January 15, 2021
CRUNCH. Oh, crap, I muttered, as I got out of the car to see what I had backed into. The drainpipe on the side of my house was now just a bit squished. Not squished enough so rain couldn’t get through it, but still squished. Yes, I have a back-up camera on the car. That safety device is the reason I chose that car in the first place (Due to another unfortunate backup accident with my previous car that lacked a back-up camera). Still, this latest incident was NOT my fault. If the tall men who design cars would make […]
January 8, 2021
May I help you?, came the friendly, easily intelligible voice over the phone. Uh, um, yeah, I guess, was my hesitant response, so surprised and unaccustomed was I to talking to a live customer service agent. Still unsure that this was not a highly sophisticated “bot”, I carefully explained that I had purchased a 16-bottle spice rack (https://amzn.to/39dM52T ) from their company 6 months ago, was running out of my favorite spice, and asked if I would be able to order more. The nice lady explained that their company had set up a website, where I would need to go […]
December 31, 2020
****NOTE****As I did with my Thanksgiving Blog, I am taking a break from whimsy for my New Year’s Blog. Read below for my New Year’s Message. “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of light, it was the season of darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair.” These are the opening lines of Charles Dickens’ classic novel, A Tale of […]
December 24, 2020
The truth is that I had quite a discussion with myself over the writing of this Christmas Blog. Do I keep it whimsical? How do I justify humor in the face of the hardships and devastation that are all around us? Do I go for the serious as I did with the Thanksgiving Blog? Although not Christian myself, I do understand the significance of Christmas to all those who celebrate it. Behind the lights, decorations, gifts, sappy movies, and magic of Santa Claus, there is a much deeper meaning, and I respect that. However, in the end, because everyone has […]
December 19, 2020
It started with ice cream. For as many years as I can remember, I would buy two or three half-gallon boxes of ice cream each week for my family. A variety of flavors, so each of us ( There were 3 of us.) could eat what we liked. One-half gallon = 64 oz. I understand that three half gallons is a lot of ice cream, but my family far exceeded the average U.S. yearly ice cream consumption of 5 ½ gallons per person. I didn’t say I was proud of it; I’m just giving you the facts. This half-gallon buying […]
December 11, 2020
A mere 6 weeks ago, the day before Halloween, I wrote a blog (https://talktimewithjoan.com/?s=+walking+queen) about my walking routine and posted pictures of me decked out in my shorts, neon tee shirt, along with my supply bag of ice water and sweat rag, among other necessary items for walking in the Southern Florida oppressive heat and unbearable humidity. It is now December. This may be Florida, but what passes as a Florida winter has arrived, and it is now FREEZING in the morning. Okay, okay, 55 degrees may not be “freezing” to those of you above the Mason Dixon line, but […]
December 3, 2020
On March 8, 2020, I went to dinner at a lovely seaside restaurant with 15 friends and acquaintances from my Widows/Widowers group. On March 10, 2020, I did not give it a second thought when my quarterly supply of toilet paper, paper towels, and tissues, arrived on my doorstep from Amazon. On March 12, 2020, I woke up to find myself a character in a Stephen King novel set in the Twilight Zone. I remembered the bewilderment and confusion on the faces of the protagonists on the Twilight Zone TV show when they realized they were trapped in an alternate […]
November 28, 2020
*****NOTE: I am taking a break from whimsy this week to post a serious, heartfelt Thanksgiving blog…..some of my thoughts on the difficulties we have faced during this unprecedented year and how we move forward. No one should ever be alone on Thanksgiving. Our table has room for anyone who needs a place to go. That was the creed by which mother lived. It was what we were taught from our high-chairs, and it is one I have lived by my entire life. It was never a problem to set an extra place at the table in our home. As […]
November 20, 2020
I wasn’t even allowed to vote, and I am very unhappy about it. I was never sent a mail-in ballot, nor was I ever instructed where there was an in-person polling place where I could go to cast a ballot. No, I’m not talking about THAT election……the one held on November 3rd. I am talking about the election, or should I say “selection”, because no one I know was ever consulted or allowed a vote, of People Magazine’s 2020 Sexiest Man Alive. Michael B. Jordan. I have nothing against Mr. Jordan. He’s a good enough looking man. I’m sure he’s […]