BETTER LIVING…

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I’ve been busy, which is a miracle in-and-of-itself after months of indolence. I was cleaning the house while I was baking gluten-free orange pistachio Biscotti (I ate them all before I realized I hadn’t photographed them to show you!) and the phrase “Better living through modern chemistry” crossed my mind. It made me laugh. That is exactly what is happening!

A new drug to help with long-time IBS is working. Just a few days left on a 14-day regimen. (If any of you need it, it’s called Rifaxamin 550 mg)
Second: My new oncologist took me off the specialty-drug I’ve been on for 20 years, then lowered the dose of the brand-spanking-new-drug, Jakafi. This has my energy climbing, along with my weight – this drug makes you very, very hungry.
And, the icing on this cake (pun intended) is that along with a doctor recommended dose of magnesium at bedtime, some luxurious magnesium & lavender cream, sent by my sister Andee, to rub on my feet at night, and my dear friend Holly telling me to try the Calm app, I am sleeping well for the first time in years. Are any of you using the Calm app, too?

Back to Better Living… I wondered where the slogan came from, as it seemed like it had been around forever. It almost has.
An advertising agency created “Better Things for Better Living… Through Chemistry,” for DuPont in 1935 to help them convey optimism and progress as they rebranded themselves from a manufacturer of wartime munitions to providing materials like Nylon, Rayon, and Teflon.

Then in the 1950’s and 60’s the phrase was changed to “Better Living Through Modern Chemistry,” and co-opted by pharmaceutical manufacturers to imply that their medicines (mostly tranquilizers and psychiatric drugs) could solve people’s emotional problems. The drug companies wanted to appear as a force for public good.

Both the phrase, and the use of Valium, Librium and amphetamines became commonplace enough that the 60’s and 70’s bands wrote songs about “mother’s little helper,” and the phrase had now changed to “better living through chemistry,” and used tongue-in-cheek as a comment on the over-reliance on drugs by one generation, to the use of drugs for experimentation and personal growth by my g-g-generation.

Which brings me to something that has never happened to me before! Joni Mitchell’s song comes to mind here, “I’ve looked at clouds from both sides now, from up and down, and still somehow…” It must be my age, (age group) but my doctors casually ask, “Any falls lately?” at each visit. I’m always affronted by the question and haughtily think, “Do I look like the kind of person who would fall over?” Ah… Pride.

A few days after Christmas I was standing bent over in my little garden, gathering some oregano to bring in and dry, and pulling a weed or two for good measure. Just as I stood upright I felt myself falling backwards instead. I found myself sprawled flat on my back IN my large rosemary bush and staring at the clouds in the blue sky. My first thought: that wasn’t so bad, and it smells heavenly! It took a minute or two to get my bearings and clamber out of the poor bush, but I emerged unscathed.
I wish I could say the same for the rosemary, but we’re both pretty hardy. I thanked her for breaking my fall, and brought an armful of the broken branches in, used some in our dinner, and put the rest in a large red vase, where she helped usher in our New Year!

As always, thanks for reading, I appreciate you.
XO Donna

Paint It White

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If you’ve been following for a while, you know how excited I get about Pantone’s Color of the Year. With the excption of 2019’s Living Coral, the past five years have been a bit of a disappointment… but, at least they were colors. This year’s Color is called Cloud Dancer, a pretty spectacular name for white, if you ask me.

Maybe it’s a response to all of the cottage-core color-drenching that’s going on in Pinterest and Reels.
Maybe it’s acknowledging that this year could use a coat of white primer and a do-over. Perhaps a kinder, gentler start.

In its description Pantone called it a “billowy, balanced white, chosen as a calming antidote to a noisy world.” They got that part right. They even state that white “symbolizes new beginnings.”
In that vein, numerologically speaking, our upcoming year (2+0+2+6,) adds up to 10, which equals a 1. Also symbolizing a new beginning. I’ve got my fingers crossed.

I’ve been feeling well enough to bake lately. Sadly, my oven (my new oven) chose now to have a meltdown. I made a batch of gluten-free orange and pistachio biscotti, a twice-baked cookie of sorts, perfect for dunking in your coffee or tea. It’s a new recipe to me that was surprisingly easy to mix and shape. I popped it into the oven and set a timer for 20 minutes.
Walking back into the kitchen 16 minutes later, smoke was curling out of the oven vent. The thermostat had gone on the fritz and the oven was registering above 500 degrees!


