HOW TO MAKE THE MOST OF THIS UNEXPECTED TIME It’s been a minute, as they say. Most of us didn’t expect the pandemic to last this long. But here we are closing in on a year of fighting this war. I know many states have reopened at least to an extent; but there are some…
As our kids get older and start independent lives and families, they don’t always make it home for Christmas. It happens in the best of families. 😉 But this year feels a little (okay, maybe a lot) different because of restrictions not of our own making that may keep us from gathering all our loved ones around…
If you’ve read my blog, you know I love music. I love singing. I love listening to a lot of different kinds of music, but especially oldies that I can still remember all the words to, and songs from my teenage and college years that I can sing along with. Oh, also Broadway tunes. And…
Where I live in California is now under a Stay Home mandate again. That means only essential workers, no inside or outside dining (carry out, curbside, or delivery only), no group gatherings, and staying in your own home unless necessary to leave. We had the same mandate in March. Gradually the restrictions lifted then, but…
We know their names. I don’t know how I missed this all my life, but we know the names of the Plymouth colony settlers who were at what we now identify as the first Thanksgiving in 1621. There were only 53 of the original 102 Mayflower passengers who survived the devastating, disease- and starvation-ravaged winter, and…
*Shudder* I HATE cockroaches. They make my skin crawl. If I see one, I feel extreme revulsion. They are loathsome, vile creatures. I can’t even kill them by stepping on them, because I can’t bear to step on things that crunch. I am even having a hard time writing about them. I have no idea…
To the guy standing out in the sun taking my order in the drive-through line at In-N-Out: I see your smile, and I appreciate it! (Side note for those who are In-N-Out deprived: when the lines are long they send someone out to the cars in line to take orders before you get to the…
The 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. Truly a time to remember, when the Armistice which ended World War I was signed. Veteran’s Day. Remembrance Day. Depending on where you live, you may wear or see someone wearing a poppy on their lapel, although that is rare in the United States…
Raise your hand if your Thanksgiving celebration is going to be different this year. Loved ones may not be able to gather as they usually do, travel may not be a possibility, you may be in a quarantine or lockdown situation—you may even have family members who are fighting or have succumbed to the coronavirus,…
My husband Richard lived within walking distance of Knott’s Berry Farm in Buena Park, California from 1961-1963, back in the day when entrance was free and only a few attractions cost any money. For him it was the local park and playground, so it’s only natural that one of his favorite foods in the whole…