I’m freshly landed in upstate New York from what has been a month-long holiday whirlwind taking me from Chattanooga to Maui with deliciously decadent pit stops in New York and Bridgehampton. My stomach still hasn’t made it back. I think it made a detour or was replaced by an imposter, a bully of a belly quietly grumbling, heaving and puffing to remind me of the excesses I enjoyed. Belly bloat is just an intestinal hangover…or stomach lag. But a good time was had by all! “Detox” seems to be the word of the month. January is when my inbox is flooded with
Read more →If anything comes between me and my husband, David, it will be a cell phone. It is interesting how something that is intended to connect two people can actually distance them because someone is spending more time posting comments and photos than looking into your eyes and holding a conversation. It’s not just him. We are both guilty of socially isolating ourselves to the point where I check in with him and up on his whereabouts on Facebook. He documents my life and whereabouts his phone (Yikes! That Slutty Mrs. Santa photo is viral!) Why? Because we live in a society
Read more →How many of you experience holiday stress or anxiety. I know I do. It’s hard to explain when this should be the “happiest time of the year.” Many feel anxious because they lost a loved during the year, and this is the first holiday season without that person. Others feel the financial strain of buying gifts or a pressure to be “festive” when their feelings are less so. Some may be taking stock of their year or their lives and wondering ‘what’s next?” Many people are simply over-scheduled with holiday events and family obligations and not taking time to relax, exercise or
Read more →November is National Family Caregivers Month as well as National Lung Cancer Awareness Month and National Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month. My November 24th show is dedicated to the caregivers who are supporting loved ones facing a debilitating disease such as cancer. In particular, I want to address the nutritional needs for both the caregiver and the cancer patient. Too often the caregiver is so busy tending to her loved one that she neglects herself. I saw this happen to my grandmother, Rose, who sadly died from a heart attack while caring for my grandfather who had advanced prostate cancer. She completely
Read more →Marriage is a lot like food. You have to nourish it with fresh, wholesome goodness, trim off the stale parts, toss out anything going rancid and unpleasant, add a loving dose of sugar and, of course, sass it up with spice. I’ve been married just over seven years to a wonderful husband, David Ransom. I never worry about the infamous “Seven Year Itch.” David is loyal and protective like a dog. In fact my real dog, Sazerac, is quite jealous of him. But, we are going through the Seven Year Switch. You know how in some marriages spouses end up sleeping in separate
Read more →November is Diabetes Awareness Month Today over 156 million adults and children have diabetes or are pre diabetic. Obesity increases the risk of diabetes (as well as heart disease, stroke and a number of cancers). My guests November 10 on Fearless Fabulous You! both address the topic of healthy eating to manage your weight. Linda Gassenheimer is a best-selling cookbook author who has written three new books: diabetes: No-Fuss Diabetes Desserts, Simply Smoothies: Fresh & Fast Diabetes-Friendly Snacks & Complete Meals, Fast and Flavorful: Great Diabetes Meals from Market to Table. Linda and I will discuss the myths and realities of
Read more →Feathers were ruffled and fur flew when the fate of the dogs owned by two women who contracted the Ebola virus was brought to public attention. In Spain, Excaliber, the dog who belonged to a health care worker who contracted the virus was euthanized despite protests by animal lovers who started a Twitter campaign #salvomosaexcaliber. U.S. officials were a bit more humane; they quarantined Bentley, the King Charles Spaniel belonging to Dallas health care worker, Nina Pham. Animal rights activist and Animal Fair Founder and Publisher, Wendy Diamond drew both positive and negative comments for speaking out against euthanization stating
Read more →I asked my husband, David, to touch his crotch this morning. He gave me a strange look and shook his head, “No.” But maybe if he reads this post he will reconsider, along with other men. (We know you probably touch your privates in private anyway!) #FeelingNuts is an initiative to promote Testicular Cancer Awareness by encouraging men to examine their privates for any irregularities. Much like the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge which raised both awareness and millions of dollars to help support research for a cure for ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), #FeelingNuts is about bringing awareness to and opening the conversation
Read more →A grown man approaches his elderly mother and punches her in the face. He grabs his sister by the throat and chokes her. He kicks his daughter in the stomach. Then he goes out for a night with the guys. Shocking! Yes. Disgusting! Yes, Abuse of any kind is wrong, be against women, children or animals, and we are hearing our fair share of stories about abuse in the news. I wonder: Why would men who probably wouldn’t think of punching or kicking their own mothers appear to have no problem leveling their wives or girlfriends? How can a man who holds his young
Read more →It’s hard to think that the person laughing the loudest may be masking the sound of his teardrops. But that’s what I thought when the news broke about the tragic death-by-suicide of the talented comedian and actor Robin Williams. Reports say he was battling depression and had dealt with substance abuse for years. The man with a hundred funny faces and boundless kinetic energy on the stage of life could no longer face his audience of demons. Why it is that so many genuinely funny and talented entertainers who made us laugh out loud for all the right reasons leave
Read more →A report by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Research recently named the “happiest cities” in our nation. The state of Louisiana won the jackpot on joy with four happiest places out of 10: Lafayette (#3), Baton Rouge (#5), Shreveport (#7) and Houma (#8). Other states high on happiness, depending on which of the lists you read, include: Virginia (Charlottesville and Richmond) and Texas (Houston and Corpus Christi). My own back yard, New York City, was lowest on the totem pole of the happy poll. It seems the “city that never sleeps” and the “crossroads of the world” has a lot
Read more →For years I had a small green table with four chairs sitting out on my New York City second floor apartment patio overlooking lower Fifth Avenue. It weathered icy winters, gathered dust in the spring, collected soot from the traffic below in summer and stood neglected most of the time. It was a table for dumping boxes and supplies but never for sitting around to enjoy a meal or conversation. It was always “too dirty!” and “why bother?” whenever anyone asked us if we enjoyed sitting outside. We moved the table to the country where it sits on our large
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