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No Rhyme-All Reason. 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 Wednesday! 

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.

A little humor on Friday- vu den?

Mama liked this song -100.3 FM out of North Palm Beach. “It seems we stood and talked like this before.
We looked at each other in the same way then.
But we can’t remember where or when.”

So as we looked out the window toward the orchid tree we heard a little birdie chirping a tune. We recognized the song and called the bird Sophie Sunshine.
In a sounds of silence fashion we feel grateful to be able to hear the mocking birds and not the loud sirens up First Avenue.

After a little Shpatzir around we found a next day delivery dinette table. Shout out to A and M and the perfect chairs.
On to lunch. We walked next door and ordered two sides with our fresh off the bone turkey sandwich from 3 GGG’s.

The audible from a large table of SENIORS, as we looked up from putting mustard on our baked knish, and the first of many guten you’s was as goes.

“Evelyn you know I need to sit at the end seat I’m a lefty. I’m a lefty (eyeball roll) too, says Barbara. Ok then you sit-and how was your day?

They order water only, they’ll have de- cafe with the dessert- free hamantaschen for Purim.

“Florence wanna share a side of chopped liver? It’s divine on the turkey and their delicious rye-bread -no seeds) for the diverticulitis prone.

So if you hold out till Tuesdays in the sunbelt and post your sun-pass on your windshield and if you buy a lottery ticket at Publix you can save $20 bucks if you enter your phone number. Epes- so many “contingents upon.” A Zuchen vey.

Looking forward to water aerobics to burn off some lbs. from our everything (free at the clubhouse bialys.)
Talk later gotta take a snooze before the early bird at the Greek (best hummus) place on Federal Highway. Now we remember “where and when.“ Nitra’n.

In a most delightful way! 🀄️

In every game that must be won.
There is an element of fun.
You find the “run” and snap.
Fill the tiles in the gap.
The game is just a game. ( yeah right)
Every hand you undertake.
Becomes a piece cake.
A lark, a spree it’s very clear to see.

Just a sh*t load of jokers helps the
mah jongg hand go down.
The mah jongg hand go down.
The mah jongg hand go down.
In a most delightful way.

In every hand you undertake.
Add a piece of cake.
3 cracks, 4 dots , one flower maybe more.
It’s you who’s keeping score.
Shake it up and go explore.
Never tried that hand before?
Cause Consecutive run is such a bore.

Add a flower to the mix.
And pull out all the tricks.
You picked a North and West.
Switch to the Winds and add the rest.
They got passed around a lot.
Just pull out all the stops.
Cause…

Just a sh*t load of jokers.
Helps the mah jongg hand go down.
The mah jongg hand go down.
The mah jongg hand go down.
In the most delightful way.
Make it a fun Tuesday.

Go ahead try the chocolate babka. You could plotz.

How to Win Friends and Influence People-with a much needed Twist.

“Understand people’s anxiety- Always have a suntan-” Aristotle Onassis-

Dale Carnegie-kind and ever so real. He Won friends and influenced people he never met. His basic principle to aim for cheerful friendliness and approach things with zero ambiguity. His motto “Don’t criticize, condemn or complain.”

His book has gone the distance on the daily, like our morning coffee. His suggestions served as the prototype for all The Chicken Soup for the Soul publications. Helen Gurley Brown in her Cosmopolitan style, told it like it was as career and love life merged, through red lipstick and panty hose and we listened.

Who remembers Revlon “coffee bean” lipstick and a spritz of Shalimar on the way out the door to hang with friends?

We watched, we must confess, early on when Phil Donahue met “That Girl” and interviewed Jean Nidetch (founder of Weight Watchers.) We learned the value of zero point foods in an attempt to keep our girlish figure.

Back to -Oh Dale, how your words resonated loud and clear upon first read and today when we need a reminder. That unpleasant look from so and so the other day had everything to do with them and very little to do with us. People project their feelings and own bias when they’re defending the one side of the story they didn’t hear.

We long for the days when we walked into the candy store and put the new Betty and Veronica, Little Dot and Dennis the Menace comics on the counter next to our bazooka and red licorice treats. How bout the primordial smells of the gum in the pack of baseball cards that one of the kids on your block shared with you? The very familiar smell of a brand new spalding ball lingers on in our bag of childhood treasures. Exhuming those scents easier than remembering, well a-lot these days.

We believe our first art lesson was on Etch a Sketch, and early writing lessons happened through creating stories of where Barbie and Ken would go on their honeymoon. We thought Bermuda would be nice. One guilty pleasure we recall was chewing double bubble, piece after piece (not knowing we were helping our dentist enjoy his summer home in the Berkshires with each bubble that landed smack across our faces.)

