Step out, step out of the
sun, if you keep getting burned. —Evan Hansen.

Ok listen up, what’s it going to take?
Adages galore bout repeating mistakes.
First toast to health and good luck along the way.
Stay with me this time, cause it will juxtapose naysay.
As time marches on with challenges stockpiling.
We fuss and we muss with the “not importants” all the whiling.
“Elementary dear Watson,”
It’s easier said than done.
We’re turning our cheek, as we’re coming undone.
We try flipping the negatives.
Counting one by one.
Will they like us and invite us to come back?
The hard on ourselves, try cutting some slack.
Hit the ground running.
It’s medicinal indeed.
Give it a chance.
Plant a new seed.
The news on the daily, breathtaking for sure.
Like a minute under water, open a new door.
Dr. Seuss and I quote.
“I’m afraid that some times you’ll play lonely games too. Games you can’t win cause you’ll play against you.”
Give someone else a good day.

Walk a mile in his shoes and you will never be PET-TY again- RIP – Sal.
You had a certain something.

Watchful of reruns of Two and a half Men. #justhavefun— you know all those things you want to do. Yup! Go do them.

A Gastronomic Potpourri 

Pasta and Pizza.

Bagel with schmears.

The best bec n biscuit we’ve tasted in years.

Eggplant Caponata with prosciutto’s 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 Brooklyn’s 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 Shelly’s stores, will have you on the ground praying. 

Matzoh on The Shelves

Twas the night before Pesach and all through the house.
The smell of the brisket,
Added water to our mouth.
The chicken soup was simmering.
To a boil it was brought.
Our liberation from slavery.
From which we were fraught.
With water turning to blood,
Frogs, lice and flies.
Livestock and locusts.
No firstborns survived.
The Bible unveils,
With g-d on our side.
Letting the Israelites leave Egypt.
The Gates opened wide.
Now Asher, now Sadie, now Evelyn,
Now Moe.
On Manny, on Gertie on Sarah, on Joe.
To the top of the porch, to the top of the wall.
Now dash away, dash away, dash away all.
The children were ready to ask the four kashes.
Ma nishtan halailah hazeh mikol haleilot?
The questions all answered, the food was dipped twice.
No one was naughty, tonight just be nice.
And mamma in her kerchief and papa in his cap.
The dishes all done, they’re ready for a nap.
The afikoman was eaten.
Sugar plums danced in our heads.
Our inalienable rights.
Erased all the dread.
Chag Pesach Sameach one and all.

Tim Walz portrays the Zeitgeist of the moment.
It’s as if he fell out of a tree.
A real “who knew” from Minnesota.
Enter the Land of the Brave because of the Free.
His agenda is nothing but hidden.
He wears his feelings on his blue collar sleeve.

Just when we needed a panacea.
He threw us a life line to retrieve.
He certainly comes across Jolly.
A recipe suggests a life well lived.
He’s traveled life’s path with his Gwen.
Grabbing moments with their two beloved kids.

With a glimpse of Grover’s Corners.
An ode to a simplistic small town life.
With energy he’ll hit the ground running.
Dukes up for the conflict and strife.

Go get ‘em with your moxie and determination.
Bring along your hammer and nails.
Our country cries from chaotic disrepair.
Refreshing and hopeful, stalwart and principled.
We welcome his breath of fresh air.
His charisma adds a welcomed new view.
Now the hard work to get the votes swaying.
With Mazel to turn your Sunny Blue.

What a ride. You got this Strong. Bh

Grandpa is turning 80Won

Before the Parade Passes By-


School Days, School Days, dear old Golden rule days! Reading and writing and rithmetic. Unquote.
In Wonder Women fashion we wonder how summertime flies by so much more quickly than ever before.
Our campers are coming home next week after 6 (yup!) weeks of camp. It feels as if cantaloupe filled with cottage cheese and iced coffee season(shout out to Linda Dietz) lasted much longer in the 60’s and 70’s.
We looked forward to school shopping and buying brand new white keds, blue loose leaf folders, colored tabs to divide social studies from algebra and colorful see thru pencil holders-but not so quickly.

A memorable excitement was wearing our new first day of school Villager outfit that sported our circle pins. Did Ginsburgs and Wechslers feature alpacas, madras blouses and new bangle bracelets second week in July? This summer June and July lasted 10 minutes.

Who remembers the street lights going on as our signal to stop playing and go home? Did they go on so much later in the summer then than they do now? When did Father Time become a Grandfather?
Please dude slow down we need to catch our breath. With self help books adding chapters on “recalibrating the Senior soul” we anxiously pull out plugs and hit the ground running. This abbreviated summer we took long walks and our games of play led the way to let’s have a cocktail around 5:00. We added a little Guacamole toast and summed things up with red velvet cupcakes. Got Shishito peppers anyone?

As long term memory takes center stage we fondly recall the days of climbing monkey bars, wearing very tight white rubber bathing caps to ward off the chlorine effects when we swam and how they added peanut butter to the ring ding formula and called them funny bones. So as we find ourselves in the first week of August with air pods in place we are “calling out around the world are you ready for a brand new beat?”
Summer’s here and the time is right for dancing in the street.” Always love a Martha and the Vandellas tune as “ it doesn’t matter what we wore, just as long as we were there.”
So just for today as we eat half of a well toasted raisin bagel with cream cheese, sip our iced coffee with half and half, we’ll sing along as Frankie Valli croons about late December back in “63” and Betty Buckley reminds us to “let the memories live again.” Have a nostalgic Sunday.

And I quote David Whyte- “the ultimate touchstone of friendship is witness, the privilege of having been seen by someone and the equal privilege of being granted the sight of the essence of another, to have walked with them and to have believed in them, and sometimes just to have accompanied them for however brief a span, on a journey impossible to accomplish alone.”