Monday Moods: Smiling

Why this photo, I parallel parked on the first try. I had the top down, it is easier with the top down. 

I have to start with saying that the outcome of last Tuesday's elections, did a lot to improve a lot of people's moods. HWSNBN has acknowledged that the shut down of the Federal government was a factor in the election. The election renewed hope in the democratic process for many.  

I have gone back to reading the Washington Post daily. 

A Federal Jury found the guy who tossed a subway sandwich at a National Guard trooper in Washington DC, not-guilty of assault. For a Federal crime of assault, the officer had to have a realistic fear of harm, apparently the jury didn't buy his distress at smelling onions and mustard as being fear of real harm.  And maybe a little bit of jury nullification. (Not that military or law enforcement personnel should have things thrown at them.) It was a charge that should never have been brought, a waste of Federal tax dollars.  If HeWhoShallNotBeNamed wants to cut down on waste, this is a good place to start.  

For 91 years everyone has found the Oval Office, the official or ceremonial office of the President just fine. HWSNBN apparently needs a sign to assure he goes in the right door, a gold painted sign is being installed.  Hmm, dazed and confused? 

Our condo community is now a separate voting precinct. In last weeks statewide election, just under 50% of voters in the precinct voted.  About 86% of the voters who voted, voted for the Democrat (the liberal.) We do fit in well here.  

So how is my mood? Improved. Optimistic. Reassured. And a little bit sarcastic and snarky. 

The Sunday Five: Come to think of it

1: How are you at remembering the name of someone you have just met? 

2: What is the funniest story of you forgetting someone's name? 

3: What is your earliest memory? 

4: What memory of a historical event is tied to a location or activity for you? 

5: Do you remember the phone number from your childhood home? 

My Answers: 

1: How are you at remembering the name of someone you have just met?  I am terrible at remembering names, always have been. 

2: What is the funniest story of you forgetting someone's name?  I had worked at the ABA for a couple of years, and I was introducing people at a conference, and I got stuck, I looked at her, she looked at me, she broke the silence with "it is Leslie." I am surprised I remember her name today. 

3: What is your earliest memory? The green bedroom in the first house on the farm, and being very sick. 

4: What memory of a historical event is tied to a location or activity for you? I was speaking at a conference on grandparents raising grandchildren at the Holiday Inn North in Lexington Kentucky, when the planes hit the World Trade Center, it was a surreal day.

5: Do you remember the phone number from your childhood home? Nope - long gone. 

Please share your answers and memories in the comments. 

The Saturday Morning Post - 50 States in 52 Weeks - Vermont

Vermont is in northern New England, it is somewhat wedge shaped, next to New Hampshire. I have been there once.  I was speaking in New Hampshire, I flew in a day early, rented a car because the conference was 100 miles from the nearest airline service. I used Holiday Inn points for a free night in Vermont. It was autumn, the landscape and trees were spectacular.  

Vermont has a sparse population. The small villages often have the picture postcard appearance of Normal Rockwell America. 

That is a very pretty part of the country that I have spent far to little time in. 

Fabulous Friday: Happy Birthday Sweetie Bear!

Happy Birthday to my Sweetie Bear!

So many wonderful years

So many more to come

The Thursday Ramble: Thinking Ahead

I am a planner, I start thinking months ahead about what comes next. This comes in handy when planning travel, while I can make plans at the last minute*, I often start planning a year in advance. I started looking at next year's grand adventure, while on this year's grand adventure. 

I am already thinking about next year's blogs. 

I enjoyed writing this year's Saturday Morning Post series on the 50 states, but they have drawn fewer and fewer comments. They are drafted and scheduled through the end of the year. So what to replace those with?  I like the Saturday Morning Post theme, maybe creativity for next year. 

I will continue the Sunday Five, a fan favorite, though it is a challenge to come up with questions every week. 

Travel Tuesdays has gone well, and I probably have enough photos (about 100,000 at this point) to keep doing that for the rest of my blog life. 

The Wednesday check-in forces me to pause and think about what I have done, where I have been, who I have talked with, what is next, what my plans are, what I am thankful for. To think about my World of Wonders. 

The Friday Fs, have been fun allowing me to be funny (rarely), funky, foody, and fabulous (I haven't done that in too long). 

Moody Mondays - causes me to pause and reflect on how I am doing. And to encourage others to focus on staying well, in what can be a crazy time.  

The Thursday ramble, allows me to expound on whatever inspires me this week. 

My overall goal is to keep it positive. Life is too short to let negative live in my mind rent free.  Being angry consumes energy, I can better use the energy doing my little part to make the world a better place. 