I’m glad we were smart enough to buy an extended warranty. Oh, how I long for a gas oven.

I am waiting for the Whirlpool repairman to come again this afternoon with another part. And, in the meantime, I learned a new Italian word: bruciato. It means burned.

I posted my biscotti pic on Facebook (I know, it’s where the old people hang-out, but I am old) and a friend said it looked like a crocodile.
It kinda does, doesn’t it?
And a sister said it looked like Mom’s meatloaf! Poor Mom.
I’m guessing that because she didn’t like meat, but felt obliged to cook it, it was always overcooked. Her heart definitely wasn’t in it.

I hurried to defend her, saying she cooked well. But, maybe not, because I always joke that I learned to cook in self-defense. I can say with certainty that she was a great baker. Cream-puffs extraordinaire! Gooey pineapple upside-down cake! Feather-weight angel-food cake! I guess she’s where I get my love of baking. I’ll give that biscotti another try and take photos when I do.

This is one of the Papa Noël statues my sweetie has collected over the years. He and his daughter were trying to figure out how old it is, but didn’t know exactly, at least thirty years or more. I’ve always loved this one – it is so abundant with his lush beard and all of his Teddy bears.

To all of my Jewish friends – I hope your Hanukkah was festive.

To all of you who celebrate it, I wish you a very Merry Christmas.

And to everyone, an abundant and Happy New Year! I’m grateful for you all.

XO Donna

Good Things

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Oh, gosh, I’ve been thinking of changing the name of my blog… or something.

The renewal for both my domain name (Sexy Past 60) and for WordPress – they host my blog – have come due and I seriously thought about not renewing either of them. I’m way past 60. And not feeling very sexy, and I haven’t written anything in months. Why not drop them and save the worry, and a couple hundred dollars?
Upon discussion with my sweetie, he convinced me to keep it another year and see what happens. I might feel like writing again soon. Inspiration could strike…

To use a British expression, I feel that I’ve “been made redundant.” I no longer need to give advice on hair, makeup, or clothing styles because it can easily be found anywhere these days with a quick computer search. There’s even technology where you can try-on a haircut, makeup, and even clothing before you buy them. Online, of course. But really, that is only part of the reason I haven’t been writing.

The truth is, I haven’t been writing because I’ve had a spectacularly lousy last couple of months.

Define lousy, you say. I had 4 emergency room visits to two different hospitals, another “stroke-like” event which turned out not to be a stroke, and a 5-day hospital stay… all in one month.
I’m on a first name basis with a couple of E.R. docs and nurses now. I’ve been CT’d, MRI’d, radio-activated, stress-tested and spinal tapped.

And that was before I went to MD Anderson Cancer in Houston for a week.


In my book, Sick and Tired & Sexy… Living Beautifully with Chronic Illness, I focused on the auto-immune illnesses I live with, since so many other women have them, too. What was helping me would probably help them also.

I didn’t include the rare bone-marrow disorder I’ve had since 1998. My body produces way too many platelets – the opposite of Leukemia. I’ve been on meds that have kept it well-controlled forever. It was just something humming in the background which would occasionally remind me of its presence with an astonishingly psychedelic migraine.

Suddenly, it was not under control and causing me a lot of seemingly unrelated problems.

By going to MD Anderson, I have an updated diagnosis, and a brand new treatment plan going forward. It’s a week, today, since I started a new drug, Jakafi, and other than feeling a bit dizzy, I’m doing very well. Better living through modern chemistry, indeed!

Two other good things that have made my life much better have been mail-order subscription services.

The first is with Brodo, which means “broth” in Italian. It’s delicious bone-broth which is low-sodium and high-flavor. It has as much protein as an egg in each one-cup serving. And look at the cute cups they sent me as a gift with my second order!
I struggle to get enough protein since I dislike eggs in the morning, and I can’t eat dairy products. A cup of steamy broth and a gluten-free goodie works just fine for me. I order both individual serving packs in my fave flavor (Tuscan Sun) and a few bigger (3-cup) packages to use a base for other meals. It’s been a game-changer for me to have them in my pantry.

* I am not receiving compensation of any kind for sharing these great products. They’ve become staples, and I am just passing along the deliciousness.

