I will have the opportunity to do a lot of tent living this summer. As in camping… of sorts. My husband and adult children find this amusing because they know I’m a bath and bed kinda chick. However, the chance to better my photography skills and to spend time with fascinating people is just too delicious to pass up. Still,… Read More

Actually there was something I wanted to get on my chest. I was hunting for a new bra, and wanted something that would lift the girls and make them a bit cheeky too. As I was browsing a Victoria Secret store, two young males were nervously gazing about. It was hard to tell if they were checking out the merchandise,… Read More

With all the media attention focused on the upcoming Royal Wedding, I find it interesting that the style trendsetters are giving a big nod towards hats. My grandmother always wore a hat to church (and had a coat pocket full of lemon drops for antsy granddaughters), so it feels like life has come full circle. Grandmother’s hats were fairly small… Read More

There is something very sweet and comforting about rituals between lovers. I’m not sure if it is generational thing, but my husband always walks around to my side of the car and opens the door for me, helps me with my coat, and calls at noon just to say he’s thinking about me. I hope I return his thoughtfulness in… Read More

Now that the spring sun is getting a bit more consistant, I’m seeing an awful lot of dust and cobwebs and things I’d rather not know about. (Is that a mouse dropping or a thistle seed?) I remember that my grandmother was a fanatic about keeping a spotless home. She’d pick every speck of lint of the floor, and rub… Read More

When I was growing up it seemed like all the men and women in our small farm community were old. They weren’t of course, it was just my childish lens on the world. I was listening to a piece on NBC’s Today Show and the “expert” was saying that our life expectancy has increased, so is middle age the same as it used… Read More

There seems to be a slow recognition of change as we age. We are surprised when we look in the mirror and discover a new wrinkle. And it’s not like it’s some tiny thing…it’s  more like a valley running through your face complete with rock climbers and alpine skiers. How was it not there the day before? My friend Jodi… Read More

The other day I was meeting a new friend for tea and conversation. We were in that funky stage of a relationship where you want to share enough stories to be interesting, but not so many that one of you exits. Quickly. Vicki was sharing a juicy memory when she suddenly stopped. Her eyes roamed the walls and ceilings. Then she… Read More

Life would be pretty dull if we knew ahead of time what would happen. I remember coming home from a college class two years ago expecting to walk into the kitchen and begin my relaxation time. It was also my birthday, but I was downplaying that. Unbeknownst to me, my daughter and friends had rigged the door to drop balloons… Read More

I”ve been reading a lot lately about the education that comes with making mistakes. At least, if we are lucky, we learn something.  The point is, women who are really living life are going to mess up from time to time. Instead of berating ourselves, we should be smiling and moving on. I’m on board with this because I mess up a… Read More

Why is it that some people, and animals, can sleep anywhere, at any time, under any conditions? Why is it others cannot? I remember as a child spending a lot of time at my grandmother’s house. She only lived a short walk–or run, if it was a scary black night–down the road from my parent’s house, and I spent many nights… Read More

I’m the kind of person who has always preferred a few close friends as opposed to many friends at varying levels of closeness. For those of you who recognize the trend…yes, I’m a complete, unapologetic, introvert. As long as I’m confessing my tendencies– I have also made more guy friends along the way than women friends, but it wasn’t like I… Read More

The other day I was reading about the perfection of imperfection. The idea made me feel not only good, but a bit excited. American culture focuses on youth, and even then airbrushes and starves young women to conform to an ideal. This morning the media is abuzz about a padded bikini top available to girls as young as age 7…. Read More

I had just let our 4-month old husky puppy, Booker, into the house when the phone rang. It was a call I had been waiting for, so my husband said he’d watch the over-excited puppy while I talked. Thinking all would be well if he kept Booker in sight, he under-estimated the curiosity of puppies. I walked into the room… Read More

I was talking with a new friend who is about to make a return trip to Tibet. Our conversation steered towards menopausal symtoms, and I mused about how women from other cultures and countries handle the transition. Do they keep silent? Do they celebrate? Do they change? My friend said she would love to ask, but wasn’t sure she would… Read More

A friend sent me a thank you note for some cookies I had baked during a recent low spot in her life. (Really! Who doesn’t feel better with a plate of warm chocolate chip cookies in hand?) I was taken by the quote on the front of the card, as it inspired my day. Here it is: “I want to… Read More

Ice pellets began hitting the kitchen window last night– a not so subtle reminder that nature has its own time schedule. This morning, despite the calendar reading “spring”, 10 inches of snow covered the tiny crocus blossom recently discovered in our yard. At first I resented the fact that I would have to shred my “to do” list for the… Read More