You know, sometimes, you just have to say f*#k it! Well, today I felt a huge wave of grief welling up inside. First, I decided to honor my Virgo moon and do some housework. Down on my knees I go; a roll of paper towels and some sudsy water. My balcony tile is 18″x18″, off white and dotted with gecko droppings, geranium and vinca flower petal stains and a fine layer of grime (a combination of dirt & ocean air). With a birds-eye view of the floor only inches away I merrily used up half  a roll of paper towels. I thought a little elbow grease would lift my gloom but once back on my feet (now touching a very clean surface) my head would still not raise off my chest. I looked towards the beach, which was like a postcard. I reached in my bikini drawer and picked out the most cheerful one I own, a teeny, weeny pink and white polka dot bikini with little tinkling charms, a bottle of MSM lotion (deep hydrating) and off I went. Continue reading →

With all the changes in my life, I’ve discovered a new sweet treat: Cacao of the Now.
First, let me tell you how it came into my life.
My daughter is studying nutrition and introduced me to a landmark market in West Hollywood, Erewhon.
One day, while sitting at their Tonic Bar, my daughter orders a special drink made with raw cacao. A young man sits down next to us and starts up a conversation. Normally, when a social activity such as I am describing occurs, the ‘bar’ serves anything but healthy beverages and the conversation is usually slanted towards an attraction one might have for another. Unique is the word for this experience. The talk is about Chinese herbs for longevity and Jing! What is Jing? It’s your Libido; the core of your being, your energy source. Andrew, the owner of a company called Cacao of the Now is sharing his latest creation with us, Truffles. He explains, as we are luxuriating in a bite of this decadence, that all the ingredients are GOOD for your body! What, no guilt! No sugar!  My mother in heaven, your chocolate addiction is being usurped by a super food that surpasses the finest Belgian, French or any epicurean delight. A masterful approach to satisfying the sweet tooth while adding longevity herbs to your body mixed with herbal sweeteners that fight plaque and cavities!!!!!!!! Ecstacy, I say, with a capital E!
Well my friends, Cacao of the Now has sweetened my days and so has Andrew. Thank you, Katie

Here’s the link: Cacao of the Now

Yesterday I received word of my mother’s passing.

Mom & Me

It was also the birthday of my precious son.

I want to thank everyone of my mother’s friends who cared for her in her failing health. The last communnication I had with her was an opportunity to tell her she was going to be a great grandmother. I called her for Mother’s Day: no answer.

We had a very strained relationship and for too many years remained distant. The memories I have of my mom are when she was a young mother with a new baby and no husband. Her parents raised me while she worked and finally met her future husband who became my adopted father. I knew nothing of this until I was almost 50!

I’m writing my memoirs and will always love my mother for giving me life.

One particular time in my life my mother showed me divine kindness. It was when I was  six months pregnant with my third child. Christmas was coming and the nights were getting shorter and shorter. By 4:30 the sun was setting.

Our house was in the midst of a remodel and the kitchen had been demolished. The refrigerator was moved outside  under an eaves, next to the door to the dining room. Every night I would go outside to get the milk to make cocoa for my children’s nighttime drink. I caught a chill that produced a fever. My first daughter caught my cold and we began to decline into illness. My fever raged on, weakening me. We were bed ridden. We took over-the-counter meds and homeopathics. After a few days I noticed I was losing weight; 10 lbs. and I was 6 mos. pregnant! Continue reading →

The material girl deserves praise for creating a documentary of the people of Malawi. She shows the extreme poverty and yet the undying will of optimism and joy for life. Tune into the Sundance Channel to watch I Am Because We Are.