What's New continued Diane Girard — Fitness Follies: My Life at the Gym - Before the first class, I was calm and reflective. This will be easy; I've done it before and some people in their eighties do yoga. Well, from now on, I'll genuflect to pictures of anyone over the age of forty sitting in the perfect lotus position with a serene face. My lotus would not open. Liz Flaherty: Profile of a Matriarch - While the matriarch urges her children to give equal time to their in-laws, or says it’s wonderful if they want to establish their own traditions for the holidays, she’s also throwing her fist into the air and shouting, “Yes!” when she finds out everyone’s coming home. (It must be added here that she reacts in the same way when everyone leaves, taking the grandchildren and the leftovers with them.) Betty Soldz - Hospice: A Caring End. Questions to ask: What services are available to you or your loved one and for how many hours per week? How do you obtain these services? Does your Insurance, Medicare or Medicaid pay for these services. If not what is the cost to you? How are families involved in care? How are professional staff and volunteers chosen and trained? Culture Watch: Julia Sneden reviews In My Mother's Closet — An Invitation to Remember, a promising candidate for a Mother's Day gift to women of all ages; contribute a poem to the Favorite Poem Project or to a daily competition at Poetry in Motion Susan Drake, What I'd Give Up to Write Like Anne Lamott — On Susan's List: I will forgive Dennis Brown for saying he's really sorry he spread the news that I was a slut just because I kissed him back that summer of our junior year. I won't even ask for a daughter or a Firebird or for the local poet patron to recognize my work David Westheimer Tawks Southron, the way he tawks inside the sanctity of his home. Try this on: "He staggered across the room all slaunchwise and catawampus." Julia Sneden — April Again, and Not a Moment Too Soon: We need to start thinking about how to share our blessings with the rest of the world, before envy and misunderstandings cause even more misery in the midst of what should be a perfectly glorious spring April Garden Edition: Book Review: The Intuitive Gardener — "When Raff discovered the chemicals involved in conventional rose care, she fled the class. The instructor, she explains, was completely covered in protective gear. Eventually the author gravitated toward roses that didn’t need coddling." Jean Asher explores Is style endemic or can it be trained? Is style within us ready to appear or something that needs to be shaped and refined? "I look back to my own visual wasteland and am astonished that decorating became my work." Learning Style Rose Mula implores, Help! I'm a Prisoner in a Moving Vehicle! If you can't find a parking space, life has no meaning. You can't raise a family, become a Broadway star, or discover a cure for cancer unless you can get out of your car Gabriella True describes Dutching, conching and the historic journey across the world that the divine ingredient, chocolate, has made. Explore her recipes including Strawberry Chocolate Cream Tart — Culinary Discovery: The Lure of Chocolate "The Democratic Party had the most traditional attitude toward woman’s place and was the least responsive to pleas for woman suffrage. While Democratic women had organized local campaign clubs during elections for decades, these were not encouraged or endorsed by the national party, and were sometimes actively discouraged." The Rise of the Political Woman in the Election of 1912 by Jo Freeman A Word from CFA Robin Sherwood, April 2003: Market advice during the Iraqi situation; Will dividends be tax free after Bush's proposal to end double taxation of dividends; On being challenged as a financial planner to find new solutions; and Structuring annuity life streams of income In spite of the serious events unfolding, Julia Sneden is Keeping It Light: Whether your sense of humor leans to the ironic or sarcastic or just plain silly, it is a potent weapon that needs to be kept handy for all those times when wrinkles and creaks and miseries begin to assume too much importance Queen Latifah, says David Westheimer, is a modern version of the Pearly Bailey. (Not exactly Pearl Bailey because Queen Latifah is an original but close enough to remind you of her). How about Queen Latifah Sings Pearl Bailey? Queen Pearly Mae Culture Watch Reviews: Suburban Nation describes evils of sprawl far beyond its obvious aesthetic lacks, or even ecological damage; Anne