So there is a ramble, a talk about what is taking up space in my mind this week. 

* When I was settling my father's estate, I arrived at my office one morning to a message from the lawyers in Florida that they needed me to sign the paperwork to sell the house the next morning. I booked an airline ticket, hotel, and rental car and went from the office to the airport that afternoon. 

My World of Wonders aka The Wednesday Ws November 4th edition

Sailboat cove at Dyke Marsh, across the river is the MGM Casino at National Harbor in Maryland

Where have I been this week? Mt. Vernon, Dyke Marsh, King Street in Old Town, Amazon Fresh, Harris Teeter, Aldi, the Library, the community center, the pool, the Farmers Market, a long walk in Arlington including National Airport, the polling place - Tuesday was a state election. 

Who have I talked to this week? My Sweet Bear. Saturday was the first Saturday community coffee, so Ruth, Jon, Scott, Charlie, Joan.  Amy from the arts group. 

What have I been up to in the kitchen this week?  Roast turkey breast with wild rice, roast beef, chicken soup (starting with a whole chicken), fish pies. 

How has the weather been? Nighttime lows in the 40's down to 38 one night, afternoon highs in the low to mid 60's. Lots of blue skies. Lots of wonderful top down convertible weather. 

What have I been listening to? A YouTube feed of music from the 70s and 80s, in other words the oldies channel. 

What made me cringe this week?  A video on YouTube on foods people ate to survive in the 1970s." The title makes it sound like the 70's were a distant and difficult time. 

 

Travel Tuesday: Arlington, Virginia Marine Corps Marathon just past mile 22

 

Monday Moods: Reminders

I talked with John, a wonderful neighbor Saturday morning that I had not seen much of recently. He has been sick, terminally ill to be blunt about it.  Treatment is buying him some time, but that is the most that can be done.  He has a couple of weeks off from chemo over the holidays, he just cashed in his frequent flyer miles for plush seats to go visit his kids and grandkids. No reason to save those up, now is the time to go. 

I volunteered for Hospice for several years.  I wrote deathbed wills, one client died before I left the driveway.  None of my clients ever said, I wish I had worked more, spent less time with family, or traveled less. Many of them, like John were hoping for one more holiday with family, one more special event, one more adventure. 

John said he retired ten years ago, and they have had a lot of fun. They have traveled and done things they wanted to do.  He has been open with his family, they know his wishes. 

I was sad to hear John talk about what is happening, I will miss having him as a neighbor.  I am glad that he was willing to talk about it, it is a stark reminder to never take today for granted.  To do what we enjoy.

It is important to be reminded, the vultures are always circling, looking for the next one to drop.     

 

The Sunday Five: Imagine the Rest of The Story

1: Were these left on the bench by accident or intentionally? 

2: Was it a happy occasion or a sad occasion? 

3: Will someone come back looking for the flowers? 

4: Describe the person who placed them here? 

5: Would you leave them there, or take them with you? 

My answers: 

1: Were these left on the bench by accident or intentionally? I think the flowers were left behind intentionally, we do that. 

2: Was it a happy occasion or a sad occasion? People carry flowers like this for weddings and funerals, I suspect this was spreading the cremains of a loved one in the river, a sad occasion where we leave flowers behind. 

3: Will someone come back looking for the flowers?  I think they are left there on purpose, to brighten the place after a solemn event. 

4: Describe the person who placed them here?  I suspect these were left behind by the daughter or granddaughter, I see her in a flowing skirt and simple blouse, with her long dark hair tied back. 

5: Would you leave them there, or take them with you? These should be left, time, the sun and the wind will make them a part of the landscape. 

This is a simple exercise in creative writing. Feel free to follow the prompts or to spin a narrative in your own style.  Please share your answers in the comments. 

The Saturday Morning Post - 50 States in 52 Weeks - Utah

Utah is in the far west, between Colorado and Nevada, north of Arizona, south of Wyoming and Idaho. I have been there a couple of times, changing planes in Salt Lake City, and drove through a corner of it on one of my adventures. There are high mountains around Salt Lake City. I flew out of there on a small jet, we had to circle inside the mountains to gain altitude to head to Montana.  

It is most famous for mountains, mormons and the Great Salt Lake (that is in danger of drying up in our lifetimes.) There are high desert plains, and high mountain peaks. 

I would like to go back and see the four corners region in the southeast of the state where Utah, Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico come together, maybe stand in all four states at once. And ride the Durango to Silverton railroad. 

It is a state I have spent little time in, but I have been there. 
 

