Tag Archives: friends and family

Cooking as a social event

Posted on February 15, 2011 by stillalife

I can foresee a new Food Network show now that my kitchen has become an international cooking center.  Here’s how the show would work:  I invite good cooks from different countries to my kitchen to prepare dishes they love, while a few … Continue reading →

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Happy Valentine’s Day

Posted on February 14, 2011 by stillalife

One version of the origin of Valentine’s day goes back to 270 A.D. when a bishop by this name clashed with Roman Emperor Claudius II, who had prohibited young men to marry based on his belief that matrimony would interfere … Continue reading →

Posted in friends and family, memories | Tagged | 1 Comment

Cookies, chaos and connections

Posted on January 28, 2011 by stillalife

The ringing of a doorbell.  The sound of a beater creaming butter and sugar.  Orders shouted every few seconds muffling the cracking of the eggs.  “I need a spatula.” “Give me two more mixing bowls.”  “These have to be very, very … Continue reading →

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Recovering memories

Posted on January 22, 2011 by stillalife

Sometimes you don’t know someone’s life until he or she has died.   We attended a memorial service today for a man named Tak, whom we met eight or nine years ago when he was in his late seventies.  We … Continue reading →

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Love the one(s) you’re with

Posted on January 15, 2011 by stillalife

A simple tweet from a group I am following led me to re-think my expectations regarding people who will be my friends after retirement.  I missed the news when it was widely covered in 2009 that, according to a Dutch … Continue reading →

Posted in changes after retirement, friends and family, personal reflections | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Get a “50% boost in longevity”

Posted on January 4, 2011 by stillalife

I encountered validation for my New Year’s resolution (see one blog before this) — to renew or keep up connections with former co-workers and friends I met through work — from an unlikely source:  “Scientific American.”  The bold headline in … Continue reading →

Posted in friends and family, health | Tagged , | 2 Comments

“Rabbit” represents calm year ahead

Posted on January 1, 2011 by stillalife

Happy Year of the Rabbit, which doesn’t begin officially until February 3.  According to one of the many Chinese horoscopes on-line, the “Rabbit brings in a year in which you can catch your breath and calm your nerves.”  Most people I know … Continue reading →

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Time goes by

Posted on December 30, 2010 by stillalife

It’s been a quiet week between Christmas and New Year’s.  Reading, baking, walking, seeing a few friends, writing things-to-do-lists for some future date, since I’m way too lazy this week to do more than think about accomplishing anything.   We … Continue reading →

Posted in aging, friends and family, personal reflections | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Holiday spirit

Posted on December 24, 2010 by stillalife

This week I saw a blog by one of my ESL students, in which she posted the three Christmas cards she had made in last week’s class, and praised her creative teachers. Following this, I received an email from old … Continue reading →

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Christmas cookie smackdown!

Posted on December 21, 2010 by stillalife

Look at these beauties, which represent the work of four of us who have been friends since the beginning of time, or at least for the last 30 – 40 years: Marilyn, Roberta, Sylvia and I. Only Barb couldn’t join … Continue reading →

Posted in friends and family, volunteering | Tagged , | 3 Comments