No Rhyme-All Reason. Yesterday when we were young.

Landlubbers, drindl skirts and bell bottoms. Tennis sweaters, weejun penny loafers and madras blouses. Typewriters, wax dipped monogram letter seals and loose leaf notebooks. Bon Bons- jujubes, chuckles and double bubble. Chocolate yoo hoo’s, dairy queen sundaes and red licorice strings. Dave Clark Five, Connie Francis and Charlotte Russe . Dobie Gillis, pink erasers, papagallos. Loden pea-coats vinyl jackets, mary jane patent leathers, and white shoe polish for ked sneakers. Apple Brown Betty in Swanson tv dinners, buitoni ravioli in the can and potato sticks. Sewing class, emenee toy trumpets and the morning show “Just for Fun.” The Mikado, Pirates of Penzance and Flower Drum Song. Won-ton soup, chopped suey and egg foo young. Peanut Butter and Jelly on Ritz Crackers with Campbells tomato soup. Spaldings, Jacks and 45’s. Army, Navy Stores, Kresge’s Dept. Store and Alexanders. Mohair sweaters, shift dresses, mini and maxi skirts, baby doll dresses, colored tights- stirrup pants. Science projects on Oak Tag, pencil sharpeners and No. 8 pencils. Revlon Rum Raisin lipstick and Mary Quant make-up. Shalimar, Joy, Ambush, jade east, english leather and Old Spice. Po-ke-no, parchessi and Simon. Bonanza, Gunsmoke and Wagon Train. Make it a throw back Saturday.

~

Dear Our New York, Our Friend.

The safety of your harbor.
Your crescent shaped appeal.
Could fill bottomless pit emptiness.
We really had some deal.
Your allure and all your glamour.
From every pillar to every post.
Almost on the daily you proved the consummate host.
The streets were jammed with clamour.
Central Park our landing pad of choice.
We rarely missed an opening.
So many opportunities to rejoice.
Shared songs at your great venues.
Danced on too many floors to count.

There never was a question.
You were where we did belong.

The seasons changed with such panache.
The leaves, the snow and the flowers they did bloom.
Our frowns would turn to smiles.
Never sat with doom or gloom.

Your restaurants encouraged our palette.
Started with foie grois ended with chocolate soufflé.
Never missed an opportunity to window shop and stray.
As we collected a lifetime of memories.
Full-filled so many dreams.
It’s time to say we’ll see you.
On the road our show we’ll take.
We are packing stacks of pleasure.
On the wonder you create.
Hit it.
“From the very heart of it New York, New York. If we made it here, we’ll make it anywhere… With ❤️

Nora Johnson wrote one of our all time favorite movies -The World of Henry Orient- The story is loosely based on her very New York City schooled at Brearley, luncheoned at Romanoff’s, tea at The Plaza Hotel life. She lived until she was 84.

With financial indulgences galore by luck and emotional limitations in abundance as a by product of a divorced home she struggled to manage a balanced and well integrated life.

She had three marriages, several children and grandchildren and attained a great deal of success through her well received books. Her third, late in life relationship turned/marriage came when she was 71 with a man who was 84.

The net/net on their years together was best summed up by her. And I quote- He had said I was his last, loveliest adventure and he brought joy and magic to my life. He died when he was 91 and I was 78. Only then did I start to get old.

Attached is a blog from April 27, 2016 – The World of Henry Orient.

Our dream away movie starring Peter Sellers as an eccentric concert pianist and two young Brearley-esque ingenues who groupie their way around New York City.

My friends and I had a crush on the entire movie. The friendship between Val and Gil served as the prototype for our best friendships and our shared tuna fish sandwiches with malteds stirred by long pretzels. It was based on a book by Nora Johnson written in 1964. The movie directed by George Roy Hill extrapolated the medicinal value of gal pals.

My friends and I had our own Henry Orient in high school. Mr. Schmoltze the Director of the all school musical was our McDreamy. With luck our earliest friendships have sustained throughout our lives and still touch us deeply. We have generationally embraced each others children and grandchildren – shout out to Jen and Brooke. Sometimes we call our friend just to hear her voice.

There is a treasured certainty in knowing we haven’t thrown each other out after all the tales of woe we’ve shared. Our discussions so much cheaper than therapy. We paint a picture, create a collage or write a poem inserting a compilation of shared pictorial memories. We used to borrow clothes and trade pocketbooks. Now we share medical advice. Here’s looking at you ladies. We got this. With certainty we know we will never “Walk Alone.” 

 

5784 we Stand and Pray for what’s in store.

Have we been naughty?

Remembering our nice.

Hoping this year is less riddled with strife.

We muster up energy.

Call on new tactics.

Add new behaviors.

We are willing to practice.

Let’s focus on attempting to better mistakes.

This time around with fewer retakes.

When faced with uncertainty,

Apply the rules we were taught.

Mix in loyalty, minimize fraught.

A New Year is dawning.

A new chapter begins.

Keeping our eyes focused.

The goal a – Win/Win.

A cup filled with laughter and a 

dose of measured passion.