Perry's The Whitechapel Conspiracy's a fascinating look at Victorian England and two investigations; the Juggernaut theater company tackles the plays of five 17th and 17th c women playwrights About 10 years ago, coleus began to awaken from a long slumber. Since then, amazing new hybrids have stirred a passion that rivals that of the Victorian era — Linda Coyner's Garden Edition: Coleus Gets a Wake-up Call Sending Canadian Troops to Iraq - One Canadian's View by Diane Girard. Canadians tend not to believe in 'my country right or wrong.' We tend to think, should we change the country: who are we: and what does Quebec want now? So, you see, unbridled patriotism is not part of our culture. Clare Hanrahan — Let's really support our soldiers: "I will not repeat trite platitudes as these men and women are used up and then abandoned by a U.S. government that has broken faith with its noble principles, that fails to protect its citizens – a US regime that threatens the world with the use of first-strike nuclear weapons." Rose Mula: A Curly Head's Complaint — I was an adorable toddler; but my adorableness was a fact despite rampant ringlets that stuck out crazily all over my head, dipping over mid-forehead, and receding at the temples — the hairline of a middle-aged man, which I have to this day. David Westheimer, Our Dinner with James: Not only was James Baldwin a world-class writer, which I wasn’t, but we’d read his work, especially The Fire Next Time, and found them militant, race-wise. Though painfully true. "Over the years many women of courage, commitment and integrity, the famous and the obscure, have contributed to Alderson [Prison] and its rich history, both as keeper and kept. We must not forget the women of Alderson." Clare Hanrahan writes about the prison she spent time at as an inmate — Alderson: Reclaiming the Vision Jo Freeman: The Feminist Ghost at the Conservative Political Action Conference — The issues raised by feminism are no longer front and center, as they were when about a hundred conservatives from four organizations first gathered 30 years ago, but they lingered like an ethereal presence, providing foil and target for speeches and exhibits Culture Watch: Laura Haywood reviews a Jonathan Kellerman mystery, Flesh and Blood; Seabiscuit, a terrific book for all who love horses and racing, is an entertaining and rewarding read for those with no interest in the animals or the sport; Abelardo Morell's a book of books is a intimate look at an obsession; CDs by Bocelli, Fleming and Krall Diane Girard: Looking for Work and Finding the Potholes — My first step in the quest was to consider remodeling my resume. It was rather like an old car, it had at least 100,000 miles on it but it ran smoothly, or so I thought. After looking under the hood, my resume mechanic told me some parts were so old they might fall off. Gabriella True introduces us to slumps, coffee milk, Del's frozen lemonade and the New York System Hot Weiner — Culinary Discovery: The Tastes of Rhode Island Julia Sneden Looks Up: "I am often amazed by people who aren't interested in the sky. They seem unaware of sunrises and sunsets, of the variety of clouds, of the brilliance of noon, or the subtleties of twilight. Perhaps they are so focused on their own busy lives that they can't take the time to look up." Culture Watch: Laura Haywood reviews a Jonathan Kellerman mystery, Flesh and Blood; a book of books by Abelardo Morell is a intimate look at an obsession; CDs by Bocelli, Fleming and Krall Linda Coyner's February Garden Edition: Anyone who has stood in the cathedral created by a stand of tall conifers or basked in the exquisite warmth collected in a sunny nook on a winter day will be able to appreciate Chip Sullivan' message in Garden and Climate Jo Freeman: The Feminist Ghost at the Conservative Political Action Conference — The issues raised by feminism are no longer front and center, as they were when about a hundred conservatives from four organizations first gathered 30 years ago, but they lingered like an ethereal presence, providing foil and target for speeches and exhibits Rose Mula takes on the shopping channels during nocturnal tv surfing and winds up shredding her credit cards: Insomnia: More Hazardous Than You Think Dody (and collaborator David) Westheimer relate the story about her encounter with art critic and refrigerator repairman: Boris Liz Flaherty — Passages Reconsidered: Recently we saw our sons dressed up in suits, the one with a beard had it neatly trimmed, and their shoes were freshly