Musings of a Shore Life
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My Cluttered Closet and My Chaotic Life
Careful, extended, scholarly research on the significance of cluttered, or clutter-less, closets results in the revelation that they are a window into the mind Does my messy closet indicate my life is a chaotic, confused mess? I suspect there is a correlation. Apparently the things we accumulate offer insight into our mental state, and possibly…
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Red, White, Blue, and Other Colors Too
We think of red, white, and blue when celebrating 250 years of our nation’s history. That is noble and patriotic. Unfortunately this year I am not in a celebratory mood. A combination of personal angst because of family health issues, and unpatriotic angst due to the chaos our country currently experiences, my celebration meter hovers…
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Salute to National Graham Cracker Day
National Graham Cracker Day is July 5. It is with humility and a feeling of obligation that, as a resident of the much-maligned state of New Jersey, I do whatever I can to pump up the state’s reputation. And I can do that today! An auspicious event – the invention of the Graham Cracker –…
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Forgetting the Good, the Bad, and the Ordinary
As we get older and more stuff clogs our mind, new information and experiences shove older material into the far reaches of our brain. We forget math equations learned in high school, the authors of once-favorite books, the names of fictional characters and perhaps the storyline. We remember lyrics of a song, but not the…
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A Day of Decadence
As I age I am in a quandary about how or if to celebrate my birthday. The answer varies for each individual, and depending on one’s mood, th answer may change from one year to the next until, by the time a person reaches triple digits, celebrating in some way is mandatory! A sudden realization,…
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Baby Boom Déjà vu and the Future
As a member of the baby boomer generation, I was an infant in Mom’s arms in the early 1950s when babies ruled the world – at least in the United States. My parents moved to a new house in a new suburb on Long Island, New York, in 1952. Every house sheltered a twenty- or…
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WINTER WONDERLAND YESTERDAY AND TODAY
“Daddy, can we go outside?” Sydney pleads for the hundredth time. “Can’t we go outside? I wanna play in the snow. I wanna ride my sled.” After numerous “no’s,” Dad finally relents, “OK, let’s go out!” Sydney runs over and pulls on Grandma’s sweater. “Gramma, Gramma, you come too?” Grandma rolls her eyes and responds…
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America Will Lose Trump’s War with Iran
The President of the United States will declare victory in the country’s current conflict with Iran. His sycophants will cheer and acclaim his glorious accomplishment. But the actual loser will be the United States. Folks might believe the hype that the country won Trump’s Middle East excursion. His armed forces bombed the hell out of…
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Coffee Shop Companionship
The coffee shop was busy Wednesday morning. The dreary cold weather may have had something to do with the crowd. Gray skies send folks for coffee or hot chocolate, maybe a hot breakfast or pastry. A combination of bleak weather and bleaker news may push people into depression, or ignorance, or denial. Sometimes it directs…
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Daily Life in Retirement
Friends and acquaintances younger than I am, approaching retirement, ask me what I do all day. This is my response… The alarm rings at 7:30 am, but by then my morning routine is well underway. I set the alarm most days so I don’t become lazy and sleep too much. Once in a while, when…
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