Category: Recent Posts

When I was fourteen my father bought me a makeup mirror for Christmas.

I didn’t wear makeup then and still don’t today, but it is one of my most cherished gifts.

I guess Dad thought it a natural choice for a teenage daughter. I used it occasionally to tweeze my eyebrows back when I had them. Now I use it to pluck the two-inch gray hair that mysteriously appears out of nowhere.

The mirror may be rarely used but it has traveled with me for fifty-plus years and is still in pretty darned good condition. (The lightbulb is original.)

I wish you the merriest Christmas and sincerely hope that one of your gifts turns out to be a “makeup mirror.”

Cartoons served as every kind of lesson for my siblings and me. But for hubby growing up in Germany, they just weren’t a thing. Although he doesn’t get our silly Bugs Bunny quotes and Flintstone references, he seems to have survived just fine. But I couldn’t bear the thought of his not knowing the Peanuts gang the way I do.

So, for Halloween we watched, It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. His first comment was, “What’s up with their hair?” It’s funny how you kind of forget how “follicle challenged” many of the characters are until seen through a fresh set of eyes. And he was dismayed when the Great Pumpkin never showed and Sally turned on Linus. 

Although still traumatized by “that pumpkin thing,” we watched A Charlie Brown Christmas. This is a family favorite, and thankfully hubby enjoyed it too. My family started watching in 1965, and as siblings were added, they too became equally enamored with the Charles Schulz masterpiece.

An interesting tidbit is that with no laugh track and the unusual choice of an unorthodox jazz score, the producers and network predicted the project would be a disaster. But the show received rave reviews in 1965, and not only does it stand the test of time, it gets more relevant every year.

Give it a look if you haven’t seen it in a while and see if you agree. Although it’s no longer on network TV because Apple bought all the rights, they do offer it free at Christmas for non-subscribers. (This year the offer is good December 13-14.)

• Go to tv.apple.com or open in the Apple TV app
• Find “A Charlie Brown Christmas”
• Stream it without needing a paid subscription (You’ll have to create an Apple TV+ ID)

Sometimes when I’m in the shower I think about Carl Reiner.

Yes, that Carl Reiner: famous comedian, father of Rob.

When I read Reiner’s memoir, what stuck with me was that he said he most appreciated being able to take a shower every day.

I do understand that sentiment at 90 years old, but it’s amazing that even after such a long and storied career, life has a way of boiling things down. Nevertheless, that’s gratitude I can get behind.

I hope you will forgive me for nudging you, yet again, toward the G-word, but I think everyone (including me) can use a little reminder of all we have.

Not surprisingly, the late, great Diane Keaton also seemed to have a handle on what gratitude should look like.

In an interview, Keaton was asked what she most valued in life. She said, “I really enjoy seeing. I guess my favorite thing in life is the fact that I can see. It’s just so unbelievable.”

“Never let the things you want make you forget the things you have.”

Happy Thanksgiving 🌻

p.s. Be honest, if I had titled this post along the lines of being grateful, would you have opened it?

When is it okay to lie?

This is one of those questions designed to reveal someone’s personality and values. A common answer is: “To spare someone’s feelings.”

My answer is the not so noble: when it pertains to weight.

Hubby and I have always had a silly cat/mouse-type game about the subject. Years ago when we were in Texas, I was pulled over for speeding (allegedly). The police officer held his flashlight on my driver’s license and asked, “How much do you weigh?” Which barbarically enough was listed on our Florida driver’s licenses back in the 90s.

“One thirty,” I said.

“Well,” hubby said as we drove away. “Now I know!”

“I didn’t tell him how much I weigh,” I said. “I told him what it says on my driver’s license.”

I have never told the truth about my weight, and I don’t intend to start now. There, I said it.

While out to dinner with friends recently, one of them (a man, of course), asked everyone “How much more do you weigh now than you did in high school?”

I blurted out: twelve pounds.

