THE MEN IN MY LIFE
Now don't get excited, I'm not going to tell you about "The man in my life" - I did say I'm going to tell you about "The Men in my life." Come to think of it even IF there was a man in my life, you wouldn't hear about it!!

Before I leave for Florida in December I get very busy seeing all kinds of men:

So far I've seen my ophthalmologist and my internist.

One thing leads to another - after my visit with the ophthalmologist - new eye glasses. After the visit with internist - blood work.

Next week seeing the podiatrist and the periodontist.

I try to take care of all my medical needs before I leave town because the doctors in Florida are very busy with all the snow birds that fly in for the winter.


No wonder I need a large calender - who could remember all the dates I have without writing them down!!

Now I have a question for you:

I have a very good long term patient - doctor relationship with my internist who recently cut down on his practice, but I'm still on his A list. ;-)

When I saw him recently he looked drawn and looked like he had lost some weight. I had occasion to call the office shortly after my visit and the nurse informed me that the doctor was going to have shoulder surgery and would be out of the office for a few weeks.

Aha!! he didn't look good to me, I felt that something was not just right - but how do you say to your doctor, "what's wrong doc, are you ok?"

That's his department.

Would you have said something?

My Florida doctors are there if I need them. The good thing is they are all nearby, no long rides to any of them and if you need to have a test when you are not able to drive they arrange transportation for you.

That's all well and good but I hope I don't have to see any of those men while I am in the sunshine state!

posted by Unknown @ 6:10 PM | Permalink | I LOVE COMMENTS >> 5 comments

 
OCTOBER: He Fell Out Of Bed, Two Funerals, and a Phone Call
I've been thinking all day today what I could blog about. The only things that come to my mind are sad things.

First - He Fell Out Of Bed:
When the Jewish New Year was approaching I thought of two of my cousins who were moving into a unit in my complex a day before the holiday. I thought, wouldn't it be nice to have them over for dinner since they would be overwhelmed with "just getting settled." They are both in their 90's and their children live in California.

I called about two weeks before the holiday and invited them to share the holiday with me and my family. They were extremely happy to accept and were looking forward to the evening.

Three days before the holiday my cousin called to let me know that he and his wife could not attend reason being that he had just come home from a three day stay in the hospital. He was hospitalized because he had fallen out of bed, did not break any bones but needed attention.



They were disappointed and so was I.

Second - Two Funerals:
I attended two funerals this month. They were for cousins on my husband's side.



I was apprehensive about going because I thought, "who would be there that I know other than the immediate family." What disturbed me was that the deceased cousins came from very large families.

Sure enough, I was the only one representing the family.

It meant a lot to me to be there but at the same time it was disturbing.

Third - Bad News, Good News:
I have a dear friend that is in an assisted living facility. I don't get to see her often enough but we keep in touch via that good old invention, "the telephone."



We talk, I bring her up to date on what's happening and she does the same. The thing is, our updates are mostly about - this one falling, that one had a stroke, that one had a heart attack, and on and on.

What usually happens is by the time we are ready to say, "goodbye" one of us says, " let's end this conversation with something cheerful!"

Well sometimes there is a PAUSE until one of us can think of SOMETHING.

The last time we spoke I was the one to come up with something!

This is what it was about.

This season my apartment complex has a new landscaping company that has done an outstanding job on the grounds. I particularly admire all the colorful mums they have planted, vibrant yellows, deep purples and cheerful lavender with yellow centers.



When I walk around the complex it's just a pleasure to see such beautiful plantings.

I wish they could bloom all year!

posted by Unknown @ 4:59 PM | Permalink | I LOVE COMMENTS >> 11 comments

 
THE MOVIES - NOW AND THEN
Once upon a time if it was a Saturday I'd be at the movies. This pattern goes back to when I was a kid. My mother would pack me a lunch and off I'd go to the matinee with my girlfriends. (all the mothers did that) ;-)

When I was a teenager and started dating I'd go to the local movie house with a fellow. In my twenties my date would take me into Boston to one of the BIG movie theaters.

One fellow introduced me to foreign films at a theater that had at one time been a church. That had to be around 1950 -1955. It was an old building, had no air conditioning but we went anyways. It never failed, every time we went we saw an outstanding film!

In later years my husband and I went to the movies on a regular basis. There was always something good to see.

As a widow I had a large group of ladies to go to the movies with. In fact the group was so large that many times we had to go in two cars. We went to the movies pretty much every Saturday, there was always something that we wanted to see.

We went to one particular theater so often that we got to know the theater manager and would discuss the movie with him afterward. One night when we arrived at the theater he asked what we were going to see and when we told him, he said, "ladies that movie is not for you!" We listened to him and sure enough, it was not for us. What a peach he was!

Now the picture has changed - many of those ladies have past on, are in assisted living or have moved to another state. Now IF there is something worth seeing we could go in a mini-van!