Oh the 60’s, where art thou now? Our world is bleeding out of control. Worry, insomnia and zapped energy a deleterious trifecta too common in our everyday. So hit it Dale-“ Get busy. Keep busy. it’s the cheapest kind of medicine there is on earth- and one of the best.” Thanks, Mr. Carnegie -we’re in.

Doubling Down on Levity-🙏

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.

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.
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. 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 know one of the women in the game bugs the bejesus out of me, but the new card is coming out end of month and I wanna play one more time with the 2024 one.
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.
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.
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.

One hundred memories of life in a box.
One hundred memories of life.
None were left on the cutting floor.
None were lived through a splice.
We are sorting through decades of life on the run, baby pics and sporting events.
We are heavily endowed with the emphasis on Fun and go on while we still -can run.
Papers of sadness, rekindled our grief, a moment to sit and reflect.
A box filled with toys unfolded the joy-blessed with 2 girls and six boys.
Our heap of relief.
Legos and baby dolls, more shoes than we need.
So we sort and we pack and we throw and we keep.
On from Plan A to Plan B and C.
Wait don’t toss that just yet.
We may need it some day to learn how to knit, or to sew or crochet.
Tomorrow may offer a second chance ok let’s keep it out of the way.
One hundred more memories of life in a box.
Can you believe we did oh! so much.
We are moving on to a chapter unknown.
New ventures and hobbies and such.
So we add some more “stuff,” to the bag of give aways.
We pray we won’t miss that old sweater.
We have a little room in the box that says “save.”
As we move on to new ventures in warm weather.
On our way we will go, yes we are ready and set.
We will count on the hope of new beginnings.
With our lives wrapped up tight.
0n our wings with our prayers.
As we sail into sunsets unknown.
Here’s to one hundred more boxes.
Of memories to make as we add a new “Place to call Home.”

And I quote -Why are there so many songs about rainbows

And what’s on the other side?

Rainbows are visions,

They’re only illusions,

Rainbows have nothing to hide.

So we’ve been told,

And some choose to believe it.

I know they’re wrong wait and see.

Someday we’ll find it,

The rainbow connection,

The lovers, the dreamers and me. End quote-

Lyrics by Jim Henson- favored artist Kermit the Frog.
Rainbows and Frogs- “look, look, look to the rainbow, follow the fellow who follows his dream.”

The fascination of the colors, shape and promise offer a trilogy of endless wonderment. Dorothy searched for happiness “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.” She learned that after her laborious travels, the click of the red shoes bringing her “Home” to Auntie Em’s smile was her Oz.

So you gamble at the track to win, place or show. Aren’t placing and showing, winning? Just get out of the gate, play your own game and recognize opportunities often disguised as hardships. In holy grail fashion , become the laureate of second chances even if your horse places or shows.

Don’t judge a situation you’ve never been in. Hard life lesson, learned. Our friend’s Love, Love their dogs. Like in OMG- DOG! The unrequited love in the wag of their tale and lick on their faces puts a smile on theirs second to none.
Our neighbors adopted a baby at birth. They threw the word adopted away as it had no “H” for Heart in it. When you have eight grandchildren that had nothing to do with biology and everything to do with “Everything,”- make them yours in heart, body and soul. Their memories will become your legacy. Believe me they know who loves them, chicken nuggets and all. If they don’t want scrambled eggs for breakfast offer them pancakes.

By the way guys it’s not dew on the white roses you sent yesterday -they’re tear drops. Very sincerely yours.

As next chapters come with rapid speed, listen carefully for the song of the male frog- a grunt, a croak. It often serves as the conduit to where you want to settle in. Don’t re-gift your life to people who treat you as after thoughts. First row, first seat – grab it when the music stops.

The Wizard made hay from the scarecrows stuffing. Fill each seat at your table with only the deepest of players who have your back while you turn around to watch as the parade passes. Let’s do it Wednesday.

What happens 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 (who remembers their neighbor Thorny- Played by Don Defore? Yup! Run on sentence. 

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 sit around the piano and sing out loud with My Little Margie, Aunt Bee who got a ride over with Barney and was 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. 

In prances Eddie Albert with the fur clad, diamond bearing Eva Gabor from their Green Acres via Park Avenue Pad. And- a good time was had by all. 

They also played monopoly trying to remain financially solvent while forcing their opponents into bankruptcy. So who let the dogs out?

The surprise guest was Jim Backus. He came in and announced “I Married Joan,” and they all agreed that everyone Loved Lucy. 

The category is Sitcoms in the Sixites. We’ll take our fav 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 Manolo Blahniks? 

Make it a “Sunday in the Park” kinda day!