Now, in hindsight (and if I had been drinking), I would answer in an entirely different manner.

On the way home, hubby said, “You were pretty quick to answer that weight question.”

“Well, you know I didn’t tell the truth, right?”

“Of course I do,” he said.

I do feel a little better knowing that most people lie about their weight (https://www.livescience.com/18206-people-lie-weight-surveys.html).

But, I may take it a bit far.

When I was being prepped for my first colonoscopy, the anesthesiologist told me it was Propofol that he was giving me. I immediately thought of Michael Jackson and asked, “How do you know how much to give me?”

“We go by your weight,” he said.

“Nobody weighed me today.”

“We get it from the forms you filled out,” he said.

Uh oh.

When I read about the last 100km of the Camino’s Portuguese Way I noted the difficulty level was considered easy. I’m not really sure what scale was used to determine this, but it’s definitely not the same used for, say, cruise excursions where easy means you have to have a pulse.

Admittedly I did not train for hills, and living in Florida for the past 45 years where the only “hill” is a maybe a curb, left me unprepared. At one point toward the end of the day’s walk we turned a corner and were faced with a big hill. I must confess I literally said, “No f’ing way!” (Only I didn’t say f’ing.) I have to hand it to my fellow pilgrims though as one simply said, “We got this,” and started up that hill.

Needless to say, I found the experience challenging, but I’m glad I did it and I’m kind of proud too.

The Camino means different things to different people. For some, it’s a traditional religious pilgrimage, while for others it’s a spiritual journey or a “walking cure” that offers a holistic and therapeutic experience.

Noting the many memorials along the way, it’s obvious the Camino is also a healing from life events. It offers a way to process grief, loss, or major life transitions. Walking becomes a form of moving meditation that provides the space and time needed to heal.

Unplugging from modern life cannot be understated. It was wonderful to not hear or see any news for eight days while also knowing that for over a millennium, pilgrims have walked the same routes, creating a profound sense of connection to history.

For me, the reason for doing the Camino was very simple. I believe that when God puts something in your heart, you do it.

Thanks for reading.

Buen Camino.

If I had to pick a favorite part of my Camino experience, it would be the bagpipers (Doedelzak in German) who appear out of nowhere in the forest. You would hear this charming sound long before you came across the wonderful sight. Also, the many pop up “cafes” along the way just when you needed it. And when I say café, I use the word loosely. These were sometimes merely a trailer in the forest that some enterprising Spaniard turned into a haven for pilgrims to sit for as long as they wanted or needed – in the sun or the shade – and rest, have a refreshment, get a stamp, and connect with others.

The stamps were also a favorite of mine. To earn your Compostela (certificate) at the end of your Camino you must have at least two stamps from each city along the way. This has turned into a fun Easter-egg-hunt-type experience for pilgrims and a great tool for business folks. One of my first stamps was a “betty boop” type that looked like we may have gotten it at a strip joint (we got it at a bar). Everyone asked where we got it, and someone even took a picture of it.

The landscape and the animals were, of course, a highlight. I saw only two stray dogs, both of which were so healthy looking and friendly that I kept searching for the owner. Thankfully, the cats all seemed happy and well cared for too, and there was plenty of cat siesta-ing everywhere!

Hardly a favorite was that I lost no weight. Don’t get me wrong that wasn’t the purpose of the trip, but come on! Two hundred thousand steps and not even a pound?! It may have been the 3-4 cappuccinos per day, which were mostly made with creamy whole milk. And perhaps all the bread… Alright, fair enough.

Next up: Finale

I was admittedly a little nervous about my journey to Spain for what I dubbed the “Baby Camino.” (And, I had the feeling everyone else was a lot nervous.)

If you have never heard of the Camino, I ask that you google Camino de Santiago. It’s a famous pilgrimage that folks have been doing for over a millennium. I chose the simplest version of it – the last one hundred kilometers.

Two months before I left, with all my supplies ready, and many miles of training under my belt, I would mention the Camino to hubby, and he would inevitably say, “You’re serious about this?”