So what have I been doing on a Saturday night - It's a leisurely dinner out.

SOLUTION
During the week I have found some GOOD movies on TV. I recently saw "Frida" for the second time. It's a biographical movie about the Mexican artist Frida Kahlo starring Salma Hayck as Frida and Alfred Malina as her husband Diego Rivera.



If you have never seen this movie, check it out - if you have seen it before it's still a very exciting and interesting movie to see again. I enjoyed it just as much the second time around!

Another movie I happened to stumble on was "Count Three and Pray."



Never heard of it but when I saw that Van Heflin was featured in the movie I had to see it, he was one of my favorite actors. He played the part of a preacher who does not know how to begin a prayer!

The movie also starred Joan Ann Woodward in her film debut. That was long before she was the wife of Paul Newman, another of my favorite leading actors. It was fun seeing her as a young rambunctious girl.

So forget the movies - I'll settle for what I can find on TV for now.

Let me know if you think there is something out there I might enjoy.

Still would like to go to the movies!!

posted by Unknown @ 10:15 PM | Permalink | I LOVE COMMENTS >> 8 comments

 
THE JEWISH NEW YEAR AND A YIDDISH JOKE
It isn't often that I have the opportunity to speak Yiddish but when I do it brings back many wonderful memories. I think of my parents, my grandparents, uncles, aunts and cousins who are no longer with me.

I spoke Yiddish even before I spoke English. My grandmother who did not speak English, lived with my parents when I was a youngster, so in order to communicate with her I "spoke her language." I must say given a chance I still speak a good Yiddish.

What brought all this to mind recently is the fact that this week we welcomed the Jewish New Year.

Food is a big part of the celebration! Chopped liver, meat knishes, chicken soup with matzo balls and noodles, potato pudding, carrots, chale, roast brisket and to top it all, honey cake for a sweet new year.

Like I said earlier I relish the opportunity to speak Yiddish so here is a video of the only Yiddish joke I remember and love to tell.

Enjoy!!



posted by Unknown @ 6:48 PM | Permalink | I LOVE COMMENTS >> 7 comments

 
ABOUT FRIENDSHIP

Image: Irene Levine

Last month I had the pleasure of being interviewed by Irene Levine for a site that she contributes to, Play Goes Strong.

The time I spent with her on the phone felt more like a conversation with a friend than an interview. It turned out to be a very nice piece about "Millie the Blogger."

Here's a link to the post, Meet Millie: On the Way to Becoming the World’s Oldest Elder Blogger:

Millie is clearly smitten with blogging. "My life would be dull and empty without it," she says. "I'm able to learn from people all over the world. Then she adds: "When you're older, you don't have many listeners. The wonderful thing about blogging is that no one interrupts me."

In addition to that blog she has a blog of her own, "The Friendship Blog."

A September the post was titled "National Women's Friendship Month: 25 Ways to Make Yourself a Keeper."

25 Ways to Make Yourself a Keeper

1. If you make a promise, live up to that
   promise.
2. Be punctual, dependable, and reliable.
3. Show up when she needs you.
4. Be yourself. Who else can you be?
5. Accept that you are human and make
   mistakes. Apologize if you have said or done something wrong.
6. Accept that she is human and may make
   mistakes. Offer forgiveness.
7. Try not to moan too much.
8. Don't be guilty of giving out too much
   information (TMI) about yourself too soon.
9. Be loyal and trustworthy. Resist the urge to gossip or spread
   rumors about your friend.
10. Be a good listener, tune in to what
    your friend is saying, and try not to interrupt.
11. Let your friend know you are interested
    in her and make sure everything isn't about you.
12. Give her enough space so she doesn't
    feel boxed in.
13. Accept that you won't always be on the same page because you are
    two different people.
14. Be willing to make sacrifices and
    compromise.
15. Be a comfort blanket but don't smother
    her.
16. Remember if she detests olives in her
    salad or anchovies on her pizza.
17. Resist saying "I told you so" even if
    you did.
18. If she has three sick kids, offer to
    help out.
19. Don't sleep with her boyfriend or be overly flirtatious with her
    husband.
20. Share her successes and find ways to celebrate them.
21. Don't brag too much when she's feeling down.
22. Don't let too much time elapse between get-togethers.
23. Don't be shy about letting her know when her behavior is
    endangering her health or is likely to have other adverse consequences.
24. Don't harp and constantly remind her of her bad habits.
25. Let her know how much you value her friendship.

It's the best thing I've ever read about friendship! It's a keeper!!

Which ones would you choose to make you a better friend?

All of those listed are so meaningful, I think it will be hard to narrow them down! You might even want to add some of your own special ideas!!

posted by Unknown @ 8:18 PM | Permalink | I LOVE COMMENTS >> 7 comments