Long before we met, Anne Byrn’s face was familiar to me. In 1999, The Cake Mix Doctor, featuring Anne’s smiling image and flavorful ways to create magic with a box of cake mix, sold in Costco, Target, bookstores, and—well—most everywhere.
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Life can change in an instant. The death of a husband, no matter how strong or capable the surviving spouse, leaves us shocked and overwhelmed and incapable of putting one foot in front of the other. Especially when young children are involved. David Doyle, and his wife, Anita, know this first hand.
In 2019, I had more time than ever to cook and experiment in the kitchen. I enjoyed my new hobby and, when my birthday rolled around, I announced I was treating myself to a food processor. Never mind I only cooked for two people, and my husband is a most willing chopper and dicer. Hands down, it may be the one item I’d grab in a fire. And, if it
The Orchid Series
A collection of interviews featuring inspiring women over 75 years young. Curious, engaged, active, interesting. The sort of woman I want to be when I grow up!
Decades ago—when Marda Stoliar was much younger—women wore heels and dresses. Everywhere. As hard as it is to imagine now, women’s sneakers did not exist.
Last November, Katie and Greg grew restless and bored. With colder days, a raging pandemic, early darkness, and a one-year-old, each day mimicked the one before. They’d fallen into a rut.
At Solbar, inside the stunning Solage Resort in Napa Valley, bartender Kelly Dallas placed a concoction in front of me, unlike anything I’d ever seen in a cocktail glass. With swirling bubbles and black specks and basil leaves, it reminded me of the lava lamp my teenage friend had on her bedroom nightstand.
“You’ve got to let it go,” Mikey Hoag’s husband said to her. Mikey learned Bill Gates’ father and uncle had been stricken with Alzheimer’s. For two years, she emailed power points and statistics and information to the tech mogul, convinced Mr. Gates would want to join her movement to fund Alzheimer’s research.
Not long ago, Betty Nelson received test results from a physician. For a person this age, all looks fine, she read. Furious, Betty phoned the doctor’s office and scheduled an appointment to see him.
Beaver Creek consistently ranks as one of the top ten ski resorts in the United States. But those who don’t savor the cold and snow will find much to love in this Rocky Mountain community two hours west of the Denver airport. As luck would have it, my son and our new bonus daughter chose the charming resort for their early October wedding. With the aspens greeting us in their
Chris Walsh grew up, and still lives, on Long Island. As a teenager, he enjoyed fashion and style, but he didn’t embrace it in the conservative environment where he lived. He chose not to call attention to his preferences and the clothes he longed to wear. “I wanted to blend in,” said Chris.
Marilee Nelson did not intend to found and build a toxin-free home cleaning company.
When I visited my young granddaughter (and her parents!), her simple hand movement declared an end to her dinner. All done. And bath time. And observing the gazelles at the zoo. A different gesture demanded more—strawberries, milk, time in the pool, elephants. When my boys were infants and toddlers, baby sign was not “a thing.” Kristen Morita is a Washington state speech pathologist and mom to two young daughters. She works with
From the time she was a small girl, Sue loved to dance. A few decades ago, she and her husband took ballroom dancing lessons “for something fun to do together.” Little did she know life was about to hand her a heart-wrenching surprise.
Cindy Burnett and I connected through our shared love of books. I only wish I’d met her when I lived in Houston for all those years. Anyway, whether I’m scrolling her social media posts, reading her book columns, or listening to her podcast, Cindy is a go-to source for book opinions and recommendations.
My mission this summer? Pile our dinner plates high with vegetables and plant-based proteins. All the wonderful farm stands around Nashville make my goal easier. And so does Jenny Rosenstrach.
For the past decade, I’ve had a front-row seat to the devastating effects of Alzheimer’s. The neurodegenerative disease has wreaked havoc on my mother-in-law. And those who love her.
“God calls you lots of times, and you don’t pick up the phone,” says Jan.
To celebrate our nation’s birthday, I asked Julianne Buonocore to take us on a tour of Philadelphia.
By Janet Dahl I am the first to admit that my general appearance, while at home during the shutdown, became increasingly casual as the pandemic wore on. And on. A few weeks ago, after a morning spent pulling weeds from the flower beds and pruning a few shrubs, I Zoomed with a college friend. Still in my gardening attire, I realized I’d gone—perhaps—a little too casual. My good friend laughed
At 5 am, Susan Martin dragged herself out of the cozy hotel bed. She stuffed the final supplies into her bulging backpack–snacks, a lunch, extra tops and bottoms for the next two days and nights. She tugged a jacket over her other four clothing layers and poured a cup of coffee.
And then she pulled back the drapes to look out the window.
Many of the women I speak with for The Orchid Series live alone. It’s a sobering thought, but statistics show most of us will outlive our husbands or partners by 5-7 years. Not a pleasant point to ponder…
“The pandemic? It didn’t bother me,” says Rosie as we chatted over the phone one snowy April morning.
Exploring Megan Gill’s package-free shop, The Good Fill, is like wandering the luscious aisles of a candy store. Every which way you turn, shelves and bins and shiny containers entice with zero-waste options for those everyday items we all use. From personal hygiene products to home cleaning supplies, customers refill jars or bottles they already own and forgo tossing more plastic in the trash. A former hairdresser, Megan “witnessed a
The pandemic wasn’t all bad for Susie Orman Schnall. Amid last year’s isolation and cancellations and shutdowns, she received some wonderful news. The rights to We Came Here to Shine, her historical fiction novel which burst into the world in early 2020, had sold to a production company. A few weeks ago, Susie finished up and turned in the final version of the novel’s screenplay. The company will now talk
“This is my life—and your imperfect life too,” says Vivian Shudde, CEO of The Brookwood Community, to the roomful of parents whose children have various intellectual and physical challenges. “Believe me, our sorority sisters and cousins and neighbors and school friends have imperfections in their lives too. But they’re easier to hide.” Vivian’s younger sister, Vicki, contracted the mumps as a small child. The disease led to meningitis and brain
When I look around, I’m beginning to see hope. I had my second vaccine last week, I’m visiting my parents next month, and I’ve booked a trip to California’s wine country. Life—and travel—is revving back up again. But a recent article in the Wall Street Journal stopped me in my airport-racing, museum-trotting, city-sightseeing tracks. It seems I’m a bit of a dinosaur. Donna Bulseco writes of the obsolete fashion faux-pax
“Before we get married, I want you to take Dr. Neely’s children’s lit class,” one of Dr. Ann Neely’s students announced to her fiancé. “It will help to make you a better father.” For 35 years, Ann, one of the premier experts on children’s literature in the country, read books published for the younger set—for a living. When she wasn’t squiring visiting authors to public schools and non-profits or speaking
To cut costs and recoup expenses, many property owners rent out their city apartment or lake house or condo at the beach. Although some balk at the idea of other people sleeping and lounging in their vacation home, the rental process can work and offset the cost of a second residence. Nancy Fox, property manager extraordinaire, knows how to make the rental process a good experience for owners and guests.
