When gas was around $4 a gallon and I was commuting to work each day in a carpool, I needed a new vehicle. In the summer of 2015, we were all looking for more economical gas-efficient options. My carpool partner had a huge diesel truck but fuel for his big rig was even more expensive. […]
In November last year, I wrote a blog post entitled “Saturday Mornings with Daddy.” I shared how much I appreciated hearing from my 86 year old dad when he would call me from Arizona on FaceTime each week. This was usually after his 20-mile bike ride from where he lives in Scottsdale to Tempe and […]
I’ve been thinking of ways to describe these first days of “post-retirement.” What comes to mind is that it has been like pushing “The Easy Button.” Back in 2005, our team was in the midst of implementing drastic changes to the permit process and it was stressful and hard. In August of that year, […]
Police are NOT the problem! Police are escape goats for politicians who don’t want to discuss the breakdown of the family which has dramatically changed our cities. Targeting police and guns are not “solutions” and will do little or nothing to keep cities safe. What happened that has created so much anger and division in […]
I Fail Daily: Self-Care Rx If I were inclined to judge (wink, wink), I might observe some weeks as better than others. This week, for instance, might be considered a bad week. I have totaled my car (run-ins with a bolting stag has that effect), mourned the passing of a dear relative (damn cancer), juggled […]
Earth day – time to fight some home energy thieves Welcome to Earth Day. It’s our worst one so far! The earth is heating up, oceans are rising and forests are ablaze. What a great blog post opening! Who’s still with me? It’s hard for us to totally solve these issues as individuals, but we […]
By Linda Ballou, NABBW’s Adventure Travel Associate After eleven years, I decided it was time to deliver the fruitcake my mother had sent me in 2009 just before she passed away. Mom’s Meadow I would take it to the meadow where I had scattered her ashes. I had kept it in my freezer (even through […]
At 16 years old I was 5’10” and weighed about 145 pounds. Tall, slim, very reserved, as we said in Jamaica, but not shy. I had no problem speaking with individuals and in front of groups of people of all demographics. I was always considered mature for my age and found many of my peers […]
Stay sane during Covid It began with a shock as the virus spread, everything closed and markets crashed. Then things got eerily quiet. For a while doom scrolling kept us busy. Then the scramble to set up a home office and learning spaces for the kids. Next came guzzling down Netflix episodes for light drama […]
In our culture, there’s a certain vision of what retirement is supposed to look like. You see it in television commercials: The lovely couple with the silver hair, with polo sweaters over their shoulders, walking hand in hand on the beach, or riding together in a golf cart. Grandparents in sensible clothes with plenty […]
