Author: sssmahh303

Ritual

by sssmahh303, posted in Wellness

Mary Ann

Do you remember when you would get up in the morning and run a brush through your hair, brush your teeth, splash water on your face, and maybe a dash of lipstick or mascara and run out the door?   Do you also remember when you went to bed, and you only washed your face and brushed your teeth– maybe skipping the face washing if you were very tired.  Well, once you become old, those days are over.  It is time for daily rituals both day and night.

I must now plan my mornings and evenings to perform my rituals.  Each evening before bed, I set out my pills and eyedrops for the morning.  I then must do a 20-minute treatment with this heated eye gizmo for dry eye therapy.  I usually fall asleep while I am doing it, and I must do it twice since the longest it can run is 10 minutes. After the treatment, I clean my eye lids with eyelid wipes and top it off with GenTeal Tears, a Vaseline-like ointment that helps dry eyes.  This is the very last thing I do because you will be only seeing fog.  No reading when you can’t sleep.  This all works so you keep doing the protocol.  Then there are lotions or ointments for one thing or another that is acting up.  My back may hurt so I will put arnica on it which does seem to help. Most of this is not a beauty regime.  That was all done when I was younger.  I kind of chuckle when I see on TV, beauty regiments that are 4 to 6 steps. I would probably be asleep by step two.  So, I save time and money and only use moisturizer on my face.  Oh, I forgot that when I brush my teeth, and I must put my Invisalign retainers in to keep my teeth straight.   I guess if you have TMJ problems you are wearing those as well to prevent a sore jaw.

I have a friend with sleep apnea, and she has a whole host of things she must do to prepare the machine for action.  We need to be thankful that we have medical devices to help us with our many ills, but it sure does take a lot of time to get it all together.  

Then, the sun is up.   It is time to rise and shine.  So, the prep from the night before is ready to go for the morning ritual. One pill must be taken with no food and with a full glass of water.  You can’t eat for 30 minutes.  The eyedrops are timed 30 minutes apart so they are absorbed correctly.  The next pill must be taken with food so that is saved for breakfast.  The final pill cannot be taken anywhere near the first two pills, or it will affect the potency of those pills.  I haven’t even begun to discuss the vitamins and supplements which I may or may not need – maybe I am just the middleman between in and out???

When I am too old or when my memory goes, and I must be taken care of by others, I think I need to write down my procedures for various times of the day, so I am properly cared for.  I have a notebook with my name on it that I am going to put all my instructions and where to buy products to support those rituals. I will put it with my Comphy Box which I wrote about in an earlier blog.  I did put a tin of tea in with the night gowns and fuzzy socks, but I didn’t leave instructions how I like my tea made for example – Paris Teabag, some half and half, and some organic Stevia. There are many things that I like but no one else really knows.  I need to take responsibility for this while I still able to do so.  

Do you ever think about this kind of thing?  You prepare for dying with burial instructions or financial matters.  But do you prepare for living well when the time comes when you can’t independently care for yourself?  In many ways all the rituals are funny, however, necessary.  I am sure with the coming years I will probably add more to my daily routines.   It is best to figure out some systems now, and it may make all the difference later!

Being Prepared for a Natural Disaster!

by sssmahh303, posted in Taking Care of Business

Mary Ann

I was living in Jersey City and working in New York City in 2012 when Hurricane Sandy hit the region.   Who would have thought that such a terrible storm would manifest in late October and cause as much damage in the NYC area?  This was not on my bingo card!

I lived by the Atlantic Ocean a good part of my adult life, so I was used to hurricanes and was prepared.  I was not ready in any way for Sandy to embrace my life as it did that year.  The storm itself did not damage my apartment even though I was located close to the Hudson River.  The water, however, was rising fast from the drains in the complex’s underground garage.  I had to move my car to higher ground.  As I returned to my apartment, the winds were picking up.  It was going to be a long night.  So, the cat and I cuddled up together and rode out the storm.  When the morning dawned, and Sandy went out to sea.  I began to realize how unprepared I was and that was the real storm in my life.  

