Betty White is turning 100!

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, until this past month into their 90’s. Long livers 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 the weekends in the summer. 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. Relationships amongst long livers tend to be deep and strong with the emphasis on forgiveness.
As we are stepping into our 70’s as we close 2021 we are regrouping, pulling out all the stops and putting the
accent on the right syll-a ble. Long livers and some tips on long living is a curious study.
The power of luck cannot be overestimated. However, as studied by Dr. Shigeaki Hinohara the Japenese physician and longevity expert who lived until the age of 105 there are tips and suggestions worth paying attention to. The obvious well played song book we grew up with included staying active, keeping busy, 3 squares a day and take the stairs and exercise your way to the make up department at Bloomys.
Our take away from his study was to have fun and 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, he or she immediately forgets the pain.
Betty White believed everyone needs a passion. She kept humor at the forefront. Finding a passion is a talent in itself. Make it a good and find your passion Friday.

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

And then one day your world becomes safer, brighter and filled with answers to questions you thought you would never get. I wish this on everyone- Bring it on 70- pedal to the floor! I got this- bh

When corned beef and pastrami meet on the corner of Potato Knish and Dr. Brown’s Soda. They bump into the Salami on rye with deli mustard sandwich and all get ready to watch as Mr. Ed whispers to Ozzie and Harriet a cute story about (ok who remembers their neighbor?) Thorny- Played by Don Defore. Yup! They are meeting over at Donna Reed’s house to watch the Beaver and his brother Wally take on Ken Osmond a.k.a. Eddie Haskell in a game of H-O- R- S-E, in their driveway. After a pot luck dinner with bread pudding for dessert they will sit around the piano and sing out loud with My Little Margie, Aunt Bee who is getting a ride over with Barney and being escorted by Opie. Oh “kay” then. They take out the game of Clue and wait for That Girl ( Marlo Thomas) to be Bewitched by (Elizabeth Montgomery) all the while Ann Sothern, who came with Don Porter is taking the minutes of the day until Eddie Albert shows up with the fur clad, diamond bearing Eva Gabor from their Green Acres Pad. A good time was had by all and in their game of Clue they played until Jim Backus announced “I Married Joan,” and they all agreed that everyone Loved Lucy. The category is Sitcoms in the Sixites. We’ll take Columbo for $1000.00 Please. And I quote – “Just one more thing. There’s something that bothers me. One more question. My wife. What did you pay for those shoes? Make it a great Wednesday.

Our Sophie Sunshine taught us that “G-d works in mysterious ways.” Once again Soph your words sprinted to the forefront of my mind. I have been struggling with turning 70 this week-end. I have been fussing over what feels like a daunting round number b-day. I will surround myself with family and friends and have things planned that portend to feel good moments and guilty pleasures. Control, Alt, Delete. In a 180 degree, Vicki Sue Robinson, Turn the Beat Around Moment “G-d worked in mysterious ways”- mama.-
Baruch Dayan Emmet to a friend and colleague of my husbands wife.
We got a call that a woman we know who has been battling cancer and kicking it suddenly passed away right after Thanksgiving. She was 70 years old. R.I.P. – G.I. When I blow out a candle to now “welcome” in this number I will include you in my prayers. There are no more afterthoughts only promises.

As an apprentice under Oscar Hammerstein,
Consummate wordsmith brought words to the point of a rhyme.
His work spanned theatrical lifetimes, his sense of rhythm, was simply sublime.
His content dictated the form as a sentence,
Turned a paragraph into a story through rhyme.
Sinatra sent in the clowns,and Bernadette Peters took a walk through the park with george.
Ambition only superceded by talent.
Like when “good things get bettter/bad things get worse/Wait—I think I meant that in reverse.”
He took us “Into the woods” and in good “Company ”were we.
Every theater lyric a short story, every line the weight of a paragraph you see.
“A funny thing happened on the way to the forum,” with a “Little Night Music”
And a “Gypsy” or three.
With “Passion” he composed the story,
From the “West Side” of the street was the call.
Dear Mr. Sondheim, in our memory, you will always stand tall.
You threw a lot of spaghetti and All of it stuck to the wall.