polished. I didn’t have to tell either of them to stop kicking the chair in front of him, to stop whispering, to not smack his gum, to leave his brother alone Diane Girard on Real Simplicity in the Kitchen: 'Tis a gift to be simple, the old Shaker song says. I say achieving real simplicity requires an ability to tactfully turn down gifts and a talent for wrecking small kitchen appliances Gabriella True's latest Culinary Discovery column — For the Love of Lavender, celebrating the beauty, scent and taste of that alluring herb: foccacia with lavender garlic topping, steaks with lavender thyme butter & lavender coconut flan Although we all hope to live a long and healthy life, unexpected things can happen to us. Betty Soldz's informative article, Considering a Healthcare Directive Julia Sneden admits that when she first heard about Dolly, the cloned sheep, she had a fleeting thought or two about the possibility of cloning herself: "Me Two, I named her in my mind. Having had only sons, I was tantalized by the prospect of having a daughter, a little girl just like me." Culture Watch: Laura Haywood's review of the 14th Kate Fansler mystery, The Edge of Doom, suggests that Kate may have been fathered by someone other than her mother's husband. Catch Me If You Can evokes memories of a con man grandfather. Bloomsbury, the publishers of the Harry Potter series released a few tidbits from the new book. Linda Coyner's January Garden Edition - What's notable and new from the electronic or paper garden catalogs for 2003: Razzmatazz Echinacea, Gaillardia Sundance Bicolor, Splish Splash & Hollywood Geraniums, just for starters David Westheimer shares a bridge lesson in a POW camp, a trip over a burro and a Life Master in training: Hands Across the Table Julia Sneden: Hands in the Dough — I soon discovered that bread in the oven counts as food for the soul as well as the body. There are olfactory rewards that reach far beyond mere pleasure. A good sniff of what's cooking cures almost any ill. A Word from Robin: A monthly column by CFA Robin Sherwood. This month— Is Your Pension Safe? 529 Plans for College, Home Equity Lines of Credit, Taxes and your IRA & Real Estate in Your IRA Gabriella True's Culinary Discovery: A Christmas Tour Barefoot, the dancer sinuously threads her way through the packed room clicking her zils and giving a dazzling smile to each patient. Diane Girard: The Dancer’s Gift – A Christmas Story Shopping Newsletter Preview Since Eduard Poeppig plucked the first amaryllis from the ground in 1828 in Chile, a lot has happened: Linda Coyner's December Garden Edition — Amaryllis, Today’s Superbulb CultureWatch: Laura Haywood's review of The Christmas Train — a feel-good page-turner filled with happy endings and a delightful twist. Rose Mula: Computer Hell — Manufacturers of printer cartridges have me to thank for their booming profits. I go through cartridges like a kid through a new box of crayons. Julia Sneden's ADvent is Here Again cites her favorite annoying ad, exhorting you to consider buying "protection gifts" for a loved one's Christmas (stun guns and pepper sprays are on a Holiday Super Sale) David Westheimer recalls the debearding of his son's face, a sight never before glimpsed by his son's wife who disclaimed knowledge of his identity: Sentimental Journey Laura Haywood's fling with the sport of fencing— retreating was definitely her best move: Don't Fence Me In Some women retire gracefully at their appointed day and hour, and some of us just slide along wondering what the heck happened. Diane Girard: I'm Not Retired, I'm Sliding Culture Watch: Ann Perry's latest William Monk mystery is intricate and clever; reading Grisham's The Brethren after 9/11 inspires wonder at how much the CIA knew & if there are hidden agendas Gabriella True's Culinary Discovery column takes us to the holiday in 1621 that eased the human need for celebration and joy while respecting strict religious beliefs: Celebrating the Bounty of Good Things Doggerel: Quickly contrived, loose & often irregular poetry — Bottles, Bottles Everywhere: So Many Drops to Drink; On Body Parts and Piercings; The Floozie at the Bar; Chained to My Cell; The Phoenix; Hussein Ain't No (Hu!) Saint & Growing Testy "If I could go back there today, I would press myself against the roughly-lichened bark and stand in silent communion with my oak, to salute it as a still-living part of my childhood." Julia Sneden's Bosky Dell Rose Mula's treasure is located in lovely Kennebunkport, Maine, summer home of the Bush dynasty: I've Got