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Reflections on Aging

When I was eight years old, my great grandmother informed told me that she was 80.  In my child’s eyes, that was old.  Really old.  I couldn’t imagine living to be eighty years old, nor did I think that I would want to.  White hair in a bun, sturdy shoes, dumpy figure – none of that was for me. Her age, however, never prevented me from enjoying her company.  My fondest memories of my great grandmother are the stories she told me about her own childhood.  Her one and only doll was created from a corncob,…

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July 5, 2025
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Dreaming of Art

One recent morning I woke up dreaming of art.  Of my upcoming visit to the Frick Museum in Manhattan.  Of recent exhibitions at the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco.  Of a whole world of art and discovery to enjoy. Visits to museums have always been a part of my life.  I have had the good fortune to visit some of the best in the world, including those close to home.  But the benefits of both age and more leisure time has given me a more profound appreciation for what I am seeing. When San Francisco…

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May 29, 2025
Cherry Blossom Time
Cherry Blossoms in the SF Japanese Tea Garden
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Cherry Blossom Time

It’s cherry blossom time in Washington D.C.’s Tidal Basin.  As weather patterns world-wide become warmer, the trees have been blooming earlier each year.  But once again, despite my hopes to see the peak bloom, my departure from Washington was five days before that happened.  The annual Cherry Blossom Festival attracts over one million visitors each year.  This is one aspect of tourism that I did not mind missing.  The drive around the Tidal Basin was slow and laborious, and the pathways were equally crowded. According to the National Park Service (NPS), over 3,000 Japanese Yoshino cherry…

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April 1, 2025
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On Being Thankful

The following post, On Being Thankful, was first published on Social Correspondence in 2016. It was titled "The Benefits of Gratitude." A lot has changed since then. Perhaps some of our optimism has faded. But post Thanksgiving, it is good to be reminded of the blessings in our lives. My last post, A Short Respite, reflects this. I am worried about the future, while at the same time, am grateful for the good things in life. I am grateful for the beauty of where I live. I am thankful that my family is healthy, thoughtful, and…

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December 4, 2024
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Backyard Wildlife

As an urban dweller with a small backyard, wildlife in my life is somewhat limited.  But perched on a hill, nestled between Glen Canyon and Mt. Davidson, the yard is not without its wild visitors, mostly avian. Resident squirrels still find unique ways to steal and eat the not quite ripe apples on my two small trees.  And when fall arrives and the apples grow bigger and sweeter, the fruit will disappear altogether within a couple of days. Recently, I observed something green and different rummaging in one of the trees.  As it peeked out between…

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August 23, 2024
A Family Vacation
Grandparenting / Solar eclipse / Travel / Uncategorized

A Family Vacation

A long-time friend, dating back many decades, once quipped that “family vacation” is an oxymoron.  Whether one agrees with this assessment or not, managing hours of travel with young children can be a challenge. A long-planned visit with family in Washington, D.C. had the fortuitous timing to include a road trip to view the total solar eclipse.  It was, for me and millions of others, an awe-inspiring event, one that will not happen again in the continental U.S. for another 20 years. Fallingwater, PA This was the right kind of family vacation and road trip, the…

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April 15, 2024
A Winter Drive Along the Coast
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A Winter Drive Along the Coast

Winter has arrived in California with a vengeance, not a good time for a drive along the coast.  Lashing rains, heavy winds, and floods make this an unlikely time to undertake a road trip.  The arrival of a dear cousin, weeks earlier than anticipated, changed everything.  My cousin Laurene, despite having lived in Switzerland all of her adult life, is the closest relative I have to being a sister.  We are long-term correspondents, friends from childhood on, and my good fortune to spend a week with her was due to her recent grievous loss of her…

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March 4, 2024
Love Story
books / novels / Uncategorized

Love Story

A good love story can fill one’s heart, and such was the experience of Saturday’s performance of Marguerite and Armand, a San Francisco Ballet premiere. First created by choreographer Sir Frederick Ashton for the Royal Ballet, Marguerite and Armand is a classic piece first danced by Margot Fonteyn and Rudolf Nureyev. The iconic pair danced this love story for the San Francisco Ballet in 1964, one year after it was created.  What a performance that must have been!  This year’s performance by the SF Ballet, however, did not disappoint, performed by Missa Kuranaga and Joseph Walsh,…

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February 14, 2024
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It’s a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

In homage to the late Fred Rogers, it’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood.  The sun is shining, the air is crisp, and there is not a rain cloud in sight.  The temperature reads in the high 50s, but thanks to the lack of wind, it feels more like 70. Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood was an extraordinary television program for children that aired on public television 1968 -2001.  He spoke not only to children in his ever-calming voice, but to parents and people of all ages as well.  Without being preachy, he shared lessons about how to…

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December 29, 2023
email / Handwriting / Letter writing / Mail / manners / Pandemic / Uncategorized

The Etiquette of a Condolence Letter

Recently, the need arose for me to write a condolence letter.  Over the years, I have sent many cards and notes to friends who had suffered a loss, but this time was different.  It was a friend who died, a friend with whom I had been out of touch for several years.  I did not know her family or how to contact them, yet it felt important to reach out to them. Handwritten notes As a first step, I contacted the senior living community where she had been living, in an upscale city located to the…

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April 1, 2021
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