Together is better- our one constant fashion.

Disneyland, Disney World add dolls in wheelchairs to “It’s a Small World” attraction.

They had no more raisin bran muffins left at our local deli so we went to corn, Plan B. The restaurant only had a 6:00 or 9:30 time slot available to dine. So another choice of restaurant-we went to Plan B. The bus was really overcrowded so we waited for the next one- Yup-Plan B decision. One and done meager alternative are you kidding me choices .
Up early, in a time to make the donuts moment, we watched the news as Christina Applegate, (Married with Children! Etc.) received her Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. She was barefoot and being held by her co-star Katey Segal. She was grateful and weepy as she explained her latest diagnosis of MS.
In 2008 she had a prophylactic double mastectomy after finding an early stage tumor and receiving a BRCA1 Genetic Mutation diagnosis.
We binged watched her performance in the Dead to Me, tv series. What is touted as her best and funniest work, Anchorman, with Will Ferrell, there were laugh out loud moments.
She is a versatile actress. Funny, clever, engaging and relatable.
Her BRCA1 diagnosis makes her most relatable as our family is riddled with this deleterious mutation.
Familiar indeed to surgeries and the aftermath.
In the everyone got something category we work with what we got and do all we can. Praying all the way to the new bra dept.
Fast Forward- as we drank our early morning coffee and read the newspaper we came upon the story about Dolls in Wheelchairs at Disney.
This newly added diversity representing a population of children, who in the everyone got something category live with the physical limitation of getting up and walking to the next exhibit.
In 2019 Ali Stoker (first caught our attention on Glee) was the first person on Broadway to perform from her wheelchair. She was paralyzed since youth from a spinal cord injury as a result of a car accident. She never begrudged her fate, studied performance art and went the distance, sitting down. If anything her disability served as a motivator and helped propel her all the way to her Tony winning performance in Oklahoma.
Ali Stoker has since become part of the #AerieREAL Role Model Campaign. It is a body positive and inclusivity initiative led by the underwear retailer Aerie. The campaign highlights a diverse group of women from varied industries and backgrounds and uses their unretouched photos in ads.
So just for today let’s embrace our individuality, mix in our limitations and remember when it comes down to it- “It’s a small world after all.”

Make Your Season 2 Great.

We got “Swept Away” by Lina Wertmuller, the Italian Filmmaker with an unmistakable style who left her mark on Italian and worldwide cinema.

Sylvia Weinstock the “da Vinci of Wedding Cakes,” added tiers (tears) to her wedding cake wonders. She produced floral-drapped architectural works in the shape of rose-studded topiaries, baskets of speckled lilies and bouquets of anemones. She didn’t start baking until she was in her 50’s. Yes, my point. They both lived well into their 90’s. They knew to stay away from people who started fires and then played the burn victims.

Long livers all with passions strong. They focused on their interests and fine tuned their talents. Sylvia was lucky in love. She grew up in Brooklyn and went to the beach on the Rockaways with her friends on summer weekends. One summer day she walked over to a group of boys and asked who wanted to go swimming with her? One of the guys walked her to the ocean and as it turned out down the aisle.

Top of mind focus as we have stepped into our 70’s is trying to live our best physical selves and making our relationships stronger as they get longer. Studies show “forgiveness” is one of the optimum characteristics that exists in lengthy relationships.

Dr. Shigeaki Hinohara the Japenese physician and longevity expert who lived until the age of 105 suggested these tips and suggestions worth paying attention to. As follows.

The obvious well played song book we grew up with included staying active, keeping busy, 3 squares a day, take the stairs and exercise your way to 40 carrots for Bloomys favorite yogurt of choice.
Our take away from his study was to have fun and learn to minimize pain.

And I quote “Pain is mysterious, and having fun is the best way to forget it.” If a child has a toothache, and you start playing a game together, they immediately forget the pain.

Betty White believed honing her passions kept her going strong. The love she had for animals was palpable. Her charities speak for themselves. She kept humor at the forefront. Her motto “Forgiveness” works in your favor. She epitomized Fun.

Norman Lear and Carl Reiner went to funny, especially when things weren’t. Belly laughs over inside jokes -a huge panacea for what ails us.

Hit it Irene Cara- “I’m gonna live forever, I’m gonna learn how to fly. I’m gonna make it to heaven, light up the sky like a flame. I’m gonna live forever, baby remember my name.”

Keep on loving your rescue dog, a.k.a. your baby. Make a shadow box collage for your grandchild’s big birthday. Knit your friends new grand baby a beautiful blanket – shout out to Debby with a Y. Showing love through what you can do with your hands is a gift that keeps on giving. Next week if you celebrate Tashlich watch some of your long standing resentments sail away.

“Sail on silver girl.
Sail on by.
Your time has come to shine.
All your dreams are on their way.
See how they shine.
Oh, if you need a friend.
I’m sailing right behind.
Like a bridge over troubled water.
I will ease your mind.

Thanks Paul Simon for those lyrics straight from your heart. We will be humming them all day.