I took a few days off this past week to spend some time with some very good friends in New England. I am posting from the Manchester-Boston Regional Airport on a cool overcast morning. While up here I’ve loved viewing the beautiful older homes surrounded by gardens filled with native flowers and hard wood forests, […]
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In this boat.
Finally made it to the local widow’s lunch group again this past Monday. It’s often difficult for me to attend because it is a Monday at 11am. So if I have a client (or potential client) that wants a zoom or something, I’ve got to prioritize it. Everyone in the group totally understands. I’m the […]
The Queen of Spaulding
Around these parts, Lola the pup, aka Lola the Wonder Dog, is simply referred to as the Queen of Spaulding (our street’s name). Hardly a day goes by that I won’t overhear a passerby remark, “she’s so cute,” or request of me an opportunity to reach through the wrought iron fence to stroke her shiny […]
I Demand a Full Refund 💵
I Did Not Order This Life 📦 Nope! not even by mistake. I want my old life back. Week started as a downer for all three of us, each for different reasons. Our daughter was devastated because she finally landed a gymnastics skill she’d been working on for months. But when she tried it again […]
Aging Gracefully … and Wisely
When I lost Vern I was 59. I felt young – even though a young widowed group on Facebook told me otherwise when they declined my request to join them (55 was their limit). Ouch. Back then the thought of facing 30 years alone was daunting. How would I manage it? Would I have to […]
Death Flowers
Last weekend I drove four hours to spend the weekend with my best friend. It wasn’t a social call; I was there to support her and her family through her mother’s funeral. At the end of the service, the funeral home offered to bring the flowers to my friend’s home the next day. We had […]
She Passed Before Retirement
One of my “widow superpowers” is trying to make sure everyone I love knows I love them, and taking the time to spend time with my favorite people. I refuse to pass away feeling like I did not spend as much time with someone as I should have; nor do I want anyone I love […]
Compassion Burnout and Enduring Hope
For the past 15 years I’ve blogged and authored books on the topic of the positive effects of the dog-human relationship. My dog Quint came into my life just seven weeks after my late husband’s passing and has been my quintessential companion since the earliest days of my loss. It’s hard to believe that Quint’s […]
Trying to Have a Summer
I’ve been desperately trying to have a summer while dealing with a cavalcade of problems on many fronts. My attempt to get out and relax in nature this past Sunday pretty much sums it up. Here’s what happened … Saturday night I got my inflatable kayak out. It lives in a large bag. I opened […]
Home Care
The older I get—I just celebrated my seventy-fifth birthday — the more closely I pay attention to senior care issues. This intensified interest is driven by pure self-interest, coupled with the stark reality that I live alone and have no immediate family. The New York Times reports that by 2034, the number of senior citizens […]
From the Battlefield 🇺🇸
Since the end of the school year, in the third week of June, our 17-year-old boy had been itching to get out of town on a day trip or road trip, but we had all been way too tired… until now. Specifically, he wanted to go to Gettysburg, PA, to a tiny but […]
Saying Goodbye
Well … I must say that I’m quite happy that June is in my rearview mirror. And it occurred to me that perhaps there might have been a subliminal reason for why I was sick for nearly that whole month. Jim’s Celebration of Life was held in June No – I wasn’t invited No […]