a Secret Was it possible that TV in the sixties had more music and variety than now? David Westheimer on The Golden Age of Television Laura Haywood — In an attic was a 'memory book' filled with dance cards, pressed flowers, programs, records of parties and A Letter From the Past Linda Coyner creates a list that include books, tools and garden 'stuff:' Garden Edition—Gifts for Gardeners Julia Sneden—Relativity in a Nuclear Age: Children who live in a multi-generational household learn early on that they are not the big gem hanging at the end of the necklace; they are just links in a chain that started long before them and will go on long after them David Westheimer's Unrave compares today's rave behavior with the rules dictated by the Houston Recreation Department's Club House in....1937 Gabriella True's Premiere column for October: Culinary Discovery: Discoverer's Day—Finding New Foods & Recipes Jo Freeman—Christian Coalition Boosts Israel: It supported the election of George W, who acknowledged the CC's importance with a video to the conference, but doesn't agree with many of his policies, especially those on the Middle East Rose Mula's trip to Strangeville, USA: "We first felt something was amiss when no one in town could give us directions to the bed & breakfast we had reserved." Rima Magee recalls her trip to the Macy's sale along with the whole female population of the five boroughs: Shopping Betty Soldz fills us in on another flu season's concerns: Don't Let the Flu Get You Down CultureWatch—The Real Lincoln: DiLorenzo contends that Lincoln waged an unnecessary war which let him seize the powers of a dictator; Alice Sebold's writing in The Lovely Bones is spare, true and often quite beautiful even as it describes horrific events Laura Haywood reveals a look at her brief career in art: The Abstract Mummy Linda Coyner's Garden Edition: Who in the World is Nellie Stevens, 'girth,' ‘Kim’s Mop Head’ and 'No life, no soil' Mirror Lake Inn Resort & Spa, The Sequel by Sue Purdy "Our teachers have marked us, happily or unhappily; our studies have enlarged us or frustrated us; our classmates have had a profound effect on how we perceive ourselves." Julia Sneden's September Song Liz Flaherty— And Happily Ever After: Our romance novelist reveals most writers don’t earn a living wage, and sitting at a computer eating candy bars because you can’t think of a thing to write won’t make you thin Jo Freeman on Solutions for Computer Stress: People have been putting their computers on top of their writing desks and putting monitors on top of their computers — and suffering the consequences Betty Soldz: What You Should Know About Taking Medicine Book Review: The Clothesline, "a positive spin in anyone's rince cycle" and "time-tested secrets for refreshing the laundry-day routine." Rose Mula, Sex—Now and Then: Remember when kids used to get their mouths washed out with soap for saying a naughty word? What's the punishment for oral sex? A scouring with industrial-strength Ajax? David Westheimer recalls some famed father-daughter musical duos, Ladies of Note: Cash, Boone, Cole, Raitt, Tillis and Kendall America has become a culture that worships youth... Have we equated older people to things that are worn out, and decided that gray hair and wrinkles make a human being less valuable? On Becoming Transparent by Julia Sneden Carol Hanegan: The shoe is on the other foot — Do Your Children Know Where You Are? Linda Coyner's End of Summer Garden Edition: The Lure of the Orchid Culture Watch: Laura Haywood lets you in on a favorite mystery series. Run, don't walk to the bookstore for the Earlene Fowler's latest, Steps to the Altar Rima Magee: Stories of a father who tackled the super heterodyne circuit while stealing all her mother's baking tins for chassis construction, Rima tests aviation radios & now the owner of a souped up PC owner:— In My Day. Sandra Smith decodes SMS (Short Message Service) and other marvels including blipverts: U can't rED DIS, thN U' 2 old‹Probably. Loving from a Distance: Caring for Aging Parents Across the Miles by Pamela Stone. How do you learn to cope ? How can you monitor the well being of a relative in a nursing facility - or still at home? David Westheimer on Dody's checkered childhood: A Child's Life (running away at 8, embezzling the family funds & dropping out of kindergarten). Until he was eleven years old, my son was raised primarily by my mother, who lived with us. But that didn't mean I had no influence on him. I did. And I'm not sure it was a good thing. Laura