Dear 20chai

Maybe this time we’ll win. We make the promises, we pump up the expectations and we pass the in winter only Mallomars at the supermarket.

“When a child loves you for a long time, not just to play with but REALLY loves you, you become Real. Does it hurt?” Asked the Rabbit. “Sometimes,” said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful. “When you are Real you don’t mind being hurt.”

A favorite quote from a most favorite children’s book, The Velveteen Rabbit or (How Toys Become Real) by Margery Williams. 

So once again we try to brush away the flies in our picnic of life. Sadness only  takes away riches. We know for certain laughter, especially when it involves the belly adds life to your years. Norman Lear, who is still going strong at 95 years young, believes as he was moving on up to the East Side with Maude, Archie and Sandford’s son that the “Good Times” even if it’s “One Day at a Time,” added years to your life. 

I know run on sentence counters, relax that is it. 

This year while reading the New York Times obits I came across one that shouted out loud.

Dr. Shigeaki Hinohara a Japanese physician was listed. He lived until 105. He cautioned against gluttony and early retirement and vigorously championed annual medical checkups, climbing stairs regularly and just having fun. 

So as we -At A Glance- our 20chai weekly appointment book let’s replace “wishful drinking” with “wishful thinking.” Oh and by the way, Yes hello American Express. That charge was a real purchase. Yes, I bought the whole store. Uh huh, yep the whole store. It’s the store where I bought the Basket, the one I put all my eggs in. Eight, yes, eight of them hatched. Alevei-

When the leaves were orange and the living was easy. What does the tooth fairy do with all the teeth? Why are the people in the front of the picture so much bigger than the people toward the back? Out of the mouths, when life was oh so mellow. 

We bought our first pair of silk stockings which were to be held up by a stretchy pink and white striped  garter belt. The days of Ozzie and Harriet, Susan Lucci and Soupy Sales. 

We re-dialed after our friends line was busy the first time and screeched with excitement, Conrad Birdie style, over our anticipated coed- girl/boy party that evening. After we sat under a hot dryer with beer can sized rollers in our hair we brushed away the fumes from our eyes left by aqua spray. The decision to curl our hair rather than iron it straight was a good one, our hair came out just right. Getting ready “Was” the excitement. Our new madras blouse and alpaca sweater hung prominently in the front of our closet right above our shiny, new cordovan colored weejuns. Bright, new Penny, dated 1967 heads up in place.

A touch of revlon blush, a glimmer of light pink lipstick proceeded a spritz of Ambush and we were on our way. With dejavu on my breath I can still recall euphorically how it felt when I unbuttoned the wooden clasps that kept my new Loden green PeaCoat in tact. The boys gathered on one side of the room as the girls sifted through the 45’s on the other. At this point there was no bottle to spin in sight. Would the Angels sing tonight as our soldier boys danced under the Blue Moon? 

The specialty years of pre-teening had a wonderful life of its own. We made room for our daydreams laced with Johnny Mathis lyrics. Our Barbie and Ken’s were repositioned and left to fetch for themselves in the back row of our minds. In the still of the night I hold tightly to the moments that Jay and the Americans knew were Magic.

Upon your welcome Dear Kamala,
The object of our desire
For FOUR too many years
The world was set on fire
We welcome so your valor, we’re delighted by your charm

In the absence of our hugs
We’ll extend to you our arm
The moment when your hand, was placed upon the Bible
We sighed a huge relief
We know there is no rival
You’ll champion our causes
Brava Sista you are strong
We’ll sit back in our seats
We trust you can’t go wrong
So ripe for welcomed changes
You’ve raised the bar by octaves

Dedication blended with wisdom
Your credence our adoptive

So today, a new beginning, we cried Relief through tears

We welcome Madam Vice President

Our blessings to the next FOUR years!

Bye bye Donnie
Your time is up today
Bye bye Donnie
Now just go away
Now just go away
No more toxins we know you
Dumped your share
Just go Donnie
Karma’s coming near
We despise your bolden lies
You have had your final say
Our country suffered strong
You took our lives away
Pack your shiz up
Take all those spray tan cans too
Once in jail you’ll be turning blue
We’ll have sunshine to help dry up our tears
Just go Donnie we lost 4 years
We’ve lost 4 years

Donald J. Trump take your magic pillow

And just go away

The thought of your disgust we can’t bear for one more day

We won’t waste another moment indulging insanity Our diminished population

For all the world to see

The pain and devastation has wreaked havoc far and wide

You are one psychotic psycho

No longer can you hide

The fat lady has sung the swan song

Aldous Huxley got it right

In John the Savage fashion

The denouement is close in sight.

2022 we are coming for you
Just as we figured it out
Our favorite seats laying down
At Cinema 123 or the Royal Crown
Row F or Row G
Seats 3- 5
Row J -7, 8, 9
Waiting for the world to be back to fine
An aisle seat we’ll grab

And here’s where we’ll meet
On the corner of 3rd and 59th Street
Have a bite before
Or popcorn in our seats?
We have tickets for Town Hall
A reservation for dinner has been made
It was between Italian or Chinese
5:45 or a tight squeeze
We want to be on time
As the show we hear is great

Got the tickets last July, it was quite a long wait
How bout a drink and dessert, after the show?
The theater is on a block with lots of places to go

We’ll meet again next week
We got tickets in advance
This time we are going downtown to watch “dance.”
This lingo on our tongues

So ready to say once more

We really miss the option of just walking out the door

With so many things to do

In places we adore

In harbinger like fashion

The day of reckoning is coming near

Our freedom we’ll get back

And hold so tender and more dear.