The other subscription is to Wildgrain – a bakery service where I can order gluten-free sourdough breads, delicious “Everything” bagels (my favorites) below, and other goodies that make my wheat-free, dairy-free, low-sodium life much easier. With cold weather on its way, I’m all set. Soup!

Doesn’t that bagel look delish? It’s a bit less chewy than a wheat flour bagel, but it’s certainly a tasty substitute. I’ve even found a non-dairy cream cheese by Kite Hill that has a creamy texture and a tangy flavor. I’m thrilled!

And I have more good things to look forward to: Halloween and Dia de Los Muertos are both this week. They are my favorite holidays! I need to pick up some pumpkins today and put them in the yard with my black cat cut-outs. We love to decorate, even though we don’t have trick-or-treaters in our neighborhood, sadly.

The other good thing is my birthday, next week. I usually don’t make a fuss over it, but this year I’m going to. I’m going to be 74… and I’m very grateful to be here to celebrate it!

I’m going to buy myself some new baking pans and cookie sheets at Sur la Table. (Since I’m still studying French, I now know that means “on the table.”) Which I where I’m going to park a small decadent chocolate cake that I’m making for myself.

Pictures in the next post, promise.

Wishing you all good things, thanks for being here!
XO. Donna

T’was the Night Before

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I’ve tried to keep things simple, but it’s 4:15 a.m. Monday morning and I’m a bit stressed-out as I iron-out my menu for Christmas Eve dinner, tomorrow. I’ve noticed that as I’ve gotten older I tend to stress-out more, rather than less. Is it just me? Tell me it’s not…
Our dear friend Mike (whom you’ve met before) is coming over to shake up some cocktails and celebrate with us. I’ve finally decided on a wonderfully meaty lasagne (Not GF noodles, but I found a perfect sub for all the ricotta) and a Caesar salad. Simple.

Since Christmas and Hanukkah are both on December 25 this year I’m putting an Italian spin on my latkes by using zucchini and potatoes. Topped with vegan sour cream (Kite Hill) and a touch of rosemary they’ll make great appetizers! And to finish everything off, I’m trying out an Eggnog panna cotta. My sweetie loves eggnog… so I thought, Why not? I’ll have to try a bite or two, to make sure it’s good. LOL

I know my omnivore son will love everything – I’m bringing dinner to him and we’ll visit on Christmas Day. He’s doing much better; he’s able to be in his chair comfortably now for a couple of hours. He even visited with his friends away from the nursing home for the first time. Big win in my book!

Lasagne is my son’s paternal family’s tradition. We used to have the most delicious Italian feasts at his grandparents house, food was their love-language. Four generations would gather, and that celebration is sorely missed.
I do my best, but those are by-gone memories we cherish now.
Jason’s Grandmother and Great-grandmother, and their cooking, were the glue that held an extensive network of friends and family together.

Speaking of four generations – Turk’s grandson and his beautiful wife are in town till January 7, and we got to meet our precious great-granddaughter for the first time!
My sweetie is absolutely smitten!
She was born in Korea, where they are stationed. She is such a happy baby, easy-going, always smiling and willing to be held or played with by everyone.

We will be driving to San Antonio on the 27th to honor her baptism into the Catholic faith with her family. And taking time for a little getaway to see the lights along the Riverwalk and visit some favorite places.

Turk found his rosary beads from when he attended church as a child – beautiful faceted stones that look like garnets – and he’s going to pass them along to her. We hope she enjoys them, and appreciates their history one day.

I hope all of your celebrations are merry and bright, and I thank you for spending another year with me. I appreciate it more than you know.

XO Donna

Business As Usual

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Well, I say that… I certainly have my routines: I walk every other day, I do Nia classes twice a week, I cook every day and bake often- more and more it is sweets, and I do have to lay off them a bit. Or walk a little farther a little faster! Then I watchJeopardy every afternoon and British crime/detective shows after dinner. But I feel bored quite often. Or is it ennui?

RETIREMENT is waking up in the morning with nothing to do and by bedtime only having done half of it.

– Unknown

About that – there are things I can do, and that I tell myself I want to do, but I guess I’m just not bored enough yet to clean out closets for Goodwill, or do my taxes, or get out the sewing machine to sew or tailor a few blouses so they will fit better. And those things weigh on me.