Frightful Friday - Happy Halloween

This belongs in Doc Spo's Office 

Every tree should have flashing purple eyes.

Fear not the dead, the ghosts of the past, it is the living who are most likely to harm you. 

Waiting for the Great Pumpkin to Appear. 

Halloween for Adults who indulge. 

 

The Thursday Ramble: Aimless ramble about life

I was listening to a friend the other morning, waiting for water aerobics to start.  A few years ago he was diagnosed with a stage four cancer, was treated with surgery and chemical warfare and was one of the small percentage of survivors. He said it changed his outlook on life. He no longer worries about things, something is going to kill you in the end, no matter what you do or don't do today, the thing that gets you is probably not something you spent a lifetime worrying about. So why worry? He is a decade or so older than I am, and lives each day as a bonus. So why is he doing water aerobics, because he enjoys it, and it helps him stay fast enough to keep up with his grandkids. 

My health insurance provider keeps bugging me to remember to take screening tests. Calls, texts, emails, and direct mail. They want me to worry and obsess about the 101 little things that might be the end of my life. I really wish they would stop.  I have stopped the phone calls, after about the third time of insisting that they stop calling me.  I am an adult, in consultation with my doctor, I have made informed choices about what I will do and won't do. That should be enough. 

When I was growing up, one of my father's flying buddies was a Doctor, a pretty good one. One Sunday morning at the airport he was in a foul mood, he finally let loose with what he was thinking, "these people who think they are going to live forever - bug me!" He had spent much of the night, at the insistence of family members, extending the dying of a patient. Interestingly, Doc died of a massive heart attack, driving a boat around the lake behind his house. He went out the way he wanted to - fast.   

Life has many ups and downs, but in the end, it all ends the same way. Have a lot of fun along the way. 

 

My World of Wonders - aka The Wednesday Ws - Closing out October 2025

What is the Photo? Someone asked to see the arts "Showcase." We ended up with a full house again, the items are numbered with a poster explaining each item, and who loaned it for display. The showcase is just outside the entrance to the community bar and restaurant. (Technically it is open to the public, but security won't let you in the front gate unless you live here or are invited by someone who lives here.)

Where have I been this week? The Community Center for four different arts committee meetings, the pool, the farmers market, a long walk in a shopping plaza, a long walk in old town Alexandria, a walk around the local neighborhood, National Harbor in Maryland, Crystal City in an unsuccessful attempt to spot Blobby running the Marine Corps Marathon. About 35,000 runners started the race, I missed him. Mt. Vernon for a walk. 

Who have I talked with this week?  It was an arts heavy week, Pratibha, Linda, Joan, Rebecca, Amy, Kevin, Ruth, Dian, Gail, Guido, and John.  I talked on the phone to Doc Spo. My Sweet Bear, lest anyone think he is not talking to me. Doug Braeburn, the CEO of Mt. Vernon - he was in the shop when I was finishing up my walk. 

What did I read this week? I finished two books, "In Praise of Idleness" was written between WWI and WWII and talks about economics and political theories, a shocking amount of what he talked about applies 90 years later. The second book was "How Do You Feel?, by Jessi Gold, MD, MS, a psychiatrist. She explores mental health among health care providers and medical students, during COVID.  It is informative and intriguing, but repetitive. Each chapter follows either her personal story or the story of a composite patient, through over a period of time. The format of each chapter being an update on the case, gets a little circular. I understand why it is written this way, she is a researcher by training, but for the non-medical reader it fails to bring each life story to a conclusion. Time to dig some light reading out of the stack and head to the library. 

Who deserves a nice scratch behind the ears this week?  The cutest Golden Retriever in the DC area, he was watching the Marine Corps Marathon, mostly sitting or lying quietly for almost 2-hours, never saying a word despite thousands of people around and running past. I could tell what he really wanted to do was run along, Good Boy! 

What is the blog quote of the week? 

"I also realized that maybe the most rebellious thing I can do to fight against this fury-driven fascist government of hate, is to continue to be kind; continue to help others in need; continue to be caring, compassionate, and sympathetic; continue to do what good I can, whenever I can, to whomever I can."

What made me cringe this week? Hearing Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas Is You" for the first time in a retail store.  

Travel Tuesday: Jamestown Glassworks since 1608

I am fascinated by glass making and glass blowing, taking simple ingredients and lots and lots of heat to make something stable and beautiful. Glassmaking at Jamestown Virginia dates back to 1608.  I visited the glassworks in the 1970's with my grandmother, I was delighted to see that the glassworks had expanded and was still in operation. 

