Category Archives: Uncategorized

I met Cindy for coffee yesterday. I’ve known her for over fifty-six years. We met when we both started 6th grade. Where I grew up was a farming community of less than a thousand people. Most of the farmers were Catholic, therefore birth control was taboo back then. Cindy came from a family of elevenContinue reading “Back in the Day”

As parents and grandparents you sometimes question if you made the right decision’s, did the right things, and have we had an impact or made a difference. Last night my phone rang. It was a FaceTime call from my second oldest grandchild, Vivian (16). Immediately I wondered who died. That child never calls me. WhenContinue reading “When You Make a Difference”

Every generation thinks the next generation is going to be the one that ends civilization as we know it. Our parents thought we were too ‘fresh’, wore weird clothes, had strange hair-do’s, and followed up each criticism of us with, “What is this world coming to?” I disliked my childhood but am grateful for itContinue reading “What are they teaching in school?”

I’ve been playing Pickleball for about two or the years now. No, that doesn’t mean I know what I’m doing. I’m not shy about announcing to anyone on any PB court that I am here to have fun and get exercise. Playing at the Y this morning with my new friend, Jane, we found ourselvesContinue reading “What is her Story?”

I travel to Miami about six to eight times per year to visit my son, his wife, and their two children. This has been going on for about three years now. I’m definitely a people watcher and an observer of my surroundings…and these are my observations…being from the Midwest. About seventy five percent of theContinue reading “Miami…An Interesting Place”

Several months ago my oldest granddaughter told me about Reddit and encouraged me to look into it. I’ve heard of Reddit but didn’t know what it was. However, several years ago we were on the island of Zakynthos in Greece and were having trouble with the wash machine in the house we rented. All ofContinue reading “What I Did & Didn’t Get”

Let the planning begin! Where to start? It starts with a diet. The bride’s mother (my SIL) and I. In anticipation of the wedding since the engagement in November, my SIL has already been trying to lose weight and it’s noticeable. I have an evening gown that I wore for my son’s wedding in 2018.Continue reading “There’s Going to be a Wedding!”

Since my last post I was able to visit my son and his family for eight days about two weeks ago. I couldn’t be more pleased at the progress my DIL has made since I saw her eight weeks before. She’s calmer, bright, engaging, and almost back to the beautiful girl my son married. WithoutContinue reading “Mental Illness Update”

They had it all. High-profile jobs. 401k’s that were busting at the seams. A beautiful home worth north of one million dollars. Two beautiful children. Worldwide travel. Tons of friends. Nice cars. Designer clothes, shoes, luggage, and handbags. A Nanny. A gardener. A housekeeper. A pool boy. You can have the world by the tailContinue reading “Mental Illness Sucks”

Yes, it’s the name of a movie and it just so happens to have popped in my head this morning about 6am. I was hosting a lunch today with my mom and cousin. Nothing special…just been a while since we’ve all been together. Here in Wisconsin, there’s nothing quite as good as hot ham andContinue reading “As Good as It Gets…”

I sometimes make off-the-cuff jokes about empathy and sympathy not being my middle names. And they’re not. If someone has a problem or crisis that is not of their own doing, I’m right there to help. If your problem or crisis is self-inflicted due to poor decisions and bad judgement AGAIN, lose my phone number.Continue reading “An Old Feeling Has Returned”

You may remember as a kid that your mom, grandmas, aunts, neighbors, and almost anyone else you knew did a spring and fall cleaning. I remember it well. Twice a year every piece of furniture in the house was moved, cleaned, cleaned under, and cleaned behind. The drapes and curtains were washed and hung outContinue reading “Spring, Fall, or No Cleaning?”

Yesterday Bill and I drove to Weston WI for lunch. That is 180 miles from our house or as Wisconsinites like to say, it’s 2 hours and 40 minutes. We’re known for giving distance in time rather than miles. Our oldest granddaughter, Savannah, was throwing a surprise birthday lunch for her husband Nick. Just soContinue reading “How Far Would You Travel?”

There’s a commercial on TV for a credit card asking, “What’s in your wallet?” There is also the age-old question about what women actually carry in their purses. I’m here to share what I carry in mine. I have many purses…probably around twenty. Most of them are designer bags that I did not purchase. GenerouslyContinue reading “What’s in Your Wallet?”

No, this is not about football or any other professional sport. This is about the seasonal differences between the two states. I chose Wisconsin because I live here. I chose Florida because I am there every other month compliments of my oldest son who flies me down to spend time with my grandchildren. I loveContinue reading “Wisconsin vs Florida”

I wrote my last post the day after not winning as many ribbons at the State Fair that I felt I should have. Going into this, there’s no guarantee of any ribbons. You don’t know which judge is going to judge which items, are they in a good mood, do they really feel like taste-testingContinue reading “Follow-Up to My Last Post”

For the last several years I’ve seen a man in my neighborhood that is homeless. The first time I saw him about three years ago, he was sitting on a bench outside of the grocery store about three blocks from my house. At that time I assumed he was homeless because he was surrounded byContinue reading “Homeless in my Neighborhood”

(In Rod Serling’s voice) Imagine if you will, 6am, still dark outside, the house is quiet, and you’re looking for something non-electronic to amuse you. It’s not your house and the only magazines you can find are a National Geographic and Esquire. I knew Esquire was going to be loaded with ads for things IContinue reading “I Was Reading About My Life”

In an earlier post I talked about moving my mom from independent living to assisted living. I also mentioned that she was one step short of a hoarder. Two dumpsters and about thirty-five 55-gallon garbage bags later, what didn’t go with my mom to her new teeny-tiny assisted living apartment, came to my clean, clutter-freeContinue reading “The Garage Sale”