Women's Issues Midlife And Beyond
“In order to love who you are, you cannot hate the experiences that shaped you.” –Andrea Dykstra Past. February 2021 Stretching my hand out to his side of the bed, I felt the unsettling coolness of sheets unslept upon. My husband, Tad, hospitalized due to a stroke, was far away from me physically and mentally. I prayed he would… Read More
It’s up to you, and it’s up to me No one can say what we get to be So why don’t we rewrite the stars? Lyrics from Rewrite the Stars composed by Benj Paske and Justin Paul “Are you going to love me today?” I asked. “No.” It was at that moment I knew something was wrong. My husband and I… Read More
One photo out of focus is a mistake, ten photos out of focus are an experimentation, one hundred photos out of focus are a style. –Unknown It was not my finest photographic moment, but then again, optimism ruled the day. How bad could a picture taken from a fast-moving tour bus, through a fingerprint speckled bus window, on a blizzardy… Read More
Birthdays. Even though my business is named Aging Schmaging, and even though I honestly know and believe aging is a gift, I still feel, well, doggedly resistant to the years adding up. And up. Annnnnd up. I see the changes to my body. My night vision is different. Knee joints are a little more vocal, and my back throws regular… Read More
“If at first you don’t succeed then skydiving definitely isn’t for you.” ― Steven Wright Me. I’m that woman who somehow lost her daring over the years. At least that’s how it feels. What happens? Where does that “I’m invincible” attitude go? When I was a kid trying to keep up with my two older brothers, not much daunted me…. Read More
“Imperfection inspires invention, imagination, creativity. It stimulates. The more I feel imperfect, the more I feel alive.” ― Jhumpa Lahiri Daylight had mostly given up. No matter. I pulled up my inadequate hoodie, hunched into the rain, and kept my head down. Funny where you find gifts. As I walked, I noticed how lovely the fallen leaves looked spattered… Read More
“In Wisconsin they have deep-fried cheese curds, which taste like French fries and heaven had a baby.” ― Jim Gaffigan It started, as so many of my life experiments do, on a whim. I was browsing online and noted a 7-day “reset” program that claimed, by the end, that I would be bursting with energy. Oooo yeah, I could use… Read More
“See the world through the eyes of your inner child. The eyes that sparkle in awe and amazement as they see love, magic and mystery in the most ordinary things.” ― Henna Sohail A leaf, curled on the road as though summer is too much. A bee on a blossom, I dare not touch. Fences contain both light and dark…… Read More
“The afternoon knows what the morning never suspected.” ― Robert Frost In retrospect, I think it was the wink that bothered me most. There we were–“we” being my husband and me–sitting in a place of business awaiting a transaction. It is a business we’ve used for decades, but the person working with us was new. At least new in our… Read More
“I have lived with several Zen masters — all of them cats.” ― Eckhart Tolle If you don’t like cats, look away now. LOOK. AWAY. Why? Because I’m going to share a few reasons why cats are good for our health and wellbeing. If you think cats are pretty badass and cool, this blog is for you…essentially cat-goodness validation on… Read More
I’ve had so many bikini waxes, I cry every time I see a Popsicle stick.” ― Libba Bray On a recent spring night, a rare one in which the sun was in attendance, a group of artists gathered. Me, being me, grabbed a drink and tried to slink off into a corner. I love artists; I don’t enjoy starting or… Read More
“What darkness swirls inside your head? You are the Pinot Noir beside my bed.” ― Silvia Ardor I love my husband. We’ve known each other for around thirty years with the last eighteen of those attached to titles of Mr. and Mrs. With that much time together you’d think we’d be so familiar, so predictable, that our kisses would merge… Read More
“It’s the good girls who keep the diaries; the bad girls never have the time.” –Tallulah Bankhead I was surprised when I opened the book, and a photograph drifted to the floor. Huh. The book, The Mane Event, was given to me around 1994 by my mother and had been sitting on a shelf ever since. Had I forgotten the… Read More
“Passion in life…is life. It’s contagious. Get naked and roll around in it.” ― Lorii Myers You know that dream where you show up at school, unprepared for the big test? And, because dream pain needs to be humiliating too, you realize you’re standing in a hallway full of students staring and laughing at your lack of clothing. Unprepared and… Read More
“Anyone who lives within their means suffers from a lack of imagination.” ― Oscar Wilde You know that feeling. The one where you dread what’s coming at you? Maybe it’s a dental appointment (and, as a former dental assistant who tried her darndest to make patients comfortable, I’m giving you a pass on feeling that way), maybe it’s a visit… Read More
