As my mother and grandmother used to say, “Why buy the cow, when you can get the milk for free?” This was a not-so-flattering analogy to a “living together” arrangement, instead of marriage. When I was a kid, it was…
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The other day I was counseling a new bride, who tearfully and dramatically told me that although she loved her husband, she was not “IN love” with him. I really hate that trite, over-used and under-thought about phrase. I hear…
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April 20, 2015 Marriage and Divorce
Divorce rates have increased because our young people’s values have decreased. I recently attended the funeral of a young woman who was in her twenties. What can be said about death that hasn’t already been said? I noticed some things…
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As we age, we tend to suffer increasingly from skin complaints like dryness, patchiness, and cellulite. And living in Florida, where the sun beats down on us daily, we also have learned the need to seek daily UV protection. Perhaps…
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Wars have been fought over it, people have killed for it. What is the allure of gold? Originally (it is guessed) man was attracted to gold because of its sheer beauty and the fact that it never tarnishes or rots…
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I love jewelry. If ever a girl loved jewelry, it would be me. I particularly love pearls, though I cannot give you any rational reasons why. Pearls are actually something that any self-respecting vegetarian should eschew and although I’m not…
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I’ve always loved emeralds. They’re a member of the beryl family, which is the same family that the ruby and aquamarine (and the lesser-known pink morganite) come from. It’s hard to find a quality emerald any more, because the mines…
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November 22, 2014 Skin and Body
When I was a little girl, my mother would not buy me a single Barbie doll. At the time, I smarted under the unfairness of it all. Her explanations did little to soothe me: “The Barbie doll teaches little girls…
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There is something enchanting about Bakelite and Galalith (a.k.a. French Bakelite). Both are very old plastics dating from the late 1800s/early 1900s. These products allowed jewelers to get creative with shapes, designs, and colors and introduced costume jewelry to the…
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I hate shopping for clothes. Unless you have the body of a Barbie doll, nothing ever seems to fit the way that you imagine it will. I am reminded of the Cathy cartoons, when Cathy goes through her seasonal ritual…
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November 12, 2013 Communication
I have recently begun to compile a List of Things You Should Never Have to Ask Your Teen. I would dearly love to never have to ask these questions, but after comparing notes with other parents, I find that most…
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July 21, 2013 Marriage and Divorce
I was counseling an unhappy wife one day. She had already admitted that the difficulties were not coming from her husband. “I have a codependency issue,” she said glibly to me. “No,” I assured her firmly, much to her surprise….
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