You know there are 6 more weeks in Boca. So whad ya do this week-end? This musing is inspired by Brad Zimmerman. And just who is this Brad guy? Here goes. A sixty something, in great shape guy whose claim to fame is that he opened for Joan Rivers in Atlantic City, before the days of progressive wheel of fortune slots. Love those! (Shout out to Robo.) He’s a New Jersey guy, way of New York, schmoozing his way on Florida stages. Joan Rivers one- liner to him was and I quote ” you are the funniest comic I ever worked with in your price range.” We laughed and then we cried through the evening. He is still waiting for his career to amount to more than bupkes. Also, if his girlfriend Amy from high school gets divorced perhaps he’ll marry her. A Zuchen Vey. Brad’s stereotypical Jewish mother is still giving him “what for’s.” How lucky to still have her nudging him and reminding him he’s not a shmendrik. Her question to him now, ” so when are you going to get off the stage and give me a grandchild? We left after 90 minutes, no intermission, yes we used the facilities beforehand. I kept thinking on our way to get some key lime pie and a nite cap, if only he went into his father’s furniture business he might not being standing alone on a small stage in Palm Beach Gardens. His spiel was audible when the forced A/C wasn’t noisy. Vayismir. Getting to the theater a bit of a gantseh magilla- but not to worry, we don’t shivtz the small stuff.

It was a humor filled, delightful evening. His shtick had a cute gimmick. The evening was so provactive of our days of growing up with similar hand me downs. I can’t type fast enough, I could plotz.

Earlier in the day we spaetzered around The West Palm Beach Antique Fair. 

You shouldn’t know from the thrill-big, huge. With every piece of schmutz on every amber glass bowl our endorphins rose to sea level. We sifted through the tchatchkes, the thigamabobs and the doodads. If you haven’t left me yet it’s over soon enough. Trust me, oy. We bought a few things, you’ll see below. 

And then we knew we arrived –over the free, fluffy marble cake samples placed in front of us at Flakowitz. Uh, the look on my husband’s face priceless. His favorite and free. Does it get better? Ok, listen up. We had a Flagel and a schmear and we were off. We were on our way to play pickle ball with that new couple we met on line at Costco. I don’t, know, maybe, could be the early bird’s shadow portends to more then 6 weeks in La-la land. I’ll get back to you later.

Ina, Ina the ultimate Dinna- we’re stuffing the chickens, we’re making the pies- can’t even imagine the width of our thighs. Your flowers are blooming, your smile so strong, so how you and Jeffrey Really getting along? We’re thinking of popovers from Silver Palate Days- depends on the hour, depends on the day. As long as we’re distancing from our own malaise, we’ll take out the pan and follow your ways. We are cooking and drinking – and ordering our meat and every so often we’ll bake up a sweet. Your reruns we’re watching as you cook with aplomb, we’re shaking martinis measuring more then a thumb. When all this is behind us and you open your door we trust you’ll be smiling as you set the table for Four.

Swipe your nose, put on a new

sweater and shuffle the cards. Short term goal, in house Virus Clearance. Let’s go over to a friend’s home, grab a seat and start all over again. Our dreams realized (soon enough) when we will have an increment of control over our short term destiny. With the scientists at the helm as our Generals and precautionary actions strongly positioned, perhaps we can reboot close to where we left off 10 months ago. The days when some of our challenges were remembering to take our talon, or not overlooking an available tile to replace with a Joker on the rack across the table. Our days of glory during The Golden years when deciding between tuna or chicken for lunch was knee jerk familiar, as our knees jerked. Yes, we remember them well. Let’s spin it forward and look toward exhuming our “prior normal,” when we didn’t mind all that much whether we left the day with our “change purses” filled with quarters. Our sleeves are rolled up, we are ready to be vaccinated, when called. Come one, call all- as we know now more than ever there is always room for one more.

As that was the year that was… is coming to an end- and happier days will be here again- exuming memories of easier days gone by feels like the right thing to

do. Repost from 2017-

I took myself to the Lincoln Plaza Cinema to see a movie about an early period in J.D. Salingers life called “Rebel in the Rye.” I walked up to the ticket booth, money in hand and said “one senior please.” The gentleman selling tickets questioned whether or not I was 65 and could he see proof. I unbuttoned the top button of my blouse and pointed to my neck. He proceeded to hand me a ticket marked senior. I chuckled to myself aloud. Shout out to Nora Ephron, at the Algonquin Table in the sky. Her poignant book “I Feel Bad About My Neck And Other Thoughts On Being A Woman,” is a real feel good, feel better about yourself read. Read it in one sitting, especially if you are put on hold when waiting to speak with a social security representative. My take away from the book was a permission to come aboard, take off the perennial turtleneck and don’t think twice about what to do with Lemons. Ok now to Holden Caulfield main character in “Catcher in the Rye. To skip around counters, I know I’m skipping.
Holden liked the Natural History museum because, no matter what else changed in his life, it was always the same: it was like a little freeze-frame picture of his own childhood, a safe spot he could always come back to.
Nowadays freeze-framing memories and continuing traditions help keep the balance.
So with Nora Ephron and Holden Caulfield in mind, we will say yes to playing “I spy” in a warm waiting room, when a grandchild is there for his speech lesson and complaining about his newly acquired blue braces hurting him. Just for today be a pacer, not a miler and make it a good one!