Of course, the electricity was out so when you went out into the hall, it was pitch dark, no light anywhere.  I did have a headband flashlight and could use that to maneuver the building.  My phone was almost out of juice, but I could use my computer to recharge it for a while.  There was no way to get news, no idea of what was happening.  My refrigerator was beginning to defrost.  I was able to eat what was in there for a few days.  The frozen shrimp thawed out, so I had to cook it.  Thankfully, I had gas, and my stove was fully functioning.  I had to light it the old-fashion way with matches.  The bonus of having a gas water heater is having hot water for a bath even if you had to do it the dark.  Small wonder.  I was so thankful for a hot cup of tea. 

So, one day turned into another, and each day I had a mission.  I went out to find food or ice to keep what I had cold.  The hardest thing was getting money.  The ATMs were not working making it hard to buy food when it became available. Some of the local restaurants were able to make food.  They had gas so they could cook. You had to have cash because the credit card machines were not working. The local banks would only make money available for their clients, so it was a hike of a few miles to my bank for cash.

As the week progressed, the surrounding buildings got electricity.  My apartment was on a different grid, so I remained in the dark.  I found that I got up with the sun and went to bed when it set in the evening.  Electricity allows us the freedom of extending the day well into the night.  Something that we take for granted for the most part.  Eventually, the apartment management brought in trucks with giant generators that gave us light in the common areas.  They showed movies during the day to entertain and set up charging stations for our phones and computers.  If you had an extension cord, you could plug it in the outlets in the hall.  Humans are so adaptable that we immediately create systems to survive.  

What we were dealing with were inconveniences, not real problems.  No one was dying.  You had to put on an extra sweater to keep warm, you had to read rather than watch TV or play games with the family.  The cat enjoyed watching me play solitary, and I think she liked having me around all the time.  I had plenty of food for her, and she was wearing a fur coat.

My school was in Lower Manhattan, so it was closed.  No electricity and several streets had water issues. You couldn’t get into the city if you wanted, because the subways were flooded.  The lines for the ferries were for hours long.  Upper Manhattan had electricity, and you would not know that there was a hurricane.  My boss lived there.  Life was going on as usual.  After a week, the school opened so I had to get into the city.  One of my teachers gave me a ride through the Lincoln Tunnel on Sunday.  I ended up sleeping on my boss’s couch for a week.  The show must go on or rather the school bells must ring.  I was there to greet the children. (In case you were wondering, my cat sitter was able to come to take care of my beloved cat.) 

The next several months, New York got back on its feet.  The surrounding areas did not recover as fast.  Anyone coming in from New Jersey spent double the time getting to work and double the time getting home.  My half an hour commute became an hour.  Thank God for the ferries and buses.  You never appreciated the subways as much as you did when they didn’t work. 

This was my Sandy story.  What did I learn from the whole experience?  You need to be prepared.  I bought an energy block so I could charge the phone and computer. You must make sure it is always charged so you are ready.  I bought a land line phone – a little Slimline.  When the phone towers went out, for some reason the land phone lines were working.  I am not sure if that would work now.  Many landlines are not functioning today.  I bought a battery powered TV so I could get the news.  It also had radio function.  It is an analog, so you are only getting a few channels.  I can’t seem to get any channels in PA.  I also keep a stash of money in all dominations.  I use it for emergencies sometimes, but you must replenish what you use, so you have money when you need it.  

Of course, you need to squirrel away extra non-perishable food and water. I bought a month’s worth of survival food in case there is a Zombie invasion.  Just add water!  Oh, so yummy.  I have Life Straws to use for purifying water from a creek or pond.  I also keep extra medicine in case there is a delay in deliveries.  A first aid kit is a must.  Prepare a go bag for you and your pets if you must evacuate and have your important papers organized to take with you if needed.  Have a deck of cards or other games available to play or books to read or hobbies items like yarn for knitting.  You never know what you may need or how long the ordeal may last. 