Haywood: Kindergarten Conferences Julia Sneden: Creeds and Pledges - It seems to me that those of us who have trouble accepting the deletion of "...under God" from the Pledge of Allegiance are confusing a promise of citizenship with a statement of belief. "Dusk has fallen as you pull up in front of Tresyllian Castle. A ghostly full moon is rising, and a tall iron gate between two pillars bars the way into the courtyard. What would you like to do?" Interactive Fiction by Deborah Gray A Suepur Destination: Nashville, Tennessee — The Surprise of the South Rose Mula's adventures with a web camera and a help leaflet masquerading as a manual (as helpful as a paper parasol in a monsoon): If It Sounds Too Good To Be True…. Liz Flaherty: You Can't Be In Love Every Day—A long marriage is like the sun. It’s there every day and night, sometimes hidden by dense and sulky cloud covers, sometimes blazing red and vital and exciting Linda Coyner's July Garden Edition: More water-conserving products are entering the mainstream, joining those that have been around 20 years Senior Moments—Two excerpts from Karen O'Connor's new book: Water, Water Everywhere & Trash On Rye—and a Side of Fries Culture Watch: Laura Haywood reviews Islandia by Austin Tappen Wright; Alternative Histories and Stephen Sondheim sites "The radio plays Forty Second Street. My wife of more than 50 years Dances in her nightgown for the cat. He is puzzled and unimpressed, But I am charmed." David Westheimer's Cat and Spouse Co-Housing: What is it and is it for you? Betty Soldz explores the structure and features of this kind of alternative living Julia Sneden on Buying the Pharm: Bearing the costs of prescription drugs at the highest rate in the world is bad enough, but bearing costs at a rate disproportionate to the younger population of America is despicable David Westheimer on Women in Blue, Round II, not the sequel to Men in Black but the sequel to Driving Miss McSally Rima Magee: Make up—A multibillion dollar beauty industry has successfully promoted the idea that if you don't wear their products you look like death warmed over. Of course, there are those whose use of cosmetics make them look like death took a holiday. Jo Freeman reviews a few products that stood out at the PC Expo show as having immediate appeal to the ordinary woman Laura Haywood's Happy Mother's Day: Adventures as a first time mother Rose Mula: One of my favorite Landersisms, "No one can take advantage of you without your permission." So true. So wise. So Ann. SeniorWomenWeb Interview: Sandy Smith interviews Ruth Daleth. "Alcoholic's Anonymous is not a religion, it's a spiritual program. I don't know of any other place where you can go and talk about God and smoke and drink coffee and cuss." "The radio plays Forty Second Street. My wife of more than 50 years Dances in her nightgown for the cat. He is puzzled and unimpressed, But I am charmed." David Westheimer's Cat and Spouse Ron Sullivan on Law and Orders: Law must have science as its goal — and its method. And nobody can do it but a vigilant, rational, and patient people. "One of my sons whose closet could have qualified for a federal clean-up grant, is described by his new wife as a neatness freak." Julia Sneden: Kristin's Wedding Sue Purdy succeeds in her search for the perfect massage: Mirror Lake Inn Resort and Spa. Where? Lake Placid, New York What gardener could have imagined that someday we'd have a product that could store water in the soil and then release it as the plant¹s roots need it? Linda Coyner's June Garden Edition My Books: Rima Magee asks, what should she do about her piles of books? "When I'm gone, they'll still be alive — but where?" Before you can have a great love story, you have to have someone who wants to stop the two lovers from getting together. And that's why my marriage of thirty-eight years will never qualify: Laura Haywood's Romeo and Juliet...it wasn't Time was, cigarettes were celebrated in song and story. Smoking was glamorous, sophisticated, romantic. David Westheimer's Up in Smoke The Gadget and the Garage: Two Gift Books for Father's Day, a SeniorWomenWeb design review "I can still recall the smell (books; freshly waxed floors) and sounds (muffled voices, footsteps on linoleum, the snap of a card catalogue drawer being closed) of the public library..." —Julia Sneden: Loving Books How Great to See You! You Look Marvelous! Rose Mula attends a high school reunion & finds, instead of her classmates, their grandparents, all of who insist they had gone to school with