Moody Monday: Turning The Page

I will finish the year having read probably about 80 books, fewer than last year, more than my goal.  Most of them were good, a handful really great reads. Some real page turners.   

I am rapidly approaching two years in retirement. I continue to feel changes in my life as a result.  I am active and engaged, spending time doing things I enjoy, and being of service to my community and my profession.  At times the calendar is a little to full - it interferes with my desire to take a nap. Increasingly I feel the urge to turn the page on issues that filled my days in the past.  

I recall when I was working, wishing that the older generation would step aside and let new voices - new ideas be heard. I am hoping that I am doing that, I certainly feel the desire to do so. 

There are several places where I read obituaries, our community newsletter, the Bar journal, my original hometown newspaper. I always look at the age that people died at.  And think about my age, and if I live as long as they did, how many years do I have left to enjoy life - to turn the pages - to write entirely new pages, before the book of my life is blowing in the wind.  If the next decade flies by as fast as the last decade did, it will pass in the blink of an eye.  The time to turn the page and enjoy the adventure is now.  

Sunday Five: Turkeys

1: When was the last time you saw live turkeys (feathered or political)? 

2: Would you roast, or deep fry a turkey? 

3: Should stuffing or dressing be cooked inside or outside of the bird? 

4: Do you detest turkey? 

5: Canberrys from a can, or cooked from fresh? 

My Answers:

1: When was the last time you saw live turkeys (feathered or political)? This pair is out at Mt. Vernon, I check on them everytime I go there for a stroll. 

2: Would you roast, or deep fry a turkey? Roast. 

3: Should stuffing or dressing be cooked inside or outside of the bird? I have changed on this, outside of the bird. The bird cooks better, and the stuffing/dressing is just as good. 

4: Do you detest turkey? I rather like it. 

5: Cranberries from a can, or cooked from fresh? Cooked from fresh, let me know if you need tips on how to cook cranberries.  

Please share your answers in the comments. 

The Saturday Morning Post - 50 States in 52 Weeks - Texas

 

Texas is in the middle and bottom of the continental United States, when you look at a map, Texas is the weird pointy part center at the bottom of the map. Texas is huge, by landmass it is the second largest state (Alaska is larger.) 

When people think of Texas they think of Dallas - Ft Worth, Houston, San Antonio, and Austin - I have been to all of them.  Those are the largest cities. There are vast swaths of rolling farm and grazing land.  The west part of the state is arid, and where the major oil fields are (I did an AARP gig in that part of the state.) 

The two photos above were taken in Ft Worth, I was there for a board meeting in 2019. 

Texas politics are conservative - to the point of being troubling. 

Dallas and Houston are major airline hub cities, it is a state that is hard to avoid. 

I will likely be in San Antonio early next year for a board meeting. 

Foodie Friday: Always on Hand

I enjoy playing in the kitchen, and we keep a well stocked pantry. We could eat well for a couple of weeks with what is on hand at any given time. With few exceptions such as shopping for a special holiday meal, I don't go shopping with a list or a plan for what I am going to make, I go shopping, see what looks good, bring it home and then decide what I will make from it. Often, I don't know what I am going to cook for dinner, until I open the refrigerator and look in the pantry and see what inspires me. 

There are a handful of core ingredients that I always have on hand. Here are a few. 

Onions: There is a joke around here that every dinner starts with peel and chop an onion. Not always, I don't use onion when I am cooking fish, but many savory dishes start with onions. So there are always a few in the basket. Storage onions come in four varieties.  Yellow onions are my go to universal onion. They store well, 2-3 weeks most of the time. Red or purple onions are sweeter, I prefer them if the onion will be uncooked such as in a salad. White onions are less common than yellow onions and I find them to be somewhat interchangeable. Sweet onions are well sweeter, the increased sugar content yields a much shorter shelf life. If you buy them, use them within a week or so. I find all of these to be interchangeable. Use what you have, don't fuss or worry that the recipe calls for one variety and you don't have it, use what you have. 

Carrots: There are always carrots in the refrigerator.  They can be cooked as a stand alone vegetable, raw in salads or used as a flavor base in soups, stews, braises, stocks.  While the exotic rainbow colors are tasty and fun to look at, the stock standard cheap orange carrots work well. Carrots store very well, a month or more in the refrigerator. Carrot trivia, wild carrots are a pale yellow almost white in color, the standard orange carrot were created by cross pollinating carrots with beets. 

Celery: I know the jokes, celery has the texture of hair stuck together with water.  For a salad I chop them fine.  They provide a great background flavor in soups, stews, braises, stocks. Wrapped to prevent evaporation, celery stores for 2-3 weeks in the refrigerator.  I always have it on hand.  