As the world heats up, we are going to experience more extreme weather. There is not much we can do about it until the Earth cools if it can.  In the future the inconveniences of what I experienced with Sandy may be real problems.  Be that good Boy or Girl Scout and be prepared.

Marc Levy Books

by sssmahh303, posted in Reviews

Mary Ann

I would like to introduce you to author Marc Levy.  If this were a true introduction, he would say “Bonjour.”  Marc Levy is the number one best-selling author in France of 26 books.  The 50 million copies of his books have been translated in 50 languages. He is an international literary superstar. 

His first book, If Only It Were True, was made into a Steven Spielberg movie, Just Like Heaven, with Reese Witherspoon and Mike Ruffalo.  What a way to begin a career!  

I discovered Marc Levy’s books from one of the ads that are page savers on your Kindle. I was hooked after reading the summary and since then, I have read three of his books.  The stories are just charming with lively dialogue and interesting characters.  It is a pleasure to get lost in the plots, and it is sad when the stories come to an end.  If I could read French, there would be more stories to read.  However, there are still a few US editions I have yet to read, and I look forward to checking them out. 

Amazon offers both English and French editions and a few in other languages as well.  So, you can get started enjoying his books.  I might suggest The Heart of Everything – a humorous story of a father-son relationship with interesting plot twists.  All Those Things We Never Said is another charming story of an estranged father and his daughter who are making up for lost time learning life lessons along the way.  P.S. From Paris is a love story set in City of Lights with actress Mia meeting writer Paul and how their relationship unfolds in a lovely ooh-la-la fashion!  These stories would all make great films – Hey, Netflix, it is time to take a look.

Lately, the world has been rather dark and gloomy.  Marc Levy’s books are wonderful ways to escapes it all with funny, interesting plots and appealing characters who will be like old friends by the last page.  That is why I wanted you to meet this clever author and discover his enchanting stories.  His newest book is, The Bookshop of Forbidden Books – Not all heroes wear capes. Some carry books.  Doesn’t that sound enticing?  The US edition will be released later in 2026. Meanwhile, check out his other books that I mentioned, and then you can introduce Mark Levy to others!  Bonne Lecture! – Good Reading! 

Reading Always Saves Me

by sssmahh303, posted in Wellness

Mary Ann

When I look back on my life and was faced with life challenges, I always found that books saved me.  I could have been depressed or discouraged, but somehow, I escaped to an alternative world or enmeshed myself in stories about different people and places.  Books were a great bridge to better times. 

When I learned to read, phonics was taught.  It is an excellent way to teach children to read, unless you are a sight reader which I was.  Beginning phonics was a foreign language to me.  I never understood what I was learning.  I must have faked it well because my report cards don’t mention any problems.  I asked my mother if teachers ever mentioned that I had trouble reading, and she said no.  So, I read Dick and Jane, but I did not enjoy it.

Somewhere around 4th grade, something clicked and suddenly in the middle of an Old Mother West Wind book, I was reading and roller coasting over words I didn’t know. However, I knew what was happening, and I loved it.  A flood gate opened, and I was constantly reading – maybe that was the reason I got glasses that year?  I read the entire Bobbsey Twins collection and then on to Nancy Drew.  It was easy reading with the same format – a great way for a beginner reader to get a foothold on books.   I even won a reading contest in 5th grade for reading the most books.  Truly, how could that have happened when I was flailing in the early primary grades?

By the time I entered Junior High, the forerunner of Middle School, we were reading classic literature.  If I had a kerfuffle (isn’t that the greatest word?) with some catty girls or a dispute with my mother, reading Jane Eyreor The Count of Monte Cristo or any other timeless classic, I was relieved to come home and be whisked away to imaginary worlds.  My parents would say that I always had my nose in a book, and I did!  A perfect summer day for me was to lie in our hammock being gently rocked by a breeze and read a book by a favorite author.  I would read until dark.  

Then you go to high school and college, and you are so busy that finding time to read was a real challenge. Of course, you had assigned literature to read from your classes. Thank Heavens!  So, I often would read myself to sleep catching a bit of a pleasure book, and I would always carry a book with me so I could steal moments to read.   

