Category Archives: Retirement
Scribblegal signs off
I retired to Costa Rica in 2009 with my husband, Jack Kaiser, his two cats, Hobbes and Noir, and my dog Buddha. A year later, I wrote my first blog. Rereading it today, I’m a little embarrassed, but Scribblegal eventually … Continue reading
Going vegan
I’m not a PETA person: in fact, I own a mink coat (for which I have no use here in Costa Rica) and I’ll tell you– if you get in my face– how nasty minks are, and how they deserve … Continue reading
A healthy balance on the credit side
Life has taught me to be a little nervous when I’m really happy. I want to knock wood, or refuse to speak of it for fear the feeling will disappear. I remind myself of the Chinese peasant in The Good … Continue reading
Know Your Enemy
BufferI have met the enemy, sort of, and I’m confused. I read the whole, schizophrenic platform of the Tea Party, and didn’t know whether to laugh or lie down on a highway and let the cars run over me. If … Continue reading
Authentic Happiness
Years ago, I discovered the Positive Psychology movement. Doctor Martin Seligman, of the University of Pennsylvania, a cognitive therapy guru, thought he knew how people could be happier. The big idea behind cognitive therapy is that we can change our … Continue reading
Starring on highways in Pennsylvania: fall foliage
One of the things I love about Pennsylvania is the smash hit that plays along a highway near you around the last two weeks of October, and runs until the last leaves fall. In this production there are no bad seats, and the ticket is always free. It can be a sad story, a reminder of mortality; or a joyous one, with the implicit promise of renewal; regardless, it plays to packed houses. Continue reading
You CAN go home again
In Spanish, the word casa means house; as far as I can tell, there’s no word that means home. In English, we differentiate between house and home, but often use the two words interchangeably. Lately, I’ve been wondering: How can … Continue reading
Diamonds on the floor
Joan Rivers said: “I don’t exercise. If God had wanted me to exercise, he would have put diamonds on the floor.” But she’s skinny; I need to exercise because my middle is growing, even though the numbers on the scale … Continue reading
Mercury in retrograde
My brother David swears that everything goes wrong with communications when Mercury is in retrograde. In case you’re wondering, Mercury rules communications, so when it appears to go backwards in the zodiac, things tend to get messed up. I don’t … Continue reading
