Barely Surviving a Crossword Puzzle Tournament

  Imagine sitting in a crowded room with 120 people doing something so torturous, so grueling, so excruciating…you start to question your sanity. This happened to me recently when I attended the annual Crossword Puzzle Tournament at the local library. Hosted by The New York Times’ Puzzle Editor, Will Shortz — this is the area’s […]

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Inside the Crazy, Mixed-Up World of Retirement

Life is backwards these days. In what seemed like seconds, I went from many years of my husband Randy away on business (while I stayed home with two kids) to the kids gone and Randy home. We’ve become this interesting hybrid of our bohemian twenties and creaky sixties. Some things I thankfully do less of […]

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Shall We (Kind of) Dance?

I’ve driven by the place hundreds of times, tucked away in a modest strip of stores. But I never entered. I never knew what happened within those walls. The other night I found out. Yes, I had an invitation to try ballroom dancing. In that little nondescript building, I found a world I didn’t know […]

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How to Stay Chill in This Insane World

  Don’t we all feel turmoil in the air? There’s too much happening, too fast. The planet seems scarier and more chaotic than ever. Yet, there’s one member of my family who always seems, well…calm. She’s my little terrier, Libby. And here are some coping skills she’s taught me… Live in the Present – Yes, […]

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Who Were History’s Most “Nasty” Women?

  They didn’t care what people thought. They followed their own rules. Many enjoyed shocking the bourgeois. They were history’s “Nasty” Women, as a certain politician likes to call females he doesn’t like. This got me thinking. Why are these feisty females so fascinating? Here are my 5 favorites in no particular order… Mae West […]

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Is It True? Do Opposites Attract?

My husband Randy and I are a good team. We always have been. And yet, as we’ve both adjusted over the years to his retirement — and him being home all the time — I see now how different we are. I’ve even wondered how we managed to survive all these years, still loving and […]

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Are Small, Awful Tortures Really The Spice of Life?

Ever find yourself dreading something so much, you can’t think of anything else? Your heart beats fast. Your palms sweat. You lie awake at night. Yet afterwards you find yourself relieved and even happy? This happened to me this week when I had to face the biggest, scariest, most threatening task of all… Yes, I […]

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A Vital (But Scary) New Year’s Lesson…

Sometimes an event happens that stops you in your tracks. It shakes and scares you, but gives a new perspective. This happened to me the day after New Year’s last year. My husband Randy and I had hosted our second annual New Year’s Day “Basement Jam.” This is a party for local musicians – – […]

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