After those rather carefree years, you enter adulthood.  You then might spend more time reading Good Night Moon or Where the Wild Things Are to your children instead being deep in a steamy romance novel.  It is all part of growing up, really growing up.  I can remember being in grad school, teaching full-time, raising young children, and running a house, and my only reading was the People magazine once a week as I soaked in a bubble bath.  The time was precious. 

Life becomes very real when you get a divorce.  It is such a sad time.  I was reading a lot of self-help books trying to figure myself out and understanding the pain my broken heart was enduring.  I have written before how the right book always comes, and it did.  I am so thankful for that gift.  It made all the difference.  However, I missed reading books for pleasure.  It was reading to survive. 

When my children were on their own and had left the “nest,” I spent a year or so reading reflective, inspirational books.  They all helped me heal my soul and allowed me to move forward to embrace the next phase of my life where a new, independent chapter awaited.  At midlife, it was truly a foundational time.

 At work, there were always professional books to read on teaching and learning treads.  All deepening my knowledge of children.  I would read fiction on the weekends and holiday vacations, but there was never enough time to really dive into all the stories I wanted to read.  

With the passing years, my pile of books to read and my lists of new titles grew and grew. Then one day you retire.  For the most part, you must grow old to retire, and therein lies the gift of aging, you have time to read!  Thank you, Thank you!  You may need stronger glasses or bigger font to read.  They do make large print books. However, before you is an endless supply of books to read.  I have taken full advantage of this gift and enjoy reading every day.  I often have three books going at once – the nonfiction I am reading with Lisa, my nature book for book club, and whatever I find of interest on various websites or a recommendation from a fellow reader.

You know that I love books.  My blogs this month are all about different aspects of reading.  I feel blessed.  I do know that a day will come when this will all slow down.  I may have to switch to audio books should my eyes fail or turn up the volume on the various audio book if my hearing goes or I might forget what I read the day before.  I once knew an elderly lady in her 90s who told me she forgets what she reads each day but still enjoys reading it again.  I think that is a great attitude to have and just keep reading.  It might be time to get the children’s books out again, so I can read the whole book in one setting.  Maybe there will be a great-grandchild to read to as they begin reading, and I will be ending my reading.

SSS

by sssmahh303, posted in Friends and Family

Mary Ann 

Do you have a word or a set of letters or numbers that keeps appearing in your life?  I have. Strangely, I have had SSS show up several times in my life, and it is not the Selective Service System. 

In college, I belonged to a local sorority.  It was Theta Gamma Phi that later went national, and we became Sigma Sigma Sigma – SSS!  The sorority was the center of so many wonderful friendships. A few of those women have remained close as the years passed. 

I never thought much of it until I joined a children writer’s group with three other women writers in South Carolina, and we met the second Sunday of each month.  We called ourselves the Second Sunday Sisters – once again SSS.  These ladies were so creative, and we watched the birthing of many books over the years. We critiqued each other’s work and pushed one another forward being cheerleaders to the group.  We would visit the first hour, share yummy treats, discuss any critiques that were pending, and then off to quiet areas of the house to write.  

One of the ladies wrote a series of children’s books entitled Down Girl and Sit, and she dedicated one of the books to the Second Sunday Sisters.  Boy, that is so special having a book dedicated to us!  We began such close friends while I lived in South Carolina.  I am still in frequent contact with one sister, occasionally with another sister, and one who I  completely lost touch.  They all hold a dear place in my heart. 

Now, we come to the last or my maybe my most current SSS.  It is Silver Sage Sisters, and you are part of that. When we were naming the blog, we originally tried for Silver Sages.  The name was already taken on Go Daddy, so we added sisters and bingo, we had our name, another SSS.  It was not planned, but I guess SSS wanted to reappear again in my life. 

Silver Sage Sisters has become a very important part of my life.  I get to work with my dear, dear friend, Cynthia making the distance between Oklahoma and Pennsylvania much closer.  We have grown so much in our writing and figuring how to do WordPress.  I can remember when it was so hard to add a picture.  I often would schedule blogs immediately by mistake and would have to correct the date so blogs would drop as planned.  We hope to add another dear friend, Lisa, as a guest writer sometime soon as she embarks on her retirement.

