I love things. Little things, mostly. My friends wonder about my fixation on little things, since I live in a rather large house with generous rooms. In my house the little things are hardly noticeable. But I don’t acquire these things for their decorative value. Mostly, my things mean something to me. Some of the things I love are symbols of other things. I have a tiny cat figurine that … [Read more...]

Since we have been living in a depressed worldwide economy, we have to tighten our belts, pull ourselves up by our bootstraps, and do other economizing things involving our clothing, apparently. We also have to audit our bottom lines. This also sounds vaguely apparel oriented, but it actually means that saving money is now a huge priority for many of us. I recall that during the Great … [Read more...]

We all know it can’t buy happiness. It’s the root of all evil. You should never MARRY for it. It is the number one cause of conflicts leading to divorce. People who have a lot of it are either snobby or shallow. And yet, we all want more of it. I, for one, have been watching a lot of television lately in which people win bunches of it, or vote one another off islands for it. On some shows, … [Read more...]

They warn young couples about growing apart during the child rearing years. But while changing diapers, carpooling, and chauffeuring around to soccer games, marriage seems to take a back seat. Bringing kids into the world and then preparing them to be productive and gainfully employed takes all we have. I know this. The marriage pundits warn that once the children leave home, a husband or wife … [Read more...]

I hate perfectionists. They take way too long to do things. They waste precious time refining things. They do WAY too much research. They are finicky, fussy, and fastidious. Striving for perfection takes a lot of energy, and we all know that in this day and age, energy conservation is of the essence! Do you admire perfection? Well, STOP IT! Calm down, and set your sights just a bit lower. You will … [Read more...]

Christmas is one of the most stressful times of the year. Parents of small children are particularly strung out. American parents stage holiday extravaganzas for their children. I know this, as a survivor of yuletides involving everything from marzipan to Mel Torme. Here are some of the things I wish my mother had told me: Children don’t care about gourmet Christmas cookies. Ina Garten has no … [Read more...]

Somewhere along the line, we parents were hornswoggled. It may have been Dr. Spock’s fault. It doesn’t really matter who started it, because the only thing that counts is putting an immediate STOP to all of the surplus self esteem that is ruining our children. Yes, I am putting my foot down! I grew up in the days of yore, when children were polite, quiet, and realized that adults were the … [Read more...]

I was in the generation of women who invented women’s liberation. I am, of course, referring to the generation that burned their bras, had sex with seemingly everyone, smoked pot, and felt “free” all over the place. I was a bit restrained in my adoption of the Liberation Movement’s tenets, and so just about the only thing in my life that was impacted was my underwear. However, as a result … [Read more...]

I figured out when I was five that all those people who had magical Genies and three wishes were idiots. Any fool would know that if given three wishes, your first one should be for unlimited wishes. And Steve Martin had World Peace and all the children holding hands covered in HIS three wishes. So now I am going to seriously consider what my three wishes should be, now that I am no longer young … [Read more...]

Benjamin Franklin got a tremendous amount of mileage out of platitudes. We are still stitching in time, going to bed early and rising thus, and trying not to be fools easily parted with our funds. The truth in these old sayings is self evident. Or is it? Despite “Chicken Soup” books, there are many youngsters who don’t know how to actually apply the wisdom of the ages in their day to day … [Read more...]