her A SuePur Destination: Kentucky Karma (Susan's adventures into fly fishing) Linda Coyner's May Garden Edition: Water-saving products for the garden: soaker hoses. (Find one of the oldest companies in the western world featured in the article) Kyle Busch: Lowering the Finance Cost on Your Next Vehicle Purchase Betty Soldz on The Community of Women: Since women outlive men by approximately six years, they need to remain a part of the larger community. Culture Watch: Eileen Frost's review of the Idea of Perfection, the Orange Prize winner; Wise Women, "true revealers of the inner power of wises women in our time." Julia Sneden: "In the house where I grew up, breakfast was never anything as simple as a bowl of cereal... I miss the old, sun-filled dining room, and all the people in it...the privilege of hearing the beloved voices one more time." Time Flies: Rose Mula muses about time travel. If you could pick any moment in time—past or future—which century would you choose? David Westheimer recalls with fondness days of meals made from Scratch (one of the fraughtest words he knows) Laura Haywood's Coincidence: Write a novel in which the plot is dependent on a coincidence and every creative writing teacher, editor, and critic will gleefully shred your work. Fiction has to make sense; life doesn't. Julia Sneden's review of Thoughts From a Queen-Sized Bed by Mimi Schwartz and an excerpt, Changing Lanes Linda Coyner's April Garden Edition: Water-smart lawns. Who said lawns have to be grass? Susan Purdy visits historic Thomasville, Georgia, recognized as "the most Northern-like little town in the South." SeniorWomen reviews Animal House Style: Designing an interior that's attractive and pet friendly. Julia Sneden: Small Priorities—Elementary school teachers are probably the most underpaid, overworked professionals in America. Many of them are creative, patient, and caring people who deserve respect and better pay. What can senior women do about all this? Culture Watch: Eileen Frost reviews The Sisters: the Saga of the Mitford Family. Despite a rather idyllic youth, their lives were to be intimately intertwined with twentieth-century tragedy. Laura Haywood's Conspiracy Theory: Take a good look at your feet, go to your closet and try to find one pair of shoes that's shaped the same way. You didn't find any, did you? Jo Freeman: Hillary Clinton, Liddy Dole and Tipper Gore all became well known public figures because of the men they married. When their husbands leave public office, what do they do? Political Wives as Candidates: Wave of the Future or Relics from the Past? Rose Mula: JohnPaul2@Vatican.com—Do you suppose he responds to e-mail confessions? Does he curse when his computer crashes? Is he addicted to computer Free Cell solitaire? Does he burn CDs of the Vienna Boys Choir? David Westheimer: A Woman of Note—Ima Hogg. No one in Houston laughs when they hear that name Book Excerpt: Sylvie by David Westheimer Julia Sneden: Guilty as Charged but Not Nearly Sane—Given an understanding that a crime can be caused by insanity, sentencing should not be restricted to the either/or of life in prison versus the death penalty, but might also include life in a mental institution. Linda Coyner's Off the Garden Bookshelf: Insects and Gardens Sue Purdy returns to the Spa at the Norwich Inn in Connecticut. Assessments of the treatments includes winners and losers Laura Haywood: Taking Lyrics Literally — There are hundreds of songs that glorify jealousy, abuse, and cheating — and just plain self-delusion. Betty Soldz: Outsmarting Forgetfulness —Strategies which might be helpful in keeping your memory sharp. Roxanne Holmes: Life is Too Short to Hit Out of a Bunker - It is amazing that a sport so male-dominated is not disgustingly macho. Culture Watch: Eileen Frost on Tepper Isn't Going Out by Calvin Trillin ("I laughed aloud with every new chapter") and When I Lived in Modern Times by Linda Grant (witty, astute, moving and wise) Sharon Charde: The Life Cycle of a Therapist, Part Two: "Unknowingly I, of course, had been seeking my own healing & empowerment in my profession." Rose Mula: I'm Sorry...Do I Know You? Her adventures with faulty cranial wiring Julia Sneden: Old Dogs/New Tricks—The lap-swimmer reversal, square knots, pencil grips and the correct way to correct David Westheimer: Women in Blue—The first woman sniper, a woman chaplin counseling Muslims and Lt. Col. Martha McSally's suit about wearing the abaya A Tam Gray review of the design book, Chandeliers, by Elizabeth Hilliard: From popes