The blogs have given me a creative outlet for doing a bit of memoire, a bit of travel writing, some reviews of favorite books and films, articles on favorite products and services, storytelling, and lots of odds and ends like a SSS blog.  It keeps my brains nimble as I create. Cynthia and I appreciate your support and encouragement about the stories we tell.  Your feedback has meant so much as we write.  We have a small but loyal following. Thank you, Readers. Spread the word and tell your friends and relatives all about Silver Sage Sisters.  

Looking ahead, I wonder what the next SSS will be in my life.  The past SSS all revolved around friendships, my friendships with other women.   I hope that will be the case in a future SSS.  If I am still writing blogs, I will let you know.  Whatever it is, it has to be better than the Selective Service System! 

Nature Book Club 

by sssmahh303, posted in Lifestyle

Mary Ann

Every three or four books that I read; I usually select a nature book.  I love nature.  That love comes from my father who was a biology teacher.  It was a gift that he gave to my brother and me.  We were full of curiosity as children, and our father would cheer us on with stories and interesting facts about a butterfly or a fish or whatever we would find.    

People who love nature are born that way.  Harvard professor Howard Gardner’s Theory on Multiple Intelligence determined humans have a propensity to have one or more of basic intelligences or Smarts that include Word, Picture, Body, Music, People, Self, Logic and Nature.  People who are Nature Smart enjoy rocks, plants, and animals; hear and see links in nature; and like to spend time outdoors.  That was my father, my brother, and me – we were all Nature Smart!

Many of my neighbors and friends are also Nature Smart.  We call each other when we spot a fox or see a Monarch Butterfly in our yards. I have written about this in other blogs.  I guess it was only natural that birds of a feather would flock together, and inevitably we would decide to start a nature book club so we could talk about the things we love.

So, a few of us met a year ago in August to set up the perimeters of the club and determine the books that we were going to read.  There were five of us to start, and we slowly added three more people.  I looked online for information on how to start a club and things to consider.  Cynthia was very helpful in sharing her experiences with book clubs.  She has been a member of several over the years. 

At first, we tried to meet at a nature center, and then we tried bookstores.  There were several restrictions at those locations, and you could not have refreshments – NO wine!  The venue then changed to our neighborhood homes.  We decided to meet the last Wednesday of the month from 7 to 9 pm.  Members would host meetings providing space, refreshments, and questions for the monthly book selection. There are many Internet resources to find questions so that really is not hard to do.   We would meet September through November with December off for the holidays, and regroup in January with meetings in February, March, April, and May.   June and July would be off for vacations and summer fun, and we would meet again in August to select books for the coming year.  The August meeting would be a covered dish or a dinner at a local restaurant.

The book selections were relatively easy.  We were open to all possibilities.  Everyone wanted to read Amy Tan’s Backyard Bird Chronicles so that was our first book selection.  We followed with Voices in the Ocean by Susan Casey about dolphins.  There were a few challenging parts that were not for the faint of heart.  Life is hard for dolphins – it was not a Flipper adventure.  In November we read The Secret Life of Nature by Peter Wohlleben who has written several books about trees.  Fun Fact – trees know their own baby trees.  There is a lot going on in the ground under a tree.   We started again in January with The Comfort of Crows by Margaret Renkl that followed the author’s observation of plants and animals in her backyard.  We then read Nature’s Best Hope: A New Approach to Conservations that Starts in Your Own Yard by Douglas W. Tallamy that gives several suggests helping humans harmoniously live with nature.  The March reading was Eager by Ben Goldfarb about beavers.  They are furry little heroes for the environment.  What an Owl Knows by Jennifer Ackerman followed in April, and it was a fascinating book about these mysterious birds.  World of Wonders by Aimee Nezhukumatathil.  (Poor Aimee had to learn to spell that long name when she started school – oh, my!).  This Barnes and Noble book of the year is a collection of essays about interesting plant and animal facts – whale sharks, fireflies or narwhals!  And so, our first-year ends.