“Go and play. Run around. Build something. Break something. Climb a tree. Get dirty. Get in some trouble. Have some fun.” ― Brom I’m that much closer to buying the saddle I want, I’m that much closer to buying the saddle I want, thought teenage Peggy as yet another envelope slid into yet another slot. It was a tedious summer… Read More
“So it’s true, when all is said and done, grief is the price we pay for love.” ― E.A. Bucchianeri Hello, my friends. I feel as though an explanation is due. For years I’ve been posting a weekly blog of some sort and enjoy the eclectic sharing. As always, my interests range from aging, creativity, and health, to, um, Tad… Read More
The other day I noticed my sister had Facebook posted a photo of a bottle of brandy, lemons, and honey. She said it was her way of coping when not feeling well. (The fact that the honey and lemons did not look used is hardly a judgment, dear sister! Just kidding.) Truth be told, the hot water/brandy/honey/lemon elixir is also… Read More
“And all meet in singing, which braids together the different knowings into a wide and subtle music, the music of living. ” ― Alison Croggon The music caught my attention far more than the delicious scents wafting from the cruise ship’s restaurant. Poking my head into the casino bar, I saw a beautiful woman singing Fever to a rapt audience…. Read More
“The sorrow we feel when we lose a loved one is the price we pay to have had them in our lives.” ― Rob Liano How is it possible to feel the depths of sadness and the infinity of wonder at the same time? How can one say hello and goodbye in the same breath, with equal intensity? How can… Read More
“Life can be like a roller coaster with its ups and downs. What matters is whether you are keeping your eyes open or closed during the ride and who is next to you.” ― Ana Ortega Uffda. It’s been one of those weeks. The heartfelt gratitude I feel about life, in general, has pushed against some scary unknowns, causing an epic… Read More
“You never know what’s going to be in the garden in June when you’re looking at it in January.” ― Corey Ann Haydu Life is good, even with the whole passage of time thing. I was looking through photographs the other day and came across images from when my children were young. I swear I can still smell the baby… Read More
“We may meet so many people along this long road, But it is of no use, Until we finally meet ourselves.” ― Mimi Novic My mom, bless her, was not a great cook. Her meal menus included a lot of meat, potatoes, and gravy, but not necessarily tasty meat, potatoes and gravy. Her oft-repeated mantra, should any complaints arise, was,… Read More
“But age became him as it did the oaks and the cedars.” ― Thomas Burnett Swann That weird sound–almost one of flatulence–of fabric against inflated vinyl broke the silence. My husband, a man who felt his camping days were behind him, squirmed and stretched and ultimately snuggled into me on the air mattress. I felt the warmth of his body… Read More
“The night is the hardest time to be alive and 4 am knows all my secrets.” ― Poppy Z. Brite When women gather, one of the most frequent comments I hear is, “I’m so freak’n tired!” Oh, do I feel you, sister! Quality sleep, for many of us too-busy women, is elusive. I wrote this blog a little while back,… Read More
“Sometimes it’s easy to walk by because we know we can’t change someone’s whole life in a single afternoon. But what we fail to realize is that simple kindness can go a long way toward encouraging someone who is stuck in a desolate place.” ― Mike Yankoski About to leave the Kwik Trip gas station, I caught sight of the… Read More
“Just discovered that creating a recipe is like writing, the art is knowing when to stop adding and changing the ingredients.” ― Chris Geiger Back when I was a sweet young lass, my father came to me with a plea. “Your mom tries, but she cannot bake decent chocolate chip cookies to save her soul. Any chance you would try?”… Read More
“I don’t want to repeat my innocence. I want the pleasure of losing it again.” ― F. Scott Fitzgerald I was running a little ahead of schedule, a bad habit ingrained in me by my father. If he was on time, he was late. Period. But enough of my Norwegian/German/Bohemian underpinnings and tendencies. The reason for my trip to Sandstone,… Read More
“Boys are beyond the range of anybody’s sure understanding, at least when they are between the ages of 18 months and 90 years.” ― James Thurber A butterfly captured my attention, and I followed it with iPhone in hand. If it would just land on something, I could snap a photo…and then I heard a voice. My head swiveled toward… Read More
“In early June the world of leaf and blade and flowers explodes, and every sunset is different.” — John Steinbeck, The Winter of Our Discontentment June, June, June, I mused. When did I last give Booker his flea and tick stuff? Moving to the calendar I flipped back to May’s dates and activities. Dang, I hadn’t jotted down the deed. Usually, I… Read More
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