ARTICLES

 

 

Giving Away an Old, Cursed Wedding Gown

My wedding gown has been sitting in the attic preserved and boxed since 1986. Now I’m contemplating the fate of that white satin gown…Read Article

 

 

Surviving an Alcoholic

Hell hath no fury like a widow born. Alcoholism is a disease that keeps challenging loved ones after the alcoholic is gone…Read Article

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When I Was Left to Speak for Both of Us (Modern Love column)

Finding the words and images for my husband’s headstone was no easy task, but I did my best romancing the stone…Read Article

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When a Good Death Means Thinking of a Daughter First

“Are you worried about people visiting your grave?” I asked my 92-year old mother…Read Article

 

Redecorating By Dumpster

It’s called a container in the rubbish removal industry, perhaps better known as a dumpster to the rest of us. And although an unlikely gift, a dumpster rental is what I gave my husband for Valentine’s Day. Nothing says “I love you” like a 10-yarder…Read Article

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Replacing a Dividing Line with a Little Give and Take

I almost called out “hello” — but how? Over the fence? It was six feet tall. Through the fence? There were no slats, only solid panels with spindles at forehead level. Was there a new neighbor etiquette now that we had a new fence?…Read Article

 

 

 

 

 

How I Tamed My Paper Tiger

Got Paper? I was a printing junkie consuming so many reams that I couldn’t see the trees for the deforestation. And there was just so much cross-cutting my little shredder could do. Then I discovered drive-by shredding…Read Article

 

 

 

 At The Side of the Road, Distraction or Tribute

The commemoration of those killed in traffic accidents was once confined to funeral homes, cemeteries and houses of worship. But memorials at the accident site itself–usually a public space in full view of drivers, passengers and pedestrians–have become familiar sights…Read Article

 

Northrop Grumman Boys of Bethpage Take Their Final Swings

For 60 years, Grumman–the defense contractor that began in an auto garage in Baldwin in 1930 and later built the module that landed Apollo astronauts on the moon–was Long Island’s largest employer, with more than 23,000 employees in 1987. Now Northrop Grumman plans to send 850 of its remaining 1,400 local jobs to other plants in Florida and California. The end of an era plays out on the softball field… Read Article

 

Regift If you Must But with Caution

Some gifts have a way of getting regifted or sold. In the spirit of Seinfeld and with visions of PayPal deposits dancing in my head, I succumbed…Read Article

 

 

Calendar to Calendar: Life At A Glance

My datebook planners are marked-up and lived-in, the pages soft with wear; while the new year’s version is clean and fresh, like a September notebook. I savor the annual task of filling in next year’s calendar, but we can only glance into the future. It’s pencil vs. ink. We pencil in our hopes and dreams, and Fate rewrites the calendar in big black ink…Read Article

 

 

 

Suddenly Solo: How the Newly Widowed Cope

When ‘We’ Becomes ‘Me’ — how the widowed move on…Read Article

 

 

 

 

 

Dating Sites were Persistent Suitors

I terminated my memberships, completing the exit surveys with a thank-you note and smiley face emoticon. But they wouldn’t take ‘no’ for an answer…Read Article

 

The Front Porch is the Face of a Home

There’s a distinct mood to a porch. Even the furniture speaks volumes about the difference between porch appeal and backyard behavior. Being seduced by the steady two-beat creak of a rocking chair…Read Article

 

Suburban Lawn Care Dance: A Perfect 10

Every homeowner knows the grass is always greener when someone else mows it…Read Article

 

 

A Tree Goes in Bellmore

John is up in the tree, a chain saw hanging from his climbing belt. A worker swings a rope in his direction and John catches it like Tarzan grabbing a vine…Read Article

 

 

 One Garage and Seven Deadly Sins

For years we opened our garage’s big barn doors to the Maxima. But late one night, we abandoned the car in the driveway. The morning after, the garage space beckoned…Read Article

 

SUV / An Accidental Romance

Who wants to go back to driving a car after owning the road? A fender-bender leads to a racy affair with an SUV rental, dividing life into before and after…Read Article

 

 

Bug Meets Girl: A Romance

They say you never forget your first, especially when it’s an old VW Beetle…Read Article

 

 

An Accidental Gardener Dresses the Part

My gardening clothes blossomed over the seasons. My new line of lawn wear may not be spotted on a Paris runway, but my better backyard fashions make it easier to be seen in my driveway…Read Article

 

Beachgoers—Anchor Your Umbrella

Summertime…and the living is breezy. When the wind blows, the umbrella goes. Until now…Read Article

 

 

 

 

 

Mobility Mats Transform Beaches

Mobility mats offer a strip of terra firm for the elderly, disabled and anyone negotiating wheels in the sand…Read Article