With all book clubs, there is a very big social element to them. Conversations can be all over the place.  We hysterically laughed one evening after reading Nature’s Best Hope.  We have a very strict HOA where most of us live, and they probably would object to us planting certain things to sustain the environment.  We decided to organize a group of guerrilla gardeners, and in the dead of night we would gather to plant milkweed throughout the complex to support monarch migration. However, if little patches of milkweed start sprouting up, we know nothing about it….

 Just remember that attendance will not be perfect each month.  People are busy with life. Find your people, those Nature Smart ones, and start your own club.  We have given you an outline how to organize and a list of books to begin.  Enjoy the camaraderie, learn about your environment, and appreciate being green.  You know it is not easy being green! 

Benjamin Bunny

by sssmahh303, posted in Friends and Family

Mary Ann

It was love at first sight.  There he was sitting on the top shelf of the toy store display case.  My children were young as we vacationed in Petaluma, CA.  They were busy checking out at all the other toys, and I made a beeline to the gray rabbit puppet.   It was a German Steiff arm puppet with a little brass button tag on its ear. When I put the puppet on my hand, he came alive as all puppets do when you play with them.  It is magical when they become real.  

Then I looked at the price tag – $35 which was a hefty price in the 70s.   After some debate, the bunny was on the way home with me.  He was just too cute to leave behind, and as a teacher, I could use the rabbit with my work with children.  I named him Benjamin Bunny after the Beatrix Potter’s character.  I didn’t realize at the time how much that bunny puppet would mean to my life.

I fell in love with puppets after taking a weekend workshop about making puppets and writing puppet shows.  I ended up giving my own puppetry workshops, The Magic of Puppetry, to children and fellow teachers.  Puppets were a good vehicle to get the creative juices going.  However, it was always a wonder watching children truly believe that puppets were alive.  As the puppeteer, children could see that you were moving the puppet and talking for it, yet it made no difference.  The children believed and that is where the magic is.

Benjamin was always a star at the presentations, but he did not come into his own until I became a principal.  Since I oversaw very young children, I would visit the classes to read books, and Benjamin would join me.  Benjamin was a very shy bunny, so it would take him a minute or two to warm up when he gave a timid wave to the children.  Now, Benjamin ‘s mouth did not move so he would whisper in my ear what he wanted to say.  At the end of my visit, Benjamin would hug each of the children.  Little ones would love that special hug.   Occasionally, a child would not hug him – he or she was also timid.  However, as the year progressed, the child would become braver and finally hug Benjamin.  Over the years, all the children in the school knew Benjamin from his visits to their early childhood classrooms.  Benjamin became a bit of a celebrity.  He had been hugged by hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of children.  So much love!

When I moved to NYC, Benjamin came with me and visited our youngest children for book readings as well. He had a following and was a star in the Big Apple.   Again, those visits ended with hugs from adoring children.  Benjamin was dearly loved for 25 years and has now retired with me.  We did do a ZOOM visit during the Covid Pandemic, and Benjamin showed the children how to wear a face mask, and he “told” them to listen to their parents and teachers so they would be safe. 

In retirement now, Benjamin sits on a shelf in my office.  I look at him every day and he makes my heart smile.  Benjamin Bunny represents my life’s work with children and the happiness of doing that.  I have decided that I will have him cremated with me when the time comes for me to say goodbye.  No one else would ever know who Benjamin was and what he meant to me.  The little bunny epitomizes children’s love, and I want to take that love with me.  

Journaling As Treasure

by sssmahh303, posted in Uncategorized

Mary Ann

When you write in your journal, it is a safe place to share your thoughts, feelings, experiences, and emotions – the good, the bad, and the ugly!  It is like putting gold into a treasure chest.  The treasure is valuable and precious to you.  What is written is for you alone.  It is your treasure. 

