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My Birthday Party

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     Having recently celebrated a birthday, memories of past birthdays came to mind. Fortunately for me, as a young child growing up in my Brooklyn home, birthdays were mostly a family affair.  Instead of a party with my friends, I just had a “family party” and that was more than enough for me. Truth is, I wasn’t too crazy about going to my friends’ parties. I always found the games intimidating. Especially when they played two games that caused me a lot of anxiety, Pin the Tail on the Donkey and Musical Chairs.      Pin the Tail on the Donkey was a frightening and embarrassing pursuit. You know the game but let me bring it back to you. Picture a bunch of kids sequestered in a wood paneled basement festooned with crepe paper garlands hanging from the ceiling. An adult blindfolded you and spun you around until you were so dizzy you immediately regretted eating that second piece of birthday cake. They handed you a paper tail with a thumbtack stuck in it, which at this you
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Two Grandmas

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     Becoming a new grandmother has me thinking back to my childhood. Growing up, I was fortunate to have both my maternal and paternal grandmothers close by. In our family, they were affectionately referred to as Grandma B and Grandma P, the first initial of their last names.  I was in my twenties when they died and although I was old enough to accept this inevitable fact of life, I was still too young to lose the benefit of their wisdom and their love. I remember them both fondly, and now as a grandmother myself, I think about these two women more than ever.       We called Grandma B, my mother’s mom, Noni.  She was widowed in her fifties and soon after came to live with us. As a kid, I loved having Noni stay in our home. For years, we shared a bedroom and the biggest perk of that was that she made my bed every morning! In turn, I would hand down some of my clothes and she loved to mix teen-style tops with her classic tweed skirts. She had an eye for style and was an exquisite dressm
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That Lasagna

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If you ask any adult who was a chubby kid if they have a memory of being put on their first diet, most will answer yes and many will say it’s a bad memory they would rather forget.  I certainly didn’t forget, but it wasn't all that bad. There are as many diets as there are bathroom scales. Even if you’ve never dieted, never snacked on celery sticks in lieu of potato chips or never called one of those 1-800 numbers looking for a magic pill; I’m sure you’ve heard of Weight Watchers.  Weight Watchers was my first diet. It was 1969. I was in eighth grade. I don’t remember what I weighed or maybe I just erased it from my memory along with my poor conduct grades. I do know that I weighed significantly more than my classmates. When the girls would discuss their weights, I would just lie. But I wasn’t stupid. I assessed where I fell on the weight continuum between the skinny and chubby girls and bent the truth by a few pounds. Truth is, I wasn’t unhappy with how I looked, I just didn’t lik
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I'll call you back....

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One of the highest compliments my dad would pay someone is when he referred to another man as, "a man of his word." There was no explanation needed. I knew exactly what he meant. This man would  follow-through on a promise, a deal or something as simple as returning a phone call.  I don't know about you, but I see less of this today. Are people more distracted? Is this just another fallout of social media? You tell me. Okay, so you may think this isn't a big deal. Let's look at something that could be a big deal for you like applying for a job and receiving no response, even though the application said they will get back to you in so many weeks. Has this ever happened to you?  How about when a store, agency, home improvement place, etc. says they will get back to you by the end of the week. Friday comes, the weekend passes, and nothing. Why did they say that?  Today, the expression "a man of his word" is needed more than ever, but let's update it.  
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Cake, Lucy and Love

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 Today is my grand-dog Lucy's birthday. Lucy is 2 years old and during those two years, she has managed to transform me into a dog person. I love Lucy and because of her, I look at other dogs in new and different ways. However, I am convinced Lucy is special. She has eyes that look into your soul and she knows, she just knows.  For her birthday, I offered to bake her a cake. She knew I would.  I googled dog birthday cakes and more recipes came up than you could imagine. I settled on one that had ingredients I happened to have in my cupboard. It also sounded like something I would enjoy eating too (yep, I'm that kind of dog person). The recipe called for flour, honey, peanut butter, egg and applesauce; all good stuff. I whipped up some fresh cream for a dollop of "frosting" and bought a number 2 candle to top it off. Then we celebrated!  Even though I have that grandma tendency to overfeed those I love, I gave her a small piece to enjoy and my daughter froze the rest f
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Route 66

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 My daughter said something to me yesterday that has stayed with me. It was a compliment, but it was more than that, it was a revelation. She said (and I'll quote/copy her text exactly), "I love that you are getting even more easy going as you get older, most people get uptight 😂😂😂." This comment was in response to my reaction to a picture she had texted me. Her dog Lucy and just come in from doing her outdoor business and left muddy paw marks all over the kitchen floor. My response...."It happens."  The small stuff just doesn't matter anymore. (Is this the wisdom they talk about?) When my now adult kids share their annoyances, I try to minimize their small stuff too in an effort to save them some time.  Tomorrow is my birthday and at sixty-six, I finally learned that most of it is small stuff. Would I like to go back in time and have a few opportunities for a re-do? I sure would! I regret all that energy wasted on things that just didn't matter. Unfo
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King of Hearts

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I pulled this blog from my archives. You may have read it. I often think about how my dad would feel about this pandemic. Being a member of "The Greatest Generation," he would have accepted the inconveniences and disappointments and his big heart would have reached out to help those who are negatively affected financially by the pandemic.  I know he would. I try to emulate my dad, but to be honest, he's a tough act to follow. I think this blog is fitting to post again for Valentine's Day...it says a lot and maybe it will warm your heart....again. I often write stories about my dad. Once I start writing, his strong Brooklyn accent fills my ears and warm memories flood my heart. There are so many good stories, but there are a few favorites. Here’s one of them…. Growing up, Valentine’s Day was much more than a Hallmark Day at our house. My dad had a huge heart and sometimes I think this day was meant just for him. On this day, he paid special attention to my mom, the lov
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