We had our neighbors over—six of them—for dinner last night. They are all new to us and great fun. We wanted the evening to be special and started planning three days out for the event. It was, we decided, worth the 90-minute trip to our favorite island grocery store to…
Leave And Take Your Whining With You
It was another column in The Daily Beast from a whiny individual—someone I’ve never heard of who claims to have multifaceted talents as an actor, comedian, and writer. In other words, a so-called “famous” individual who thinks we care about what he has to say. In this case, his column…
Conversations With My Body
I notice that as I have gotten older, my body has become very vocal. My bladder and I, especially, carry on nightly discussions. They go something like this: Bladder: “Wake up, wake up, wake up!” Me: “What?” Bladder: “You heard me. Get up. Dangle your feet over the edge of…
The Great Zepbound Shortage
About ten days ago, shortly after I started the Eli Lilly drug Zepbound to help me lose weight, I got an email from a friend. “I have been waiting 2 weeks for my Zepbound from CVS. They have ordered it but it’s not in yet. I got on a Facebook…
Lessons From a Book Signing
Let me take a moment to thank the six people and the bookstore owner who showed up at my “book signing” yesterday. We had a good time, and I’m grateful for the support they gave me and my new, as yet unpublished mystery/thriller, Under the Sand. The reason my new…
Bring On The Krispy Kremes
I remember where I was when I ate my first Krispy Kreme donut. My teenage son brought a box home from the new bakery on 86th Street in Indianapolis and put them on the kitchen counter. They were warm. Fresh out of the oven, he said. I was skeptical until…
Let’s Stop With The ‘Full Stop’
Full stop may be the English language’s most annoying term these days. For centuries, a period at the end of the sentence or the dropping of one’s voice has signaled the same thing: the thought ends here. It’s over. But today, many seem inclined to toss in the term “full…
Hurtful Words Linger
It’s the little things that people say to you that linger. Sometimes forever. Recently, I found my man in the closet staring at a row of long-sleeve shirts as though he wasn’t sure what to wear. “Got a problem?” I asked. “I haven’t worn that blue and white shirt for…
The Re-Birth of the Orchid
My prized orchid plant bloomed for the first time in over a year today. It was a tribute to overcoming adversity—mostly man-made and some spawned by nature. The story of the orchid, which is not award-winning but special to me, dates back to last spring. On a whim, I spent…
My Lilly Stock Is Fattening Up
I called my financial advisor to ask if I should diversify my portfolio. Translation: Should I sell some of my Eli Lilly stock, which I’ve had for at least twenty years and is now a big chunk of my holdings? Nope, she said. Lilly is doing great, thanks in part…