Go to grateful on repeat.

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 yes, we went to Plan B.

One and done meager, alternative, are you kidding me easy choices.

Up again early, in a time to make the donuts moment we watched the news as Christina Applegate, (Married with Children) received her Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

She was barefoot and being held by her co-star Katey Segal. She was strong, albeit weepy as she explained her latest diagnosis of MS.

We binged watched her performance in the Dead to Me series. What is touted as her best and funniest laugh out loud work is Anchorman, with Will Ferrell.

She is a versatile actress. Funny, clever, engaging. We really like her style.

As we drank our early morning coffee and ate our plan b muffin we read the newspaper and 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 pool and so on.

In 2019 Ali Stoker caught our attention on Glee. She 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. After her acclimation through her devastating initial shock 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, kick the crap out of Plan B —and remember when it comes down to it- “It’s a small world after all.” Make someone else’s day.

Moise Pupik come sit by me.
Need and few answers from a self important lad like thee. 
The world is collapsing in a kaput like fashion.
Our ancestors would plotz, you can only imagine.
With despots and bullies and fighting on the streets.
The U.S.of A. succumbing to- Ctrl. Alt. Delete. 
We are screaming in hallways and crying aloud.
Despair and horror -so far from proud.
 The imbalance in caste systems tips the scale so far.
Americans not eating, not even from a jar.
Can we sit back and wait for the roar of the crowd?
To get louder and stronger trying to help burst the bubble that is shrouding the cloud.
 Can the swamp keep draining, pull the plug and drain low?
Putting food in all mouths closing down the crap show.
Come Dancer, come Prancer time is creeping on by.
We cry for the reality that soars far and wide.

 With no mistake and don’t get us wrong.

 Come stand United- crossing fingers strong!

Nice to meet ya!

Come here ya got schmutz on your face.
Ugh, what am I gonna do with you?
We are meeting that couple we met at Jukebox Bingo for a bite tonight at Poppies. Love the bread basket with the onion rolls.

Tomorrow we have another date. Rochelle and Stanley Levitt are their names. He’s the guy with the crooked toupee, I know, I know, but he has a sweet smile so focus below the eyebrows.
I could a plotz when she invited us for Chablis and Brie- I could break out in song, how it rhymes. You should only know from it.

We are going to eat after at 3 GGG’s. You like the panko breaded flounder and all the choices of sides. No I’m not gonna give you a look if you order the sweet potato fries. Yeah, go to town with yourself. B’H.
Rochelle asked if we want to come back to her villa after dinner and play Canasta, base of 3. I answered for us a resounding “Sure.” Could you faint? Remember to count the 7’s and Aces. You shouldn’t give the pack. What a ya mean who is Rochelle?

Ok, I will pick you up after mah jongg. I am filling in for Blanche she has a dermo appt. I know I told you one of the women in the game bugs the bejesus out of me. But I wanna play a little, I got a Willy.
What time is your poker game over today? Poka in Boca ha! ha!

Maybe you could bring a few pieces of rugelach home from the cardroom. In my life- the Best. I don’t know if they bake them here. Sweet, but not too sweet.
What time did you say the handyman was coming to hang our ketubah? Think I will have time to pick up Salmon at the Grove before he comes? I will put on the honey mustard. You like it that way. With the double baked Potatoes from Doris’ you’ll have a good meal for yourself.
Ok, I am off to chair yoga, see you after your haircut. Remember to have him trim your nose hair. A zuchen vay.
Zie gezunt.

In olden days a glimpse of stocking,
Was looked on as something shocking.
But now G-d knows.
Anything goes. Lyrics by Cole Porter.

As “times have changed” we are more aware of how tempus fugit (time flies.) Let’s (carpe diem) seize the day and in a (sicut enim medicus) just what the doctor ordered way, get out of our own.

As true Broadway Babes let’s do a Priscilla Lopez from Chorus Line and “dig down deep,” flip the sting from these dangerous and difficult times and Go to Humor for one moment in time.

And so “Anything Goes.”

Nip and Tuck- It’s a Rap.

Bo to the tox and the forehead looks younger.

Go to the thighs cause they tell you no lies.

As gravity tugs at our mugs with full force.

Can’t look any younger by taking a course.

Esteem to the team with eyes opened wide.

Into home base we score wth full pride.

Our mojo and moxie helps dig and look deeper.

We mellow, we chill, we’re considered a keeper.

Match up to our egos we know our self worth.

We are one of of a kind on this entire earth.

Consider the knife to smooth our appearance.

We go to the doc and ask for some clearance.

We fast over night cause we gotta look tighter, back out of the deal cause we pulled an all-nighter.

So Vixen and Rudolph strap into ur sleigh.

Ain’t going under that knife,

No fricken way.

We’ll accept what we look like cause older is wiser.

