Sidney Rosen passed away last weekend, a day after his 92nd birthday. Many in our Gotham family had met Sidney over the years as he accompanied my mother to Gotham events. Mom and Sidney had twelve wonderful years together -- sharing their love, companionship, friends and families. They both grew and blossomed over those years. There ought to be a …
While we were in Hawaii recently, we were told that there is no word for “hate” in the Hawaiian language. I am not sure whether it's true. But we heard it several times. Nevertheless, the notion that there is no word for “hate” in a language is a beautiful thing. Imagine (with a nod to John Lennon) a culture developing without the need to find a …
As the family took up the chairs next to me at the pool, I focused on the children. Three of them - ages about four to seven. As I looked over at the parents, they appeared to be a little younger than me. Flo and I had been away for about a week and I missed our grandson, Jackson, and the upcoming birth of another grandson was foremost on my …
I like beaches. And I like walking on beaches. During such walks, I often pick up beach rock, shells, and, occasionally, a piece of beach glass. A recent walk on the beach in Kaua’i yielded a few small pieces of lava stone. One in particular resembled a miniature volcano. A perfect momento of our trip. Then I learned of a Hawaiian legend -- perhaps …
Do you take a camera on vacation? We are packing for a trip to Hawaii. Beautiful scenery. At the last moment, we considered whether to pack a camera. We have a digital SLR with three different lenses and a compact digital point and shoot -- both remnants from a time gone by when the camera in our cell phone was less sophisticated. I dust …
We were at the local diner. Seated in a booth by the window overlooking the stairs leading up to the front door. A perfect perch to view those coming and going. I noticed the couple as they walked carefully from their car to the stairs. They were elderly. As he reached to hold her hand and help her toward the stairs, it was with the tenderness of t …
It started with a little tickle... (or was it a little scratch?) in my throat. Ignore it. Within an hour, there was no denying. It was my winter cold 2016. By the time I gave it the attention it deserved, it had taken over. “Don't respect me? I'll show you!” What to do? Take zinc. Take vitamin C. Drink plenty of liquids. Starve it. Feed it. …
Last weekend, Flo and I took our grandson, Jackson, to the Train Show at the New York Botanical Garden. For an hour or so, I looked at the world through the eyes of a three-year-old. I shared his amazement as the G-scale trains circled the reconstructions of the great sites of New York City, past the historical buildings and over the famous br …
It was several years ago. We had a few days left in Italy before our return flight to New York when we got a phone call from the airline that an airport strike was planned for noon the next day and we could catch an early flight to Paris. That would leave us with the whole day in Paris before our evening flight back to New York. We had it all p …
December 31st sixteen years ago and we were all worrying about the imminent disaster of “Y2K” that was to occur when computers did not recognize the year 2000. Without such concerns looming today, we are able to reflect upon the past year and formulate our hopes for the coming year. May today be a day of reflection and may all of our hopes for the …
This blog is not written by Scroog. However, I noticed that I received fewer holiday cards this year than ever before. Several years ago the trend of fewer paper (and mailed) cards replaced by eCards became more and more apparent, but this year I received fewer holiday greeting cards of either kind. I am not sure of the reason for this phenomeno …
How do you put 70 people of diverse backgrounds and interests in a room at the Friar's Club for an hour and a half lunch and keep it in the family? Well, that's exactly what Nancy Schess (and all those who attended) did yesterday at a triple meeting of the New York Women's Group, The Bandit Group and the New York Health and Aging Resources Group. …
A lesson in how it works. Last Sunday there was a Fredslist posting from Warren looking for a nurse in Delray Florida for his mother. I saw the posting and got an email from Debbie highlighting it and asking me to forward it to the Advocates. I did and also emailed Warren with my suggestions for how best to proceed. But that wasn't the end. Fl …
Flo and I were cleaning her mother's house in anticipation of the closing. The house that Flo and her brothers grew up in. The house where her parents spent almost sixty years. There was a lifetime in that house. I was packing the breakfront and I came to the crystal. There was a set of tall water glasses, wine glasses, and both large and small st …
Last week I heard a psychologist on the radio talk about how stressful Thanksgiving has become. She focused on the difficult choices people have to make about where to be for the holiday. As families grow, in-laws, and other complications lead to impossible choices and conflicts. I think that thanksgiving includes understanding and forgiveness …