Nora Johnson who wrote one of my all time favorite movies died this past week at 84. The movie, The World of Henry Orient is a story loosely based on her very New York City schooled at Brearley, luncheoned at Romanoff’s life. With financial indulgences galore by luck and emotional limitations in abundance as a by product of a divorced home she managed to balance a 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.”

The Answer is Yes!

Can we have a play date?
Can you tie my sneakers?
I love cornichons- please just two more.
Can we do an art project while we watch Sponge Bob?
Can we put on make-up and wear your high heels?
I think I will have pizza the kind that is square.
Can we go to the craft store and get chocolate croissants next door?
May I have some pretzels, the kind that is dark?
How much more time can I stay?
Please call mom and ask if for more time here-can I stay longer.
Please some more hummus to dip my carrots in.
It’s my sisters B-day, can We make her a card?
When we plant the terrace, can I plant watermelon seeds?😎
Next time get the yogurt with cookie crumbs on top.
I think I will have french toast for dinner, I love it so much.
Can you make the water in the shower warmer? Please.
Ok, guys get ready it’s time to go home.
Just five more minutes, it feels like we
just got here.
I made this in school for Grandpa and you.
Look I got braces, they are purple and red.
Can you come to hockey and watch me play?
I have ballet on Wednesday will you come to watch?
Can we build a lego, and we’ll leave it by you?—-
16 years and counting with 8 kids so close-to heart-Let’s do it “70”- I have a head start. We wish this on everyone. Bh

Make it a throw back Thursday?

Dear Prudence, won’t you come out and play and greet the brand new day. Who knows how long I’ve loved you, you know I love you still, will I wait a lonely lifetime, if you want me to I will. 

I think I’m gonna be sad, I think it’s today. The girl that’s driving me mad is going away.

Cause one day you’ll look to see I’ve gone but tomorrow may rain so I’ll follow the sun –

So as I see it you gotta pay your dues if you wanna sing the blues cause –

There is music they tell me in sweet fragrant meadows of dawn and dew,

there is love all around but I never heard it playing no I never heard it at all till there was you.

I wanna hold your hand as we cross Abbey Road, so don’t let me down-love me do.

Please don’t twist and shout because she says she loves you and you know that can’t be bad. Anytime at all, all you got to do is call and I’ll be there.

Cause when I’m home, everything seems to be right, when I’m home feeling you holding me tight. And if you want some fun take Ob-la-do-bla-da – Life goes on!

Hold on to the days of carnival gifts and joy rides. Reposting a blog of a holiday of prayer, possibilities and sprinkling in promises. We woke up heavy hearted as we learned crappy news about a friend.  

Apples, Honey and the test of time. לעולם בזמן הנכון- loosely translated “there is no good time to hear bad news.” The Rabbi’s sermon last eve struck a particular cord as we struggle to make any sense of the collection of tragedies we have suffered as a nation this past year.

L’shana tova tikatevu. The book of life was sealed on September 30,2017 and the very next day Stephen Paddock of Mesquite, Nevada opened fire on a crowd of concertgoers. 58 people were slaughtered, he was found dead in his Mandalay Bay hotel room from a self inflicted gunshot wound. Motive unknown. How often do we hear, surrounding a tragedy “motive unknown?” There are cries for help from severely disturbed individuals through social media that we tune into after the fact. What behavoirs are we missing on a daily basis from our immediate population that we overlook, minimize and chalk up to “oh they are having a bad day.” As we begin a New Year become your own community. Be a better signal listener. Put down your electronics while passing the bread basket around your table and live in someone else’s moment. Easier said. And yes dear Rabbi,”it’s never a good time to hear bad news.” Perhaps for today and tomorrow make hopscotch leaps toward really hearing cries for help when your friend tells they are hurting. Dip the apple in the honey from the same jar that has been in your closet for years and sweeten up your friendships by really hearing what they aren’t saying. One day at a time! Bh