I wasn’t offended. I’m typically not very gung-ho about travel and haven’t ventured out alone in years. What’s more, the last time we traveled to Europe, I forgot to leave airplane mode on. We are still trying to figure out how we avoided thousands of dollars in cell phone fees.

During a visit last year, hubby’s cousin from Germany mentioned that his wife wanted to do the Camino. Hubby’s eyes immediately met mine because he knew this was something I’d been talking about for years. (And he has said more than once that he isn’t interested in going on vacation to walk. I get it. Not many are.)

I’m not really certain what put the Camino in my heart, but last December the dream was hatched to meet my two fellow pilgrims from Germany in Vigo, Spain at the end of September 2025, to walk to Santiago de Compostela.

To be continued…

Recently I was having Sunday brunch with family at a popular little place in the more upscale part of our county.

I just happened to be looking out the window at the tables outside, two of which were recently vacated, but not cleared. This is the type of place where they give you the pot when you order coffee.

The place was pretty crowded and there were many people milling around out there waiting for a table. I watched as a guy walked up to the table, poured coffee into one of the used cups and sat down to drink it. He moved to the other table still drinking his coffee and then he got up, dropped off the coffee cup and picked up a half eaten sandwich.

When I shared what I was witnessing, my brother told a story of how back in school he once saw a kid take food that was left on top of the trash in the lunchroom. It made me glad it was my sensitive brother that witnessed this and not another kid who may have ridiculed him. My brother said it made him think that although we had some pretty “lean” years growing up, we never went hungry. Oh, there were days when a Devil Dog was all there was for dinner, but we always try to see the humorous side when talking about those years. That said, I’d pretty much kill to be that weight and be able to eat Devil Dogs for dinner now.

At the risk of stereotyping, the guy in the restaurant did not look particularly homeless. Maybe he had mental problems, or an addiction, or maybe he was just hungry, but I’m still thinking about him and feeling grateful for how our lives turned out.

When the doorbell rings in the middle of the day, I can be fairly certain it’s a neighbor needing assistance with something – often technology based. I really don’t mind this as I read that a fulfilling retirement should consist of a third of your time spent with family, a third spent on community, and a third spent on yourself. I chalk the neighbors up to community.

Often, it’s cell phone related (“I usually mash this button, but that’s not working”); or help needed with something like a digital frame (“My grandchild sent this and I’m not sure what the heck I’m supposed to do with it”); or perhaps it’s the always popular, “I may have ordered something on the phone/computer by accident” situation.

I’ve even encountered the unbelievable, “Can you help me? I think I threw out my savings bonds.” (Spoiler Alert: She did, and there’s actually a U.S. Treasury Department process for it.)

Recently though, the request was for help with for an upcoming cruise. It was too early to check in so I told them I would try in a day or two and get back to them.

After checking them in as much as I could I headed to their house to get the rest of their information. Their air conditioning had gone out overnight, so they were in a little bit of a tizzy. As I stood in their hot kitchen listening to them yell at one another about where the (expired) passports were, and how they had trouble with the name on the birth certificate last time, and just about everything else one can imagine, I ran out the door, saying, “No worries, I’ll come back.”

A little later the husband brought over the paperwork. On his way out, he said, “I better get back and apologize to my wife for yelling at her.”

“Aww,” I said. “Blame the heat.”

“She’ll say, ‘What was your excuse yesterday?’”

“Oh, sorry.”

“I don’t know what it is anymore,” he said. “She could say hello and it aggravates the hell out of me. The doctor says it’s normal at our age, but if it gets any worse, there’s a pill he can give me.”

Who knew they had a pill for that?

Besides helping our “community,” my secret hope is that all the assistance hubby and I provide is being stockpiled as “goodwill” or “karma” that will come back to us someday. Hopefully, we never need that grouchy pill, but maybe we’ll have kind neighbors that will help us if we do.