Several years ago, my husband and I visited an old friend who had not been well. We were shocked to see that his health had deteriorated quite quickly with cancer, heart disease, and early onset Alzheimer’s – all at the age of 60…
Read MoreIf you’re feeling pinched these days, you’re not alone. The combination of pandemic, inflation and global events has dealt us all a wallop. And yet there are still bills to be paid, nest eggs to pad or replenish, home improvements to make and adventures…
Read MoreWhen a loved one lives in a nursing home or assisted living, visiting regularly is an important way to stay connected and show how much you care. Spending time with you will brighten their day and knowing when you’ll…
Read MoreWomanly skills are simply not my forte. So, it wasn’t a complete surprise that I had never heard the word – or learned about – hydrosol. That was about to change. Hydrosols are aromatic waters that remain after steam or hydro distilling of botanical materials…
Read MorePhoto credit: Luther Bailey/National Park Service The articles I have recently read about Betty Reid Soskin put me in mind of Mary Oliver’s poem The Summer Day with the closing lines: Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life? Soskin, throughout her life, seems to have understood […]
Read MoreMoving is consistently ranked as one of the top 10 most stressful things in life. In the past seven years, we have moved three times. That’s a lot of hours x weeks and months devoted to planning, packing and pining over personal wares that found…
Read MoreFor most of my life I’ve been unemployable. That doesn’t mean I haven’t had jobs. I was a college language teacher for many years. That led to an opportunity to write textbooks – and I found that I loved the creativity of writing…
Read MoreThis beautiful Danish concept has become quite commercialized, so that as soon as we hear the word hygge (pronounced hooguh), our mind jumps to bulky sweaters, crackling fires and hot chocolate (or mulled wine)…
Read MoreLike most children, my grandkids think of me as a superhero. I am a bringer of gifts and laughter. I am their “baba with a backpack” who Skypes them from mountain tops and cruise ships, desert villages and London hotels…
Read MoreWe slipped quietly into our hometown, arriving one by one – by car, taxi, bus, or train. We all wondered what we would feel. It all looks the same! It all looks different!
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