“Freedom,” “The Dovekeepers,” and “Fifty Shades of Grey”
Last month I was at R. Julia Booksellers, an independent bookstore in Madison, Connecticut to attend an author forum. A two-story building that looks like a town landmark, R. Julia Booksellers was opened twenty-two years ago by Roxanne Coady who has put and kept this small bookstore on the literary map despite the growth of the big chains and the mammoth bookseller of all: Amazon whose very existence threatens all independent booksellers (full disclosure: I buy books from Amazon). Read more 
A Mother’s Gratitude
Mother’s Day seems to be about the kids bringing Mom breakfast in bed or going out to brunch and sometimes even about flowers and chocolates. These are all thoughtful and delicious, but, I want to offer a different take on Mother’s Day this year that focuses on gratitude; gratitude for my husband who gave me my daughter. Read more
20 Things That Shouldn’t Be Difficult….
Through the years, I’ve learned there is a difference between aggravations and problems. Most problems are really aggravations and most aggravations we encounter day-to-day shouldn’t be so difficult. Among them: Read more
The Yoku Moku Cookie
The Yoku Moku cookie is a delicate buttery confection made with all natural ingredients with no preservatives or additives. Made primarily of butter, sugar, egg whites, wheat flour, almond powder and vanilla, the Yoku Moku cookie literally melts in your mouth. Light and crunchy, the Yoku Moku cookies have several variations: Read more
Twinkle Pops
A Twinkle Pop is a beautiful small lollipop that comes in a variety of colors and shapes. The pop is distinguishable from other lollipops by an extra long hollow plastic stick that not only makes the pop easy to hold but fun to sway back and forth, as well. Holding a Twinkle Pop feels like you’re holding a long-stem tulip only better because it’s edible. Read more
John Kelly Chocolates
John Kelly Chocolates is a California-based company that makes award-winning chocolate fudge products by hand in small batches using premium all-natural ingredients. The company’s signature piece is the Truffle Fudge Bar which combines the rich, creamy texture of a truffle with the intense flavor of fudge. Scrumptious and decadent, the Truffle Fudge Bar is best described as a silky fudge bar coated with a thin layer of semi-sweet chocolate. Made primarily of sugar, chocolate, evaporated milk, and butter, the bars come in a variety of flavors: Read more
Soliciting Grocery Shoppers for Donations
Over the past week, I’ve been asked 11 times by retail clerks if I want to donate money to a charitable cause. This question has been asked by cashiers in grocery stores and in a variety of retail establishments. Yesterday, I decided to use the self check-out at a Stop & Shop grocery store in Connecticut and was approached by three separate sales clerks asking if I wanted to donate money. After I finished bagging my groceries, I went to the manager’s desk and politely told her that most people want to grocery shop in peace, that the grocery store is one place where the expectation is to be a customer, not a source of donations. Read more
The Brutal Honesty of the Young
I love the brutal honesty of kids and teens. They don’t need to stand in front of the Bocca della Veritá to state the truth because the world hasn’t piled the rules of gracious manners on their doorstep yet. Have you ever noticed that kids always talk about everything that is going on in their house much to the parent’s dismay?
Spend a few hours with a child and you will learn that Dad said the “F word” last night, Mom cooked breakfast for dinner, Grandpa has a new girlfriend that Mom and Dad don’t like, and Sister had a meltdown because she forgot to lock the bathroom door and Brother walked in on her while she was on the toilet. One day my friend’s 4-year son walked out of the bathroom and announced to his family “I have a big butt and a little penis.” Forks dropped, laughter ensued and my friend pulled his son aside and said “son, you may not want to advertise that family attribute.” Read more
How Would You Grade Your Partner In The Kitchen?
My husband often says “Honey, I emptied the dishwasher for you” which really means that he took the dishes out of the dishwasher and piled them on the counter top for me to put away. For years I thanked him although secretly I thought he was using the wrong pronoun in announcing he emptied the dishwasher for me because I never laid claim to the dishwasher. Read more
Do You Prefer To Be Called A MILF or a Grandmother?
A few weeks ago I was speeding through the parking lot in my 6 cylinder station wagon (which my daughter thinks is the most uncool car in the world) when I saw the big brown UPS truck come around the corner. I quickly pulled over, jumped out of the driver’s seat and ran over to ask if there was a package for Paddock. There were 2 UPS guys in the front seat , both of whom looked to be in their 20’s, one obviously training the other. Read more
Paddock Post 