Because of my husband’s dislike of travel, I am a much less adept air traveler than I would like to be. Traveling alone daunts me. I am short and have arthriti...
I know what’s coming next but it still pisses me off.
“Have you ever been to Italy?” Phil, a new acquaintance, asks my husband and me.
Before I can answer...
I tried. I really did. I could hear the pounding music right next door to my barre studio. The cycle barre had just opened and some riders who had just finished...
We’ve finished up our errands; returning library books, checking out a couple of new ones, browsing through Marshalls and Homegoods. It’s 4:30 but we’re getting a little hungry and this lady does not feel like cooking. We stop at The Good Pour, a small pub a couple of towns over from ours. We haven’t been here since the pandemic but it always had good food and we’re close by so why not.
As is our wont when it’s just the two of us, we sit at the small bar. Both televisions are turned to sports channels (what else is new? Would it ever hurt to put on Food Network or HGTV?...
“Is that new?” he asks as I don my ‘just-clipped-off-the tags shirt/sweater/shoes.
“No. I’ve had it awhile just never wore it before.”
“Hmm.” Today though the jig is up. I’ve got to admit the truth. My husband Jack is not cheap. He is a generous tipper, the first to pick up a tab. But, he despises waste and extravagance and has never been able to wrap his head around his wife’s love of clothes and shoes. We’ve made the marriage work for almost forty years but lately he’s become more vocal about my purchases....
For several years now my three best friends and I have shared a text leaderboard that tracks our daily New York Times mini crossword times….and now it’s about Wordle! ...
New year... new me. Hasn’t that become a bit of a mantra in 2022? We set intentions: eat healthier, drink less, exercise more. Guess what... I do all those thin...
I truly thought we were done. I foolishly thought we were done. After being vaccinated and boostered I felt like I had a shield around me. But then I went on a two-night retreat sharing a house and meals and lots of glorious writing and even more glorious laughter with seven other vaxxed women. (Our BA50 Writers Blogging Group). It felt so good and so back-to-normal again… until it wasn’t....
Last month for my birthday we got the Samsung Frame tv whose main selling point is, when off, displays different pieces of art work and/or selected pictures from your phone.
“Can I get network television?”
“Yes,” promised the sales rep.
“Do I need a Firestick or Roku?”
“Nope. All built in.”
And thus began Liz’s latest foray into techno-world. The Geek Squad guys came out and installed it. Gave me a two-hour tutorial. I wrote everything in a notebook. When they left I felt pretty confident I had a handle on this and started to play around with it....
‘The busier you are, the more you get done.’
(my mantra as a working adult)
I’LL DO THAT WHEN I RETIRE
I was a list person. Before Iphones I made to-do lists...
I turned 69 years old yesterday. Ooh that’s hard to type, harder to see in print. Like any boomer who hasn’t quit Facebook yet, (another thing to feel badly abo...
Oh hello cancer. I thought I kicked you out three years ago but you’re having one of your little side effects pay me a visit to remind me. Suck more time out of my life. Put my plans on hold yet again. I see you, you sneaky bitch but I’m stronger now. I’m prepared for battle....
“Mom. I need to talk to you about something.” Uh oh. Curiosity mingles with dread. Does any parent ever want to hear this sentence?
“I’m going to try out to ...
“Hi Liz. This is Victoria. I’m calling to offer you the position of New Teacher Developer for next year if you’d still be interested.” My whoop of joy may have ...
Sometimes you need to be the one making the effort even if you’re not sure how it will go over. Because here’s the thing about being retired AND moving away: it...
The summer before my sixtieth birthday I had cancer. I lost weight.. a lot of weight. Cancer is scary. Radiation is horrible. But as a person who has consciousl...
“Wow hey Liz! How are you? It’s been so long and you still look good. I see that you’re not on Facebook a lot so here’s my number. Give me a call or text.“
The ‘you still look good’ and ‘here’s my number’ should have been red flags. But I was just so excited to hear from Quincy, my old seventh grade student from 20 years ago through Facebook message. I remembered him as a quiet, good-natured kid. He struggled sometimes due to his mild hearing loss and learning challenges but he worked hard. He was a friend to all, as I recall....
Vax 1 and 2 done. I’m restless. I’m ready to rejoin the world and that means a new gym. Virtual classes had gotten really old about November. I’d come fast out ...
in honor of National Women’s Month-here’s my advice to my younger self: Speak up. Confront. Be assertive/aggressive/rude. Tell Mr. Dees everywhere.. shut the f##k up....
Liz. I don’t know why you insist on making that drive every month. There’s gotta be plenty of good hairdressers down here.” . And so begins my husband’s and my monthly-I won’t call it an argument-more of a debate- about my refusal to give up my every-four-week cut and color appointment on Newbury Street in Boston even though we moved to the Southeastern Connecticut shoreline 3 years ago....