to the gentlefolk, chandeliers are a decorating start point Laura Haywood—The Past, the Future, and Six Dead Indians: (One psychic insisted that, in a previous life, I'd been a Blackfoot Indian; I'd always seen myself as an Apache) Linda Coyner: From the Garden Bookshelf (The Southern Garden; Chicken Soup for the Gardener's Soul; Sunbelt Gardening Success in Hot Weather Climates; Dogs in their Gardens and Six-Legged Sex: The Erotic Lives of Bugs Culture Watch's Theater: Kristin Nord reviews Peter and Wendy with an evocative score & puppeteers dressed in Edwardian clothes & ivory hats David Westheimer: Tops in Tap—Ann Miller, who hasn't missed a beat and, at age 78, appears in Mulholland Drive Ron Sullivan: A Child's Verse of Gardens— I wasn't exactly born with a green thumb in my mouth, but I did have the rapacious and meddling tendencies of a gardener. Sharon Charde: The Life Cycle of a Therapist, Part One—"I worked with women in and out of relationships as I struggled with my own at home." Julia Sneden: The Slippery Slope- If you are a caregiver, a sense of humor, even a macabre one, is a sanity-saver Culture Watch: Eileen Frost reviews Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress, a testimony to 'the power of art to enlarge imaginations" & The Fig Eater, an eerie, bizarre and elegant first novel of the Habsburgs before WWI Liz Flaherty—Smoke Free: Eight Days and Five Minutes But Who's Counting? - Easy, providing the other half of the comparison has to do with bamboo under fingernails & breech birth without drugs Betty Soldz: Women and Retirement Security; Pensions and Other Retirement Instruments Rose Mula:  The US Postal Disservice—"Bad enough that I dial eleven digits to phone my neighbor but I can get through to her personally. Not so with my post office, three miles away." Decorating: SeniorWomen's Review by Tam Gray of Red on Red: Creating Stunning Interiors Using Reds and Pinks Enron and Beyond: Amazing Accounting Practices or The Unhappy End of the Public Oversight Board Sic Transit: David Westheimer on Dame Myra Hess, Lillian Briggs, Laverne Baker, Georgia Gibbs, Nanci Crompton, Totie Fields, Beatrice Lillie, Ina Ray Hutton, Connee Boswell, Gertrude Moran, Gertrude Niessen, Ruth Ederle, Priscilla Lane, Sally Rand, Emily Post and Ruby Helder The National Academies of Science recommends a ban on cloning Linda Coyner's January Garden Edition: Chinese have eaten these since the 3rd century A.D. By the 10th c, the Japanese were eating this tasty item— Edamame Jean Pond, The Bonus Years: A recommendation — throw out those yellowing bank statements and keep your love letters Kyle Busch—Tips to make your vehicle go the distance Julia Sneden: Ambivalance Rose Mula: Where, or Where Have My New Boots Gone? David Westheimer: The Computer as Pet Laura Haywood: My ambition in life was to look like a Ziegfeld Folies alumna when I hit my sixties Julia Sneden: Christmas Presence Take Five: Margaret Nielsen - Walking Back to Joy Yvonne Moran: Virgin Island Hopping — Christmas tree plumes, a Manchineel tree, Blackbeard beer and tales of a pirate retirement home David Westheimer: "Whenever I watch Britney Spears on TV, somehow I think of Peggy Lee. A SuePur Destination: San Francisco, A City for Friends and Lovers Linda Coyner's Holiday Garden Edition: Gifts for gardeners; Winners & Losers Rachella Sinclair: Crafting Through Crisis: Americans Rediscover the Home Crafts The Internet: John Haywood answers (and spoofs) one of those email missives from Nigeria Jo Freeman: Laura Bush and Ellie Smeal: Together at Last! Rose Mula on Belt Tightening and That Famous Lock Box: $0$! The $ky I$ Falling! Jean Pond: Longevity — For the Boomers and the Boomed Julia Sneden: The Slippery Slope, Part Two—"My mother is one of the ones who must climb down the last cliff of her journey inch by cautious inch." Take Five: Margaret Nielsen on Recipe for Wasted Ingredients Linda Coyner's November Garden Edition: Behind the scenes of "Making More Plants," Ken Druse's bestsellerBetty Soldz — Thanksgiving: Profile of a Caregiver David Westheimer: Eating High on the Calamari—Maeve Binchy, Scarlet Feather and squid with garlic Laura Haywood: Young Widow Brown, Mary Noble, Backstage Wife and Our Gal Sunday, women we'll never forget. Culture Watch: In an effort to create a context for September 11, Eileen Frost reviews three autobiographies: Testament of Youth by Vera Brittain, Out of Place by Edward Said and Jean Pond: Longevity — For the Boomers and the Boomed Sandi Smith: Tis the Season Rose Mula is in