I'm spending much of the month of May in Kings Point, the active adult community my parents retired to in 1979, fixing up their condo to put it on the market.
Of course the folks who live there now are not-so-active. Many are in their upper 80s or 90s. Baby Boomers seeking a nice but unpretentious place are moving in slowly. Most choose Kings Point because they can honestly live there on a shoestring.
When my folks retired from long hours of uninteresting work in frigid Chicago they thought they had found Nirvana in Kings Point. It was warm and beautiful with three big clubhouses, indoor and outdoor pools, free bus service to take you anywhere you might care to go, cheap bagel places serving breakfast for a buck and a half, more clubs and neighbors and activities than you had time for, well stocked Jewish groceries and delis, and synagogues you could walk to. There was terrific shopping, a first class hospital next door, a quaint and cutesy downtown and it's smack dab in the middle of much tonier homes and developments. The years my parents spent in Kings Point were the happiest of their lives.
Kings Point also came to have a special place in my heart. I thought to myself that whatever misfortune I might encounter (poo poo poo) there would "always be Kings Point". I could grow old there and live on my social security check. It was my home away from home.
But the tired old dining room set where we had our Seders and Thanksgivings, my parent's bedroom set that I would crawl into when I was scared, the TV stand that held the black and white set I watched Mickey Mouse on, and even the little desk and the hide-a-bed that are "new" at only 30 years old - I will say goodbye to them soon (I hope).
But I think I'll keep the lamp I made in Mr. Courtney's 8th grade Home Economics class...
;-)
I'm starting to #hate those creepy #hashtags that are now included in posts, pins, tweets, you tube videos and probably pretty soon on #tattoos. It is interesting that the online public has developed and adopted a way to group and search for topics without intervention from a behemoth developer like #Microsoft or #Google or #Apple. There are even #hashtag battles like "#Obamaintwowords" versus "#Romneyintwowords".
I could probably group my life by #hashtags. #Evsbreakfast. #Evscleaningsupplies. #Evsnailcolorthisweek. #EvsPopeyesVersusChineseDecision.
I simply must tear myself away from this computer and start getting ready to leave for the airport and a fun weekend in the real world. #Evs3amblogging.
I'm hooked on a new show - Golden Boy. It's a riveting cop drama with lots of neat sub-plots, great casting, interesting characters and super-hunky Theo James as the title character. But what makes this show especially interesting is that each episode starts and ends with a flash forward to the future and you get to see where Golden Boy will be in seven years. The decisions he makes in the future are shaped by what he's learned here in the present and the people who guide or challenge him along his way.
When I look backwards over (many) more than seven years I see how I got to be where I am today. My parents, who were my biggest influence (like it or not), the people I've met and loved, the decisions I've made - mush them all together and Viola! You get the me of today.
I'm not perfect but I certainly do feel a little Golden myself...
;-)
They say there is a very fine line between love and hate.
Yesterday I read two articles on how we should feel about the Boston Marathon bombers. One was Dear Dzhokhar, I Can't Hate You by a Christian Reverend, the other And Hate the Sinner Too by a Jewish Rabbi. Excerpts and what I believe is the essence of the Love article:
I can't hate you because, even though you did unspeakable things ... somehow you are still my brother and your death can never be my gain.
I can't hate you, and not just because I am a Catholic, and a Christian, and because in a couple of months I will be a priest, I am a human and I simply can't hate you.
Dear Dzhokhar, I still have hope for you. I am glad you are in custody, but you are just a kid, and you are lost. I will love and pray for you, because somehow your sin was turned for good, and my community and the people I love will only be stronger in the end.
Dear Dzhokhar, godspeed.
Excerpts and what I believe is the essence of the Hate article:
Living in a Christian world that teaches us to 'love the sinner,' we find excuses for evil and refuse to dedicate ourselves fully to its destruction.
Forgetting how to hate can be just as damaging as forgetting how to love.
Hatred is a valid emotion, an appropriate response, when directed at the truly evil. Contrary to Christianity, which advocates turning the other cheek to belligerence and loving the wicked, Judaism obligates us to despise and resist evil at every turn.
Let us never forget the immortal words of Martin Luther King, Jr.: "We will have to repent in this generation not merely for the vitriolic words and actions of the bad people, but for the appalling silence of the good people."
Dear Dzhokhar, I Hate You.
One of the many joys of being married is that you don't have to meet and shmooze with strangers who might be potential dating partners. So why would I want to put myself "out there" to make the acquaintances of people I don't know? Well, I'd like to meet and make more women friends. There is a wonderful camaraderie between women who go through life together and "get" whatever you are going through.
I saw a link to a site called "Girlfriend Social" and I nervously posted my profile. I figured what the heck, I'm already reluctantly on LinkedIn and probably a zillion other places including this blog (which I constantly think about taking private). The site is for ladies only who want to meet other ladies for platonic banter and maybe lunch.
After signing up (it's free BTW) I searched for potential gal-pals. I soon realized I needed to filter on age and not just location as I do not care to meet ladies who want to dance the night away on South Beach. But when I found a lady in Boca who also likes mystery books, I bolted at the thought of contacting her.
I think I'll wait 'til someone comes knocking at my virtual door.,,
;-)
Time Magazine arrived yesterday with its list of this year's 100 Most Influential People. I personally have never heard of at least half of them and I'm pretty sure most of them have no influence on me or my life (JayZ? LeBron James?) except in the most superficial or indirect ways. But the issue is perfect reading for my flight next week so I'm planning to get to know them all better.