I have kept journals for most of my adult life.  It is mostly in fits and spurts.  When I am traveling, I document the journey, and I love rereading them reliving my adventures.  I have written them during challenging times of my life.  Journaling was cathartic and was a type of self-therapy healing an injured soul.  In a way, it saved me.  

When I went to work in New York City, I recorded my daily life.  It was a unique experience that was a gift in the last stages of my career.  I have a box full of journals to reread that chronicled those special years. Sweet memories!

I do keep a dream journal and record dreams that I can remember.  The dreams are usually distinctive and often have a message in them.  I can see patterns in my life.  This is not done daily, only when I recall the missive.  Often the dreams are freeing from redundant patterns in my life, my choices.

I am a nature journalist.  I write and draw the entries of plants and animals I observe.  It is one of my favorite activities, and it gives me the gift of peace.  This past Christmas, I was given a nature journal by Margaret Renkl, author of The Comfort of Crows.  It is a weekly diary of what you see in your own backyard.  It imitates Renkl’s Crows which is stories of her backyard observations.   So far, it has been snow, snow, snow.  Not much action.

Journaling is something that I do enjoy, but I have a dilemma regarding it.  What do you do with them after you written them, especially if they are highly emotional, and your treasure is exposed?  The nature journals or the travel journals are nice to keep.  They are not soul baring for the most part.  However, the ones from my divorce were deep–water treasure, a portal to a damaged heart and soul.  I didn’t want my children to know some things about their father or did I want them to know what I wrote about them or how hard it was financially.  I tried to protect them, and what good would it really do if they knew?  I think it is best to reread them and then shred them.  You see how you grew from the lessons your learned. It is freeing to put the experiences in the past, and you are lighter letting go to have a soul at peace. 

New York, New York – Part 5

by sssmahh303, posted in Lifestyle

New York City Shops 

Mary Ann 

Ask anyone in New York, what is the best city in the world?  They will all tell you, New York City, of course!  It may be your favorite city too.  Despite the crowding, dirty streets, foul smells, and the like, it remains a beloved place for people from all over the world.  It is the seat of entertainment, finance, art, and on and on.  Those of us who got the chance to live or work there know how special a city it is.  Yet, below what you first see, there is a bustling city of matchless wonders.

New York City is full of unique people; however, it is equally full of unique shops.  When exploring the city, these charming places make an adventure unfolding around every corner. During my time in New York City, I enjoyed discovering many of the city’s best kept secrets.  We all know Macy’s or Bloomingdales – where tourist roam!  People seldom unearth the treasures of the one-of-a kind shops that populate New York. 

The island of Manhattan has various districts for garments, flowers, furniture, jewelry, diamonds, etc.  Nestled in among the warehouses, you can often find shops that sell wholesale items to the public.  I can remember once going into a costume jewelry store, and I thought I had gone to earring heaven. Row upon row of very pretty, very inexpensive earrings greeted me as I entered.  

In this blog, I want to share with you some of the distinctive places I found, and the best place to start is with sweets.  Birthdays at my school were always a little over the top with treats for fellow classmates and teachers.  As principal, I was included as well – lucky me!  There were delicious cupcakes and whoopie pies and giant cookies.  Some of the best treats came from world-famous Magnolia’s on Bleeker Street. The cupcakes were exceptional; however, the banana pudding is out-of-this-world.  Magnolia does ship their baked goods, but the banana pudding recipe can be found online.  I have made it, and the pudding is very close to the original.  Another favorite of mine is Baked by Melissa.  This bakery has a few shops throughout the city. The cupcakes are quarter-sized morsels of pure delight.  They have hundreds of flavors that they change in and out.  You can stop by and pick up a few to nibble as you walk down the street.   Melissa also ships their mini cupcakes all over, and they offer lovely holiday assortments.  They have a cute 3-pack that are nice to give as memorable favors. 

Occasionally, a new yummy would hit the market. When the summer of cronuts premiered in the city, the lines wound around the block. They were a combo of a donut and a croissant and were coveted.   You were crestfallen when you finally got to the front of the line only to find out they were out. Tears prevailed and sometimes colorful screaming!   