We ain’t going backwards, we’re no compromiser.

Let’s call up our buddies who know us so deep.

So happy to hear how we’re perfect when asleep.

With gumption and courage we hold our heads higher.

Came into our own the seller, not the buyer.

We like how we look and we feel so damn good.

We heard it for sure from a friend in our hood.

And I quote.
Good authors, too, who once new better words.
Now only use four-letter words.
Writing prose.
Anything goes.

On some “Grey” days we binged as Mc Dreamy took care of Don Draper and diagnosed it as just too much day drinking. 

We were left confused after Sam Seaborn ( Rob Lowe) exited the West Wing, while salivating over Carmela’s “Sunday Sauce.” Bada Bing to those meat-a-balls.

So, when corned beef and pastrami met on the corner of Potato Knish and Dr. Browns Soda, they bump into the Salami on rye with deli mustard sandwich. Well done french fries? -sure why not- our picture show.

They get ready to watch as Mr. Ed whispers to Ozzie and Harriet a cute story about (ok who remembers their neighbor?) Thornyp- Played by Don Defore. That was a stretch.

They are meeting over at Donna Reeds 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 and 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.” 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 to my wife -what did you pay for those shoes? Make it a throwback Monday.

This is just for the moment when we take our eyes off the screen, pick our head up from the daily News and wipe the fear and horror off our faces.

Then one day the sky fell down.
No chicken little warning- the house fell on the witches legs and just like that the emperor had no clothes.

Cinderella lost more than her slipper and the three blind mice could no longer run. Mother Goose stopped singing nursery rhymes and stood by as prisoners exercised around the “mulberry bush.” There were no rainbows and we waited for happier days to be here again-hit it Barbra with an A.

Severus Snape knew that “the dark arts are varied, ever changing and eternal. Fighting them is like fighting a many-headed monster, which each time a neck is severed, sprouts a head even fiercer and more clever than before.”

Even though Tom (Tom and Jerry) was the antagonist, all of us felt for Tom. “After all what good is a cat if he can’t get the better of a rat.” From our own little corner in our own little chair- uh, oh! we spied with our little eye a black cat crossing our path.

And to quote Elmer Fudd in his garden of evil- “Shhh. Be vewy, vewy quiet. I’m hunting wabbits.” Only in that case, the hunter gets hunted always.

Then we ran into Mary Poppins who offered us a spoon full of sugar. It helped the medicine go down. We began to believe again and just like we know pruning flowers helps new ones grow bigger and brighter, alas the Prince of Tides helped our ship sail in.

We turned the beat around, stopped playing victim and got behind the wheel to claim our power back.

If you believe in magic, follow toto down the yellow brick road and know that somewhere between the curtain and the wizard is a place called Home.

Mah Jongg Our Mother’s Game? No joke(r.)

Repost upon request.

So many of the old adages are now living at our front door.

Cliches that we never got, couldn’t internalize or just weren’t ready for have now come into play with regularity.

Fortuitously, they serve as the bettor at our Mah-jongg table.

More forgiving and grateful, less verbalizing differences seems to be our new posture. We sit down and the magic occurs. First game out we adjust our seat, call on our strategy and throw the dice. We leave so much more to chance. No rebuffing what is, just fact and acceptance feel like the right path to take. We flinch at the first interference in our game of Life–and in turn almost welcome it. A phone call from our friends kid sharing the joy over their daughter’s ballet recital is typical. An interruption because the dentists office is calling to reschedule our appointment.

Perhaps the bell ringing when the handyman comes to fix the leak in the bathroom sink.

We pool our woes and share our joys. Are we lucky or have we turned happenstance into “sheer” delight?

Our parents had an activity with their weekly group of couples called “Coffee and…” We now understand that the “and” was so much more than rugelach or chocolate babka from Bread. We love our “and.” When we were younger and had chicken for lunch, we would save the wings for last. Now we sit down and go for the wings first. We decided it’s because we can’t wait to get back to what we came for. The real bonus to this activity is that it recapitulates our parents activity of continuity. Well here’s to so many more days of Mah Jongg “And.”

She lead with versatility as the escoffier of movie characters we watched over and over.

In her one note style of kindness, minus judgment she captured our hearts.
We “felt” we knew who she portrayed as her style brought life to the characters vulnerability.

Her raw talent popped through floppy hats and beige and white baggy pants.
Throw in a vest now and then.

Stern and exacting, scatterbrained and funny broke through to create the show us more of what you got cravings.

