Musings of a Shore Life
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Cooking and Procrastination – A Delightful Duo
I like to cook, but am not a gourmet chef. I cook because I like to eat, enjoy food, and prefer non-chemical, unprocessed fare. I occasionally try new recipes, but as I age rely more and more on old – maybe not quite as old as me, but old enough – favorites. Too many ingredients,…
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Happy Birthday Dad
Disclosure: This post rambles from birthday memories to historical tidbits, then current political division. When a kid, June 14th meant cake, ice cream, and an enthusiastic, loud rendition in my family’s discordant, cacophonous voice of Happy Birthday. No one in my family could carry a tune, obviously an inherited deficiency. But we all loved our cake…
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The Word of the Week is Change
I spent a couple of days in the town where I lived for over 30 years, the place my kids grew up in, where I worked, made friends, purchased a home, volunteered, and kept up with local news. I caught up on the lives of old friends, their kids, and grandkids. We all look older,…
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Musings on Change that Happens Whether I Like It or Not
Change happens, whether wanted or not, whether instigated or by happenstance. I accept change, sometimes applaud it, at times reluctantly endure it. Rarely do I oppose change. Until the past year. I won’t mention political change; that is a discussion for another post. Or an entire book. I am not discussing personal change, such as…
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Summer Unofficially Arrives on a Holiday Weekend
Life changes overnight when you live in a summer resort town. Most of the year the pace of life is, if not quite slow, laid-back. Parking is easily located next to, or close to, your destination. Traffic lights are a nuisance, but quickly passed through. I encounter no lines at stores, and restaurants are rarely…
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Boomers Report from Foreign Shores and the Home Front
Spring beckons me outdoors to plant colorful flowers in my yard. I purchased a couple of flats of promising peonies, pansies, marigolds, and others I cannot remember offhand. I rooted some in pots, and the rest directly into the earth. But then I had to leave home for a few days. Of course it did…
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Goodbye Mom
My Mom passed away this week at the age of 100. Here are some memories I shared at her funeral. Rose Mandel and Sam Shilowitz welcomed baby girl Elyss Shirley on January 2, 1925. Her father Sam bought a two-story building on Main Street in Cedarhurst, Long Island, and opened a general store. The family…
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Neighborhood Cafe Coffee Klatch
Confession: I like to exercise outdoors, but only when the weather cooperates. I am a temperate climate outdoor person, which means moderation – 50s through the very low 80s – low humidity, sun or partly cloudy, and minimal wind and precipitation. Cold, wet weather and I remain indoors. My husband has physical therapy two or…
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Boomers Cope with Turbulent Times
We live in turbulent times, and this week our bloggers attempt to deal with the confusion and commotion. Whether looking after our financial affairs, attempting to de-stress, or becoming immersed in a lifestyle TV series, we move on day by day. I spent the past few days binge-watching a new Netflix series, The Residence, about a…
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An Almost Disastrous 1979 Event Remembered
My family moved into our new home in southcentral Pennsylvania one day after a snowstorm in February 1979. Me, my husband Steve and our two sons – three-year-old Matthew and one-year-old Jason – had barely settled in when upheaval temporarily disrupted our lives. The historic episode that placed my family and community in danger began…
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