There are some silver linings for me in our current coronavirus cloud. One is dinnertime. Both of my children are under my roof. We haven’t had this much time together in longer than I can remember. It’s actually kind of nice and we have dinner together around the table every single night. A few nights ago, my phone buzzed during dinner. Of course, my phone is always buzzing but I picked it up to see what was new. My daughter turned to me and in full voice said, “...

  Obviously, we are being bombarded daily with stories concerning the effects of Covid-19. But there is one recent story that made me smile and I couldn’t help but share it here.       There are two giant pandas, Ying Ying and Le Le, who live together at Hong Kong’s Ocean Park Zoo. Giant pandas are on the endangered species list as there are currently only 1,800 left in the wild. The Executive Director of the zoo has recently released a statement stating, that Ying Ying and ...

We got to hang with some good friends last eve. It was fun to catch up. It was not in person but technology made it seem like we gathered at our place or one of their homes. Usually I see the men one or two times a week for basketball in a program my Knight of Pythias (FDR) lodge sponsors. There’s been no ball for a month and we have no clue when the game returns. We play in a school gym which mean no ball through April (maybe the end of June after the Governor and the May...

The liquor store near us bolted a piece of plexiglass on the front door with a little hole in it. You tell them what you want, they get it and pass it through to you.   Golf was okay to play, now it's not.   I missed Gotham Happy Hour yesterday because I forgot what day of the week it was.   The BBC's Living Planet series is incredible. I highly recommend it even if it's just to hear David Attenborough's narration.   I now have over 20 different background images for Zoom mee...

People will rush out into the streets with joy and embrace each other!  We will have new appreciations of life and humanity! Many many more will continue to work from home! We will have heightened appreciation of public servants, especially those in healthcare! Leadership will have greater importance! The handshake will become an historical anomaly! We will understand that love, good friends and Family saw us through! Shelter in place babies will come into the World! The sun ...

  Now, more than ever, it is crucial to support local businesses that are struggling to stay alive.We have a few local restaurants that are offering take-out and we alternate among them. We cleaned out our winter clothes and took them over to the dry cleaner who is suffering because no one is wearing business clothes to the office that need laundering.These businesses are the bedrock of our community. We want them to survive. Please try........

Today, I celebrate creativity. My little brother (pictured left) and his family live in our home town in Illinois. It’s a wholesome farm community where families are raised, small business thrive, agriculture feeds the community, and the world turns. Like us, they have a shelter-in-place order. Kids are home from school, my sister-in-laws (entrepreneur) famous hair salon isn’t creating fabulous, beautiful hair styles, and my brother (entrepreneur) is running the family bus...

  With a touch of cold still in the air, it isn’t quite spring yet. It’s close, but not exactly. But this past weekend, I decided I didn’t care. It was close enough. We have been so stuck inside these last few weeks. I work from my dining room table, which is a growing monstrosity of technology, files, phones – wait, that’s what my NYC office looks like too. Here, however, I look out the window to my deck and backyard. You may remember (or not) that we recently installed a...

  With a touch of cold still in the air, it isn’t quite spring yet. It’s close, but not exactly. But this past weekend, I decided I didn’t care. It was close enough. We have been so stuck inside these last few weeks. I work from my dining room table, which is a growing monstrosity of technology, files, phones – wait, that’s what my NYC office looks like too. Here, however, I look out the window to my deck and backyard. You may remember (or not) that we recently installed a...

  As a blogger during these difficult times, I have been trying to keep my blogs upbeat. I felt that we have enough difficult news around us and, perhaps, our blogs could be a small distraction. But I am sad and angry today and I want to share those feelings. Maybe some of you also need to share your grief and anger.       Last week, my next door neighbor’s-and very close friend-28 year old son, Justin, unexpectedly passed away. (it was not virus related). Immediately upon h...

So my thoughts focus on when we can get together again.   You might ask why but I suspect most know.   After all, in other times, many would be looking forward to hosting or visiting family towards the end of this week into next weekend. Usually a big meal serves as the centerpiece. Instead, this time any meal involves those in the immediate household; at best we can employ video technology to perhaps widen the size of the gathering and connect family and friends around a vir...

The new look for our times...

 

Venturing outside is a cross between enjoying the outdoors, avoiding people and wondering if anything you touch could infect you.

 

Stay strong, safe and healthy!

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Monday was another birthday.  I was born 2,461,622,400 seconds ago in a raging, flash, New York City snow storm at Women’s Hospital. I came in an innocent at the weight of 9 pounds 8 ounces.  Little did I know! My life’s dark corner stones: Pearl Harbor, “JFK Shot!”, 9/11 and now this presently incurable Pandemic! What next?   It can only get better!...

Washing my hands will never be the same.Finding paper towels on the supermarket shelf and throwing them into the shopping cart will never be the same.And hugging my family and friends will never be the same....

This past Friday, Gotham hosted a happy hour, via Zoom.  It was fun! "When life gave them Quarantine, Gothamites made Quarantinis." It was good to see everyone and be "together", even if we couldn't be together, in the flesh. The best part was seeing everyone in their natural habitats. Their drink of choice, the convenience of refills and the belly of laugter we all experienced, amidst the scary events happening all around. Much needed. The guys are growing beards, and the la...