Sweet Peppers: There was a time when this ingredient of the trinity of cajun food was included in my always on hand list, but it tends to cause digestive difficulties for us. I have to be very careful with it. When I do buy sweet peppers, I generally by the small varieties. 

Butter: We have come to prefer Irish butter, here in the USA, Aldi has the best price. We keep a couple of pounds in the freezer most of time.  

A few pantry items:

All purpose flour.

Bread flour (higher gluten content - strong flour in England.) 

White granulated sugar.

Powdered or icing sugar.

Brown sugar (light or dark, or a mix of the two.) 

Kosher salt

Pepper corns and a good pepper mill (grinder) 

Extra Virgin Olive Oil 

Red Wine Vinegar, 

White Wine Vinegar

White distilled vinegar 

Canned tomatoes, chopped, sauce, paste, pureed. 

Canned beans

Dried beans 

Rice

Chicken stock

There is nothing earth shattering or exotic on my list. I am always surprised when someone says that can't make something because they don't have these simple staples in the house.  Keeping a well stocked pantry and refrigerator makes it easier to play in the kitchen. Cook what is fresh, seasonal, and preferably local.       

The Thursday Ramble: A Rare Ask

If we are lucky enough to live long enough, 

we are all going to get old someday. 

I spent the last 25 years of my working life, at the intersection of law and aging; advocating for supports and services that protect and improve the quality of life for adults as we age. 

I retired almost two years ago, as Director of the American Bar Association Commission on Law and Aging. The Commission has spent decades doing research, policy development and education on critical issues and providing technical assistance to professionals.  

Unfortunately the American Bar Association is under attack by the current administration, accused of being a bastion of liberal ideas and Wokeness. We are being attacked for advocating for Due Process Rights, the independence of the Judiciary and the Rule of Law. The very core ideals that have shaped this country since colonial times. 

This has resulting an unprecedented loss of funding for programs across the country that supported important work, including the work of the Commission on Law and Aging.  When I retired indirect federal funding was about 40% of the Commission's budget, and that critical part of the funding is gone, or at risk of being gone when the Federal government returns to work. 

Today is the annual American Bar Association Giving Day. 

Hence my rare ask. 

If you can, and you feel comfortable doing so, please make a contribution, large or small, to the ABA Commission on Law and Aging at this link. https://givingday.americanbar.org/campaigns/commission-on-law-and-aging-1  

 

My World of Wonders - aka The Wednesday Ws October 22, 2025

Where have I been this week? Mt. Vernon for a long walk, the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts for the National Symphony Orchestra, Crystal City for an amazing lunch, the Farmers Market, the pool, the community center and the pharmacy. Old town waterfront, and the Torpedo Factory Art Center. Into Washington DC for a long walk, Mt Vernon for a long walk. The pool. 

Who have I talked with this week? My sweet bear, Amy, Marcel, Mary, a couple of bored National Guardsmen walking the streets of DC, the shuttle driver at Mt. Vernon. 

What have I been up to in the kitchen?  Quiche - I used up the remainder of a bunch of cheeses, beef stew with an usual ingredient - zucchini I had it and it needed to be used,  a rice, eggplant, and beef stew, pumpkin custard. 

What have I read this week? "Small Wonders" a collection of essays by Barbara Kingsolver. It was excellent. What was the best thing she said, she gives a book she is reading 30 pages to draw her in, if not she drops in the donate bin. I am working on two other books, "How Do You Feel, and In Praise of Idleness.  I will finish both of those in a few days. 

What did I go out of my way to see this week? One of artists at the Torpedo Factory Art Center has caused a bit of a stir by posting his opinion in the window. The city owns the building, the Mayor has responded that it is protected first amendment speech. I love living here. 

What was I thinking during my Sunday walk? Children are naturally creative, give them paper and crayons and they start to draw. Then adults criticize the creativity out of them, trying to show them the "right way" to see and interpret the world. Our creative spirits are crushed as children. As adults we need to reclaim our creativity, purple skies, round faces, color outside the lines.  Allow yourself 5 minutes a day to create without hearing the critics. The more we create, the more creative we become.  I do that with my writing. I spend 2-3 hours a week writing for this blog, because I wanted to develop my writing, to get better at expressing my thoughts and feelings (I am still not very good at feelings - I will spend some time thinking about what suppressed my feelings.)

What have I seen that makes me love living here? 

Our local city government. 

The Face of Evil 

A Bald Eagle near Mt Vernon