It’s December 10 as I write this post, but I can safely say that whenever you read it, I still won’t be ready. Wasn’t it just summer when I was worrying about going out in public in a bathing suit? Wasn’t it just Halloween when I was passing out packets of hyperactivity-producing goodies to cute little gremlins who seemed shocked when asked whether they wanted...

Quick! Think of 10 things you’re thankful for even in this tumultuous year of 2018. If you can’t think of anything, feel free to steal from my list: 1) You don’t have to cook. Oh wait, you are cooking. Go immediately to 2).  Pass the gravy and collect 200 leftovers. 2) Drunk Uncle is not coming to dinner  because he’s mad at someone in the...

Don’t you just love it when you’re right? When you’re totally vindicated? When THEY were wrong and YOU were right. . . All right, so it’s only a plant we’re talking about. And although it does have a fondness for imported sparkling water, it’s a modest little thing. Not an rare orchid, not a spectacular rose, not something exotic like a bird of paradise, but a...

Just when I think I’m out . . . they pull me back in. Every time I decide that Facebook is at best a waste of time, at worst a thing that makes me crazy. . . . Something happens that makes me hit that FB icon again and I’m back in thrall. I’m sure you’ve heard  that spending too much time on social media (how much is too much we wonder) can be negative...

When Did Everything Change? Some say it was the Vietnam War, when we stopped believing a single word our government said, including “and” and “the.” Maybe it was when we started calling love affairs “relationships,” thereby sanitizing the romance right out of our sex lives. Or was it the rise of political correctness, when suddenly absolutely anything you said about...

So I’m back from my trip, filled with memories, some new friends, a few extra pounds, and the following advice for your next trip. Although, as I’m well aware, unless you’re very wise, secure, and have not an ounce of vanity, you will not heed this. Anyway, here goes: The Top Ten List of Why To Pack Light #10 When you get to wherever you’re...

Yes, yes, I know. Grief has only seven stages. But this is more complicated. Stage 1: Regret: Why am I taking this trip? Why? Because it’s a Baltic cruise, a dream of mine, that’s why! This cruise goes to places like Copenhagen, where I’ll finally get to see the Little Mermaid, to Gothenburg, Sweden, for which I have a handwritten itinerary from the only...

Did you notice something “off” about the Royal Wedding ? No, not your TV set. That baby was on. Certainly not the royal newlyweds! Not even the most cold-hearted person in the kingdom (any kingdom) could fail to notice that if these two were any more “on,” they’d need, immediately, a room not merely a chapel. Nor am I referring to Oprah...