Writing a book is not for the faint of heart. After it’s published, the marketing/selling/giving it away can go on for years. I’m happy to be in that boat; my first book will “always” be on the shelf, and perhaps a book signing every now and again - even after five years. A pickleballer friend of ours, Jim W. (Wereszczynski), has created the Yinzers Group on Thursday afternoons. Yes, Jim is from Pittsburgh and proud of his Polish heritage. When he moved to this area around tw

The French Provinçial Dining room set we’ve had in our homes since we married in 1987 was purchased from my Aunt Mary a few months before saying “I do.” Many meals, Cookie Exchanges, Thanksgivings for 18 family members, and wild games of Yahtzee, Quiddler, Life, Sorry, Sequence, Code Names, Boggle, and more, plus my sewing machines and quilting bees, have all gathered around the top of the pecan table (though covered with protector pads and tablecloths through the decades). T

I think I boarded the Crazy Train last week. Destination: Kelleys Island, Ohio. The itinerary looked fabulous on paper: several days on one of my favorite Lake Erie islands, first with high school girlfriends and then with family, followed by my great-niece’s first birthday celebration in Cleveland before eventually heading home to Maryland. What could possibly go wrong? Apparently, I should never ask that question. Before I get to the mayhem, though, I need to say this: I lo

Ryan, 32 looks good on you! You are my hero in every way possible! Love your dry sense of humor, your delicious cooking, and the way you handle life. Woohooo! Birthday wishes! I’m coming for you the next mini golf family tournament. Sto Lat!

Milestones on big events tickle me. I love to share the love with milestones that end in zero. You know, birthdays, anniversaries, and living in one house or one place for decades. Thirty years ago this week, Bill and I moved our young family from Cleveland, Ohio, to the Washington D.C. area, settling in Crofton, Maryland. Bill had an opportunity of a lifetime to work in sports (he loves sports!) on a larger scale than working at Cleveland State’s University Convocation Cente

The alarm went off early this morning to get to The Putaway, our indoor pickleball club in Millersville, Maryland. We love this place, especially the people from all walks of life who want to have fun like us. Exercising in the physical “chess matches” as we smash and dink the highlight yellow/green pickleball for hours is an elixir. It’s all truly intoxicating every time I step out on the Court. Our team name is the Spice Girls because it’s a play on teammate Beth’s last nam

We are lucky to live in the part of the country (USA) where there are interesting sites within a two hour drive of where we live, including the beaches of Delaware and Maryland. The sun was up and brilliant at 6:30 am, with the temperature just right for a beach day. We couldn’t believe our luck since going to the beach on this day was on the calendar for a few months now. It’s our yearly tradition of a one-day trip at the end of July to celebrate our son’s birthday (it’s in

My front and back yards are filled with birdsong, starting about 5:00 a.m. If there is a little slice of sunshine peeking out from the dark skies, there are birds willing and able to share their songs with you. Never mind that you may still be in a deep sleep and would prefer more “silence.” Around here, though, I’ve noticed these cute birds love to squat on our fence posts, and, lately, on our Adirondack chairs. The chairs are closer to the house, so those that sit on them a

Are you a fan of Carole King and her iconic music? I certainly am. I wore out two of her Tapestry vinyl albums between the 1970s and 1980s. But there is something magical when her music is shared through Beautiful, The Carole King Musical, especially under the stars at the Annapolis Summer Garden Theater. I was invited by my friend, Sharon Sands-Gregory, and we had a delightful evening enjoying the night and music that filtered throughout downtown Annapolis, Maryland. Carole

What. A. Game. There was a lot of fussiness over the 104 games of futbol (soccer) in this year’s World Cup held in the USA, Mexico, and Canada, over the past four weeks. Many of the calls on the field of play were questionable, including cards (their colors - yellow or red) or no cards, calls from a president of a country to the president of FIFA, calls from the fans in the seats in all the stadiums hosting games, and calls from the millions/billions watching from their homes