Then we have the candy shops.  Time Square has its Hersey and Reese’s shops, but they do not compare to the riches of the specialty chocolate shops that pepper the city.   Jacques Torres is probably one of the most famous.  The chocolate is good, and they will add red peppers or some other exotic ingredient to the chocolate to give it a tasty little kick.  The chocolate comes in all shapes and sizes.  I do love their very rich hot chocolate that comes in a variety of flavors – great on a cold NYC day.  My favorite chocolate shop is Li-Lac’s, the oldest chocolate house in Manhattan founded in 1923 – there are several locations.  It has the creamiest chocolate – once you start eating it, you can’t stop. They ship as well. 

 Another favorite candy store was Sockerbit featuring gummies, licorice, and chocolates.  It was a stop and mix store, so you paid by weight of your mixed bag.  Unfortunately, it closed, but Bon Bon and Lil Sweet Treat have opened in the West Village offering the same candies. What I noticed as I was checking out the shops, the locations may have changed or there is a new name for the same products. I think Covid changed the market in many cases.

One-item shops prospers in New York City.  It would be hard for such shops to make it somewhere else.  It take several million people to make it happen.  However, it makes the shops memorable due to their uniqueness.  There is a rice pudding store, Rice to Riches, where a variety of favors and toppings are offered.  I found a shop that only sells salt with some chocolates, flowers and bitters called Meadows.   The Parisian Laduree has a shop in NYC with their famous macrons – there are other macron only shops as well.  How about a shop that only sells tassels and trims?  Or a shop that sells mostly trays.  Then there is a shop that sells just belts.  The possibilities are almost endless.  There is a lot of turnovers, yet some old timers remain. 

There are bookstores that only sell one type of book – cookbooks, mysteries, or children’s books.  Wonderful selections to explore. Barnes and Noble bookstore has several stores with huge inventories. New Yorkers are readers.  The best of all is The Strand – a landmark bookstore near Union Square.  All kinds of books, old and new, are available.    It is a fun place to while away a few hours.

I could go on and on. Yet, I haven’t even talked about the restaurants or the many exclusive services.  I will save that for the next New York, New York blog, and we can visit them together. 

Down 7, Up 8

by sssmahh303, posted in Wellness

Mary Ann

A few months ago, I found this Japanese proverb – Down 7, Up 8, and I thought it summed up what life is all about.  My mother always said, “Life is Hard, “and indeed she was right.  Life in one way or another is always knocking you down, and you learn early on that you must get yourself back up.  Look at a toddler.  They fall down all the time, and they for the most part (even after tears) bounce back up.  

We must be resilient to survive.  Ask any cave man!  Our downs in life are not saber tooth tigers, but they can be just as dangerous.  There are many losses in life.  Divorce or any breakup with a friend or lover can be overwhelming.  Chronic illnesses or a death of a love one can tragically break your heart.  Watching your children suffer in any way is like having the same suffering yourself.  The loss of a job or a financial crisis can be devastating. There are always challenges in life, and we must accept and adapt to them.  We must be resilience.

Resilience is defined as the ability to mentally or emotionally cope with a crisis or return to pre-crisis status quickly.  I have been down and out many times in my life for one reason or another, and I am sure you have been there as well.  Sometimes it was very hard to get back up, but really there was no other choice but just do it!   You must adapt to handle the situation, and hopefully, the challenges will help you grow stronger, so you are ready for whatever is next. 

I strongly believe that most problems have a solution if we put the time and energy into solving them. That is resilience in action.  Look how resilience the natural world is.  Nature is always teaching us lessons to live by.  After devastating wildfires, tiny green shoots fight their way through the ashes to survive. We need to fight our way upwards again as well.

For thousands of years, humans have been falling down and getting back up.  I guess it is part of the human condition, and we humans have documented it with the written word in proverbs, sayings, and quotes.  The ancient Japanese culture captured the essence of resilience in just a few words. – down and up.  In ending, there is another quote that I also thinks captures the meaning of resilience – If you are going through hell, keep going.  I can identify with that.  I am sure you can too.