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I watched a segment on the Today Show this morning about a potential breast cancer vaccine. Research and trials are currently underway to develop vaccines that will train the body’s immune system to destroy recurring cancer cells in breast cancer patients and perhaps, eventually, even prevent breast cancer from developing in the first place. The piece was reported by Kristen Dahlgren, a long-time NBC correspondent who is also a breast cancer survivor. She is leaving her job a

I just read a blog post entitled Singing Through the Apocalypse. Yes, I can relate. And I also write little stories and shoot them out into the world, like casting a fishing line into the ocean. I seldom get a bite, but when I do, it’s satisfying to know someone read my story and thought it worthy of attention. Lately I’ve been doing more writing and taking more chances on getting my work published, because, well, I just have to. And, like the older person I am, I go to churc

When I was growing up, July and August were filled with family birthdays. We had no sooner put away the shirt and tie boxes from Father’s Day, when my grandmother’s birthday arrived on July 7, my dad’s on July 10, my best friend’s on July 18, my grandfather’s on July 27, my mother’s on Aug. 2 and finally my great-aunt’s on Aug. 15. My husband shares my dad's July 10 birthday, and my mother-in-law's was July 24. And we always celebrated with cards and presents, photographs, a

I’m old enough to remember when TV’s were massive pieces of furniture that dominated the room. You walked over to the set to turn it on, cranked a dial to pick your channel and that was it. No remotes, no sound bars, no streaming services. If you were lucky, your antenna picked up all three major networks albeit with fuzzy pictures if the weather wasn’t cooperative. Don’t get me wrong. I enjoy great shows on premium channels and have no desire to return to the dark ages of T

..I just read a wonderful essay by Laura Lippman (the Baltimore-based mystery writer) about how as a 60-something woman, her diet plan going forward is to eat what she wants, when she wants. She  is done with dieting. Be forewarned that the piece is peppered with expletives, but well worth the read. I hear ya’, Laura. I was bemoaning my sins of sloth and gluttony at a recent appointment with a new physician’s assistant and promising that I would do my part to help lower my bl

As I watched the Queen’s funeral ceremonies this morning, my eyes were drawn to Prince George and Princess Charlotte. Beautifully dressed, right down to Charlotte’s precious little black hat, they stood quietly beside their parents. They didn’t squirm or fidget or need a video game to keep them occupied. They were being taught that there are times when we need to put up with a little discomfort and set aside our own agendas and things we’d rather be doing in order to show re

I got called out this week for what was perceived as an over-reaction to a recurring problem in our neighborhood. Point taken. There’s probably some validity to the comments. And yet, for those of us who keep trying to put up, shut up, and allow for what is flat-out unacceptable because of this or that extenuating circumstance—we’re reaching our limit. A constant grind of recent annoyances made we want to go all Ruth Langmore from Ozark and spew obscenities at the top of my l

Memorial Day weekend is a little different for us this year. We’re on day four of our Covid isolation. No dragging the chairs out of the basement for the long-awaited first trip to the outdoor pool. No picnic for friends and family. My husband will not leave early tomorrow morning for a parade and solemn cemetery performance with his drum corps. Instead, there were frantic phone calls and emails yesterday to plan parade logistics, since several leaders of the corps are also C

The images are too pervasive, and I can’t get away from them, much as I’d like to. The woman standing in front of the pancake mixes and bottles of syrup in the local grocery store announcing, “Well, now, we can’t even have Aunt Jemima anymore. It has to be ‘Pearl Milling Company’ because someone had to throw a tantrum and pound their fists on the floor because Aunt Jemima hurt their widdy-biddy feelings.” She said it with a sneer in her voice and loudly enough that anyone wi

It started with a mighty crack that sent both dogs into full defcon 5 barking. The dishwasher, my stalwart kitchen companion who served 25 years without a single repair, had finally broken a door spring, and I knew there was no hope of a replacement part. It limped along for a few more weeks, loyal to the end, but a getting a new dishwasher was inevitable. All new appliances seem to come with an attitude and require much drama with their installation. This time around there