
A month or so ago, I could tell Grady needed a vacation, so I planned what I thought would be an easy get away to the nearby Mountain Harbor Resort on Lake Ouachita. It’s a place full of memories for our family.
The slow pace of life and small friend groups brought on by the pandemic have turned me into a bit of a bore (not that I mind); never in my life have I watched so many movies.
Sometimes you just buy something you really love and want to share the good news with friends and neighbors. Well, that is how I feel about my new wrist weights.
Lying face down, nude, with my eyes closed, the masseuse said, “I invite you to relax, concentrate on your breathing, live in the moment, and love yourself.
As my modesty fell away, I floated away.
I know, I know, I know, enough about the new sober Grady. I promise I will stop sharing his good news soon, because later this month I have some exciting news to share with everyone. I can’t wait! Stay tuned.
About Grady, one more time:
For a man who reads but never posts on Facebook, I was curious (later shocked) when my husband kept asking me, on our anniversary day, “Have you seen Facebook today?”
A year or so ago, I lost a close friend to an illness that, if caught, could have been cured thanks to early detection.
Dogs are great but that doesn’t mean everyone should have one, especially young people whose lives are in flux.
That is why, when son Jack came home from a dog walk in the woods with friends and announced he was thinking of adopting a dog he just met, I was vehemently opposed.
My neighborhood is full of grown children that are home from college and elsewhere, sheltering in place and strolling in the sunshine with their parents. Who would have thought that in January, when I was renovating the carriage house in my backyard, that it would soon be occupied by son Jack, forced to move home from college because of a world-wide pandemic?