But I also haven’t given myself credit for the things I have done, and I’ve accomplished some things I feel good about;

  • I have been studying Spanish on DuoLingo for more than a year. I had a 346-day streak going, but missed Monday because of an opthamologist appointment that left my eyes too dilated to do anything for hours. My reading and comprehension are much improved, and I understand many of the idioms and nuances of the language. I am now at the point where I need to practice speaking to someone. My friend Holly (who teaches Nia movement classes) does weekly classes on ZOOM with a native speaker. I am ready to sign up. I am also terribly nervous… but, I am sure it will be fun.
    I started DuoLingo with their free APP, but quickly upgraded, as it has so much to offer. For the price, I highly recommend it – I’ve been trying for years to become fluent again.
  • I learned about the HOT GIRL WALK exercise trend. Young girls are doing it, aiming for an hour daily, five days a week. Dressing in cute outfits and accessorizing! What struck me about it though is something we all will benefit from – while walking, “ONLY think about your goals, what you are grateful for, and how “hot” you are.”
    Walking and mindfulness are both great for improved memory and cognition, cardiovascular health, lowering stress and improving mood. Why not do them together AND make it an act of self-love, too!
  • For all of my Jewish friends, I want to wish you a very sweet and Happy New Year! I made my very first matzoh ball soup and it was delicious. I read Ina Garten’s recipe, and Martha Stewart’s recipe, and between my stock in the freezer and the herbs I had on hand, plus ideas from their matzoh recipes, the result was good. Even my sweetie tried it and went back for seconds. That’s saying somethin!
Fluffy and Flavorful.

This involves a friend – and it’s a WARNING about something I’ve never even thought about! A dear friend travels frequently for her job, and carries her vitamins/supplements in a daily pill carrier which she leaves in her room. She’d come home from her trip and was “refilling for next week” when she noticed two black capsules in the two remaining compartments WITH the rest of her supplements. They were not hers, and she didn’t put them there!

She notified the hotel, and the police, and is having them tested. I am so glad she noticed them, rather than just gulping them down!
When I travel again, I will keep my medicine carrier in the safe from now on. I used to just leave it in my carry-on after checking in… no more.

Thanks for reading, let’s all go out there and be HOT! Try new things, cook new things, share new things. Write letters to people to tell them you love them. (My cards are on sale at etsy.com/shop/fairviewphotos ) Go travel, have fun, stay safe. And get ready to vote soon. Vote for everyone that supports women, girls, daughters, sisters, mothers, aunts, and grandmothers. Nobody’s going to give us equal rights, we have to support each other and think about our kids and their kids.

All my love and gratitude –
XO Donna

LASAGNA

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Lasagna is a special occasion dish: Easter, Christmas, maybe a big birthday. All of the hours of preparation and assembly are done step-by-step with a sense of duty, tradition, and love. An obligation willingly accepted. It is understood that no matter what is happening – good or bad – a lasagna will always make it better, and the family gathered around the table to share in the deliciousness was the best thing of all.

This I learned from my in-laws.

Growing up, we didn’t eat lasagna, my Mom didn’t know how to make it until I’d married and my in-laws taught her. Our family’s go-to for special occasions was a ham… but most of our holidays were, well, not very special. My father’s anxiety and frustration increased as the hours ticked by, and by dinnertime everyone was wound-up so tight that nobody was really hungry.
My Mom may have made a perfectly delicious meal, but as good as it was, there was very little room for fun or conversation at the dinner table.

I met my future husband when I was just sixteen. My first invitation to dinner at his home was a revelation. They were a three-generation family under one roof, only the second I’d ever met, and everyone was working together, music was playing – probably opera – and when we sat to eat, there was lots of talking around the crowded dinner table… and a lasagna. One mouthful and I felt I had gone to Heaven!

Although my marriage didn’t last because we were too young, we always stayed friends. Or friendly, depending on the year. Lucky for me, my relationship with my in-laws DID last, for more than 40 years. When I think of Christmas dinners, it’s always theirs that comes to mind. Theirs that was the exemplar. From my father-in-law’s delicious French onion soup, to my MIL Dot’s multi-course extravaganza, and finally to her mom, Gram’s pleasure in asking, “Whatsa matter, isn’t it good?” when compliments weren’t immediately forthcoming because our mouths were full of her delicious lasagna.

I am sad that those days are only memories now, and happy that I got to be part of such a family.