love with her PCP. Not her Personal Computer Pedagogue—her Primary Care Physician: Just What the Doctor Ordered Rachella Sinclair: Crafting Through Crisis: Americans Rediscover the Home Crafts Julia Sneden: The Slippery Slope, Part One David Westheimer: Cat and Spouse or, Grizzolo and La Dody Betty Soldz: Picture Yourself in Her Place: The Plight of the Afghan Woman Take Five: Margaret Nielsen on Endless Love Linda Coyner's October Garden Edition: Spring and Early Summer Flowering Bulbs Travel in the US: Big Sky, Montana, a Sue Purdy Destination Laura Haywood: At Sea in Nebraska: Bill makes a choice—Laura or a watery life Julia Sneden—Hello, Boomers...and welcome to the other side of the hill: Is it a slippery down slope or just a plateau? Culture Watch: Eileen Frost reviews Savage Beauty: the life of Edna St. Vincent Millay; a Sighting about Art and its place in our culture post-September 11th Betty Soldz: One Year After Our Move: Making the Adjustment David Westheimer: Driving Mr. David or Dody the Wheelman Rose Mula: Confessions of a Lowbrow Laura Haywood: Sarah Heartburn and Son Catherine Comer & Lavon Swaim: What Can We Do? How travelers can help make the airport security process easier Betty Soldz: One Year After Our Move: Making the Adjustment Julia Sneden: Going to War Ferida Wolff: Which Hat? Whatever we decide to do, we will still be part of the world. What kind of world will we help it to be? Linda Coyner reviews Michael Pollan's Botany of Desire for Garden Edition Culture Watch: Eileen Frost reviews The Southern Woman by Elizabeth Spencer David Westheimer—The Truth About Apple Pie Susan Purdy: Amelia Island, Florida - Sun, Surf and Spa Julia Sneden: Napkin Rings and Saving Ways Savannah Lawless, advice columnist : Dump the Guy but Keep the Porsche Take Five by Margaret Nielsen: What Sound Does a Rabbit Make? Rose Mula: Silly Science Yvonne Moran on Central America: Beans, Chickens & Rainbow-hued Woven Fabrics Culture Watch: Eileen Frost reviews The Last Samurai; Rose Mula on My Brush with Life and Art & Senior Women Web on Footnotes on Shoes Linda Coyner's August Garden Edition: Prime Time for Growing Caladiums and Going to a Festival David Westheimer: Starlight Time Laura Haywood: Boating With Billy or, Don't Pass Up the Queen of the Show After All Julia Sneden: Fireflies and Summer Rain Betty Soldz: Barbara's Story, Conclusion of the series, What Role Do Retirees Play in Today's Society, Catherine Comer & Lavon Swaim: Traveling Without Fear SeniorWomenWeb Interviews: Nancy Flowers Take Five by Margaret Nielsen: Baby, Just Look at Us Now Ferida Wolff: Long Distance Daughter Rose Mula: If You Can't Stand the Heat.... David and Dody Westheimer: Caregiver's Guide to Casual Cookery Julia Sneden: Misspending My Dotage Jo Freeman: The Myth of the Older, Richer Woman July Culture Watch: Eileen Frost reviews Margaret Drabble's "Peppered Moth," and two mysteries by Kathy Reichs, a forensic anthropologist David Westheimer: Face to Face (Interviewing Sid Caesar, Clint, Zsa-Zsa, Dinah and Joey) A SuePur Destination: Taos, New Mexico Laura Haywood: Travels With Billy (Ottuma, Arcadia and the pigs) Jeri Massi and weight-training with Jeanne: Shoulders: Grace and Strength SeniorWomenWeb's Interview: Mary McHugh interviews the first woman to hold a seat on the NYSE--: Muriel Siebert Julia Sneden: Cued Speech - A System of Enhanced Lip Reading Betty Soldz: What Role Do Retirees Play in Today's Society, Part 3. (Next time - Older women/men who choose employment after retirement) Laura Haywood: Is Nudism the Answer? Rose Mula: You Should Have Been Here Last Week Travel: Yvonne Moran's Adventures in Beach Country David Westheimer: Your Three Minutes are Up Linda Coyner's June Garden Edition: Supertunia? Tidal Wave? Surfinia? Culture Watch: Eileen Frost on Zadie Smith's "White Teeth" Pamela Stone: Jumping Back Into the Job Market Sandra Smith: A Procrastinator's Guide to Feng Shui Jean Leinweber: I Can't Hear You David Westheimer: The Doc and I Take Five: What Was the Supreme Court Thinking Of? Julia Sneden: If The Shoe Fits....you can bet it's not fashionable. Laura Haywood: Me and The Babe Jeannie Asher concludes her two-parter on Decorating: Case Studies Linda Coyner's May Garden Edition: Little known, long-blooming, colorful bedding plants SeniorWomenWeb's Interview by Mary McHugh with Sharon Patton A Sue Purdy Destination: Shopping at New York's New Old Apothecaries Culture Watch - Favorite Authors: Alistair MacLeod; review of The Mulvaneys and Jacqueline Kennedy exhibit at the Met