A few do affect me every single day. Thanks to Michael Kors and my two well designed and stylish handbags I finally can find things in the abyss known as "my purse" and I love the rose-gold watch that also bears his name and helps keep me organized. And I'll tip my hat to Bryan Cranston whose compelling performances on Breaking Bad keep me enthralled. Of course I am not so superficial to think that President Obama, Elena Kagan, Pope Francis, Kim Jong Un, Steven Spielberg and others do not influence our world and thus, me too.
Equally interesting are the folks who wrote the brief commentaries on each of the Time 100: Hillary Clinton on Barack Obama, Barack Obama on Tom Coburn, Eric Cantor on Joe Biden, Jodie Foster on Jennifer Lawrence, Ben Stein on Jimmy Kimmel, Arianna Huffington on Kai-Fu Lee, Jim Brady on Gabrielle Giffords, Maya Angelou on Michelle Obama, just to name a few. Many of them could, should or have made the list themselves.
I skipped to the back of the issue and read Joel Stein's commentary on the hits and misses of Time magazine's past ten years of naming the most influential people. Mel Gibson! Lance Armstrong! Eliot Spitzer! Tiger Woods! David Petraeus! Oscar Pistorius! Loved his advice to the ladies:
Don't date anyone on the Time 100!
;-)
I purchased a subscription to "Where To Retire" magazine last year. Each issue is chock full of suggestions for low cost tax havens and towns that feature beaches, farmers' markets, colleges and golf. I sprung for the subscription because I wondered if there was "something better" out there, some retirement paradise that would make our golden years the best of our lives.
I have a list of requirements for my retirement heaven. I need a one story home in a warm climate (no snow! ever!) in a Jewish area close to bagels, a shul, delicatessens, maybe a JCC. I want lots of events and entertainment venues to choose from and of course, the best medical care. There has to be a major airport nearby and also a major port for frequent cruises. I'd like a variety of ethnic restaurants close by and lots of service people to do things we no longer want to do ourselves. It has to be in a guarded and gated community with nice neighbors who don't party and keep their places in tip top condition. And I'd rather be near the ocean than the desert or the mountains.
So far, home beats all the places in "Where To Retire"...
;-)
President Obama is right. Today truly is a shameful day. It was bad enough that a bill that merely closed a loophole allowing people to purchase guns online or at gun shows without background checks failed to pass in the Senate (much less the House). No, Rand Paul had to accuse the President of "using" bereaved Sandy Hook parents as "props".
This is the last straw for me. Although I do believe in reigning in the monumental pork that bloats the Federal budget, I am no longer sure the Republicans have a better answer (or any answer) than the Dems. And of course, I support gay rights, a woman's right to choose, even universal health care (although not in its current "Obamacare" adaptation). Once Obama swore to protect and defend Israel, I have no more impediments to following the Democratic path to patriotic bliss. So from this day forward you may consider my vote to be in the Democratic column.
But needless to say, deep down inside, in my heart of hearts, in the depths of my soul, I know they are, all of them, Goniffs.
;-)
Anyone who knows me knows that there are very few things that will excite me enough to get me to a "real" department store and (gasp!) pay retail. But 17 years ago I saw an ad for Gypsy Dance bedding at Dillards and Had To Have It. I loved the colors, the "Shabby Chic" patterns and the funky bohemian feeling.
Being cheap, I limited my purchase to one king size fitted sheet (we don't use flat sheets) and four king size pillow cases. The sheet is gone now but with my tender loving care the four pillow cases survive. I put them on last week and once again had to stand back and admire them. I still loved my old friends, as much as the day I brought them home.
Gypsy Dance was a pattern created by Collier Campbell, famous English designers. Wamsutta made the fabric into sheets, pillowcases, comforters, bedskirts and shams. The pattern and the bedding are long discontinued and of all discontinued patterns, Gypsy Dance is the most sought after. But I decided I would try and find them again. And yesterday I received two beautiful Gypsy Dance king size shams from a vintage collector I found on ebay!
It pays to look for old friends! Quality endures and love never dies...
;-)
I never understood exactly why my folks loved Richard Nixon. To the day she died, my Mother kept this color picture of the man under the glass on her dresser. But after watching a couple of movies on the History of Israel - a little activity I planned in honor of Yom Ha'atzmaut, Israel Independence Day (it's today) - I understand.
On Yom Kippur 1973, the Holiest Day in the Jewish calendar, Israel was attacked. 180 Israeli tanks faced over 1400 Syrian tanks and a mere 436 Israeli infantry were poised to fight over 80,000 Egyptian soldiers. The attacks by Egypt and Syria were backed by nine Arab states and the Soviet Union.
This part I got from the movie: Things were not going well. Prime Minister Golda Meir was desperate and called Nixon at 3 am asking for help. He responded by immediately sending Israel everything Golda asked for - weapons, supplies and munitions.
Nixon later related this story: when he was a little boy his mother read Bible stories from the Old Testament to him. She told him that the Jews were a special people and that someday he would be called upon to help them. When that day came he must do everything in his power to assure they survive.
From the Nixon Foundation: To this day Richard Nixon is very highly regarded in Israel. Prime Minister Golda Meir said “For generations to come, all will be told of the miracle of the immense planes from the United States bringing in the material that meant life to our people.” Golda remembered Nixon fondly for the rest of her life.
Mom did too...
I'm spending much of the month of May in Kings Point, the active adult community my parents retired to in 1979, fixing up their condo to put it on the market. 