This year I am going to make a lasagna for Christmas Eve. I haven’t made one in at least 7 years, since I had to quit eating wheat products. When I learned that Barilla makes good no-boil lasagna noodles that hold their shape, I knew it was time. I have had enough experience with gluten-free cooking that I believe I can make this work.

And yet, I’m a little nervous, doubting myself. For some reason, I feel the weight of all of those delicious memories bearing down on me. Will I get it right? Here’s where the rubber meets the road: all of my years of absorbing their experience and wisdom added to my years of cooking, plus the very best ingredients I can find, will, of course, add up to a wonderful lasagna. My version of lasagna.

What do I have to be nervous about?

I will serve it proudly to my Sweetie, my son, and his Dad – we are all sharing a meal this year, and even if it’s not like the old ways, they will all love it.

Here’s hoping that everything you cook turns out perfectly, and fills both bellies and hearts. And here’s wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and a happy, healthy, and love-filled New Year!

Gratefully,
XO Donna

Well Laid

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Oh. My. Goodness.  Wherever did you go with that headline? I am talking about setting a table to sit down and dine.

Yes, dine! You know: forks, knives, plates and napkins on a table. As opposed to eating out of the to-go container using plastic forks, or throwing the pizza box in the middle of the table with a roll of paper towels. Dine…rather than dig in, chow down, throw down, pig out, or slam something.

I’ve worked as a hair-stylist most of my adult life, and with one brief and beautiful exception at Zan Ray Salon, lunches were always quickly eaten on a break, while standing-up. When my stomach finally began to bother me, my doctor inquired, “How do you eat your meals?”  I told him. He advised me to always sit down when I eat. “It signals the body to relax,” he said. It also puts us in a frame of mind to appreciate our food.

Place Setting from homeinstyle.co.ilIf you look up “how to lay a table,” you will find the commonly accepted way looks something like this photo on the left.  Why would you bother?

  • Because life is short.
  • Because food is the fuel that nurtures you – if it doesn’t deserve a plate, maybe you shouldn’t be eating it.
  • And because you deserve to eat in a nice setting! I have to add one more thing: don’t save the “Fine China” for special occasions. Who is more important than you? What is more important than the fact that you are alive today?

I arranged to interview my friend Karen Louise recently, (more on that in another blog) and she said she’d open a bottle of Cropped Luncheon with Karenwine for us. Imagine my surprise when I walked in and was greeted by this perfect table! We sat and talked, lingering for hours. I haven’t felt so relaxed in ages. And I felt tres chic and honored by her careful attention!  (I’d love to see how she does “formal,” and wonder if there’s room at her Christmas table?)

Next time you get ready to eat, take an extra minute to lay a place at your table. Make it as simple, or sexy as you like. Remind yourself, and the people you’re with, that you are precious! Pass the good food, and share the love!

XO Donna

A blank slate…

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I hope this finds you well today.  Savoring the holidays, or recovering from them…if you savored them too well!                 (Drink lots of water, sparkling or otherwise. Add lemon or orange slices, mint leaves  or cucumber if you have any).

I waited all morning for inspiration to come. It hadn’t yet….but, rather than just sit and wait, I decided to do something useful. I ended up losing track of time as I gave myself a  pedicure, complete with a footbath with soothing epsom salts. Then a good pumicing, followed by a shaping, a primer and finally, Essie gold nail polish!

My muse hadn’t arrived yet, so I continued on with a manicure. Soaked my fingers in warm water, followed by massaging them with warm coconut oil. No polish, just follow that up with lots of sandalwood hand cream!

Back to the computer.  Ready and waiting, but I found myself alternately staring at the computer screen, and out the window at the sunshine. And at the garden.  And at a thermometer that reads only 39 degrees! How could it be so pretty AND so cold?  And how could I still NOT have anything to say?  Guest bath 9-15-08

So I pulled out all of the proverbial stops: I headed back to my bathroom where I  pulled my hair away from my face in a bandanna, washed my face with a Vitamin C cleanser, and get out one of my nutrient-infused face masques and carefully applied it. I headed to the sofa to settle down for a “long winter’s nap.” (I never manage to take a nap, no matter how tired I am!)

Much to my surprise, I did, indeed, doze off – and when I awoke 30 minutes later I felt refreshed, and my skin felt rehydrated!

Maybe I needn’t SAY anything at all today, but instead, “lead by example.”   I took care of myself… so that I could continue to take care of others.  And that’s a great way to stay sexy at any age!

XOXO Donna