As Annie Hall we wished La di da on everyone. Your Nina Blank character in Father of the Bride left us wanting to share a “cause your lovely dance” with Steve Martin. Oh-and what didn’t we want to cook for Jack late at nite while snacking on his try and get through to his emotions appeal. I mean Something’s Gotta Give.
As Louise in Reds your strength in support of women’s rights in a pursuit to establish a career in writing about politics was awe inspiring and motivating.
“It wasn’t a miscarriage.” “Oh Michael you are Blind.” The Mic drop moment as the scene leaped off the page in Mario Puzo’s script in Godfather Part II. We’ll have our people talk to your people off the side street and around the blockbuster. 
The depth of your sorrow and desperation was dark and gritty as you looked for Mr. Goodbar.
We knew in your crooning cameo as part of the ensemble cast in Radio Days that Woody had you purposefully cast to softly deliver Cole Porter’s “You’d be so nice to come home to.”
So on a season changing day in October in the roll of a lifetime- “children” by your side your swan song came as a shock to all. We’ll take hanging out with Diane Keaton over dinner for a $1000 in Final Jeopardy.
Baruch Dayan HaEmet.

When The Early Bird Catches the Blintzes!

It’s 4:45 when we begin thinking about dinner.
We have an hour to get ready.

We put on a new blouse and hope It won’t get a food stain on it. This is new.
We walk out the door.

We’re on line at our go to restaurant of choice. Long line but we are in the door, getting closer to the table.
We grab some after dinner mints at the counter and a couple of tooth picks while we wait. If we order the corned beef and it is stringy the toothpicks will come in handy.
Oy, the beeper they gave us to hold just went off.
We push through the crowd, disregard the dirty looks. We’re in and being escorted to our table. “Excuse me sir maybe you got a booth? My husband has a bad knee, is a lefty and needs to sit on the outside and with his leg facing out. TMI-
Again a dirty look, alas we are sitting.

Here honey have a pickle, it’s a good mix and they have the sour tomatoes you like.
We catch up with out friends about medical stuff and get it out of the way.

I point to my mouth as to signal our friend that a piece of coleslaw is stuck to her lipstick. Yup, not a good look at any age.
So we open the menu of oh so many choices.
Excited that the two sides with our main course we can “substitute” did you ever? A potato knish or potato pancakes instead of baked or mashed.
Glad we swigged a little mylanta on our way back into the house because we forgot oh, well something.
Our orders are in.
Only took twenty minutes for four people to decide. Not like it is ever an easy order going through the book of choices. Unless you had a willy for something. Like you could taste it.
“Saul my friend says to her husband of all the many items to choose from a hamburger deluxe with sweet potato fries is what you are getting.”Saul says to my husband, can you believe with everything going on in the world you would think if I want a hamburger it would maybe, just maybe once go unnoticed and not a gonza magilla. Do I tell her a side of balsamic dressing is not going to matter in her salad if she orders the fried chicken as her main?”
Ok, so we get our food and only one of us returns something- a veritable miracle.

My friend sent her fried chicken back, she only likes dark meat. She says go ahead eat. Your meatloaf won’t taste good cold.
So we talk over one another. We know every detail about their grandkids camp experience and how long they waited at the airport when they went to Aruba this summer.

The table is cleared, a new dessert menu is handed to us. Wait, oh my they have the Boston Cream Pie tonight. I ask my husband if he wants to share, I suggest four forks and one dessert. You would think I was taking their toys away.
No, my friends husband Saul says I am getting my own. Under her breath I hear my friend whisper “ maybe get the jello, you ate every sweet potato fry. Then “ give a kick” he says to her- mind your own sweet potato fries, did I mention that you inhaled the potato pancakes like they were going out of style.

Goodnight, it was great seeing you we yell out the car window. Same time, same place- next week. We took the flyer at the door it says the specials are chicken in the pot or flanken. See you in the morning at water aerobics. Vayismir I am so full.

A Gastronomic Potpourri

Pasta and Pizza.
Bagel with schmears.

The best bec n biscuit we’ve tasted in years.
Eggplant Caponata with prosciuttos a pair.

Fava beans are marinated with Rosemary and Sage.
Soaking in flavors with love as they’re aged.

Try a ricotta cheese ball, add a garlic bread loaf.
This winning combo undoubtedly takes the troph.
Choose 3 of a kind or a plate filled with five.

With Italian wedding soup simmering and shrimps served with eyes.

Go ahead and sample, bring your taste buds alive.

The 15 bite hot dog is a site to behold.
The Brooklyns baked mac and cheese never grows old.

Sip a bellini -add some peach schnapps (who knew.)
Consummate Italian food, hailed
Fireman-the quintessential Bronx Jew.

Try sushi from Red Eye.
A fried artichoke or 3.
The chilean sea bass the best from the sea.

Now for the back tooth that begs for some sweets.
A Tartufo creation you won’t find on the streets.
Cookies and cheesecake wake the taste buds so strong.
In a booth along the wall is where you be belong.
They lead with hospitality it goes without saying.
The experience in one of Shellys stores, will have you on the ground praying.