Musings of a Shore Life
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December Holidays on the Minds of the Boomers This Week
I experienced the first snow of the season this weekend when visiting my Mom in Harrisburg, PA. It wasn’t a big storm, but enough to coat the world in white. A wonderful way to usher in the December holidays! This season often initiates memories of past holiday festivities… They still haunt Laurie. She catches glimpses of…
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My Incredibly Uninteresting Annual Letter
2024 began with a favorite activity – travel – a fun-filled family vacation in Puerto Rico, followed by a peaceful two weeks in Mexico, just my husband Steve and me. Immersed in a foreign culture, I spent a lot of time devouring delightful repasts I did not prepare. Back home I cocooned in New Jersey.…
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The Joy of Doing Almost Nothing
It is probably decadent to admit, but I can spend an entire day doing almost nothing. My seventy-something body occasionally sends me an unmistakable message: Enough! Stop! I need rest! I need to recharge! What follows is time spent doing almost nothing. It might be a short time, a couple of hours or longer –…
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The Humble Potato Shines on My Plate
The feasting season officially arrived. I finished leftover Thanksgiving fare on Saturday evening. My sister provided the banquet, and I returned home with a plate of delicious food: turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, and sweet potatoes with marshmallow topping – excellent examples of comfort food, typical American fare, but not the healthiest choices. Broccoli represented greens…
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Family and Community Thanksgiving Traditions
Families have their holiday customs. For years our family observed a tradition my sons are thrilled not to continue. The Gathering of the Leaves A lot of trees covered our property. Mature trees with leaves, the kind that sail to earth in the autumn. We never invested in a leaf blower. Why waste the money…
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Fact, Fiction, and Myths of Thanksgiving
In elementary school we colored pictures of Pilgrims and Indians dressed in clothes they wore in the 17th century – or so we assumed. Pilgrims and Indians were friends – we presumed. We gathered around our family table and devoured delicious dishes the Pilgrims and Indians ate 400 years ago – or so we thought. …
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Our Tapestry of Love
I don’t write poetry, but a year ago I lost a mentor and a friend. When I started writing about her, these words seemed the best way to characterize our relationship, and what she meant to my writing group. I open a door, shove one foot in front of another and step inside. Faces unfamiliar…
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Boomers Retreat as Winter Arrives and We Prepare for the Future
Politics is not usually a subject for this blog, but this year’s Presidential election affected folks deeply. Many of us have entered a period of mourning. Our candidate did not win. As a result we ponder an uncertain future and brace ourselves for a rocky road ahead. Winter is almost here, literally and metaphorically. I…
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In Praise of a Cookie
We picked up friends returning from a trip to Florida the other night at the airport. Originally scheduled to land at 3:30 p.m., the plane was delayed and finally landed at 10:05 p.m. We were all tired and hungry and immediately headed for the nearest diner. After dinner we piled back in the car for…
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10 Excuses for Missing Exercise Class
Numerous articles appear in newspapers and magazines, on websites and blogs about the importance of exercise, especially for older folks. As an older folk, I often prefer to lounge on the couch rather than do almost anything involving bodily movement. Some days strolling to the kitchen for a cup of coffee qualifies as my daily…
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