I was talking to our aunt the other day and inevitably the topic of readiness for Christmas came up. Over the course of our conversation, she told me a story about how our father, as a teenager, used to steal shortbread off the baking sheet that our grandmother had just taken out of the oven. This immediately triggered a very clear memory for me of the cracker box full of shortbread that our grandmother sent to our family every year at Christmas. And when Big Sis described in great detail her memory of taking small bites of the shortbread to make it last longer because it tasted so good, it…

My Grandmother had them, Mom had them and along with millions and millions of other wretched souls, I also have them. They are the scourge of both young and old alike. They are bunions and they are life altering….sort of. I could write at length about the causes and possible treatments for this condition, but if you aren’t already nodding off, that would without a doubt put you to sleep. So, if you don’t have bunions, or don’t know someone who has bunions, you might want to check out right now. (If you decide to read on, I promise there will be no grim, gory or disturbing illustrations.) Okay, I…

A little over 10 years ago, I was on the living room floor, thoroughly enjoying some imaginative play with my 3 year old grandson. And then the phone rang. I was expecting an important call, so I was anxious to get up, but I missed it because I couldn't move fast enough. And there you have the meaning behind the above title.

Over the years I have found myself following Big Sis’ lead in many things (remember the photo with us both wearing the same dress😬). After all she is the older wiser sister. I was quite intrigued with her “smile at a stranger” experiment and decided to try it myself and see what happened. Here for you is a description of some of my more interesting, unexpected interactions with strangers. Cooking Things Up When I was checking out at the grocery store I smiled at the cashier and asked him what he was hearing from customers about cookware that the store was offering on a promotion. He said that he had…

One of the many things I appreciate about retirement is not having to wear makeup every day. I went from a full face – foundation, concealer, blush, eyeshadow, mascara and lipstick, to being fresh faced; at least as fresh faced as a 55 year old could be. Moisturizer, lip balm and maybe some mascara was the new regime. As the years passed and the inevitable wrinkles, age spots and disappearing eyelashes became more noticeable, I decided maybe there was something to be said for a bit of help, just to freshen the look. Nothing drastic or permanent, me but just a little brighter. Things Have Definitely Changed Of course I…