I have a friend who’s been telling me for years that she’s going to take Italian lessons. Another friend has a long-standing dream to visit Japan. For just as long every time I pass an art supply store I revisit my dream of taking up watercolors. We’re all members of the late-in-life dream club whose engine is stalled. But it doesn’t [...]
Pat Taub
Palm Springs Street Poet I love it when my walks land upon a bit of whimsy and creative fun. A week or so ago while wandering in downtown Palm Springs I spotted the “typewriter troubadour,” offering to type an original poem for $10. I was intrigued but not willing to spend that much money. The poet told me that this is his only job. [...]
Pat Taub
When I mentioned to a friend that I was reading Katy Butler’s new book, The Art of Dying Well, her response was: “That sounds grim.” Another friend was similarly put-off, saying, “I try not to think about death. It’s too depressing.” After finishing Butler’s book I felt anything but depressed. I felt empowered [...]
Pat Taub
“National Emergency” Action While vacationing in Palm Springs I’m trying to keep my activist spirit alive. Last Monday I joined in the national action to protest Trump’s “national emergency” where cities across the country mobilized to protest Trump’s manufactured emergency. In Palm Springs several hundred turned out with signs [...]
Pat Taub
If you’re like me, evenings set aside for video watching frequently spiral into frustration. You make a selection but three minutes in, you know it’s not for you, so you try another film followed by another and another until after multiple failed attempts, you throw the remote across the room, give up on the video hunt and/or re-watch [...]
Pat Taub
Several years ago when I grew weary of my unpartnered Valentine’s Days limited to red construction paper hearts from my grandchildren or Internet offers of bargain chocolates, I decided to make a ritual of doing something special for myself on Valentine’s Day so I wouldn’t feel left out. That first year I indulged in a longtime [...]
Pat Taub
Contemporary Suffragettes I was buoyed by the sea of white during the Orange Monster’s State of the Union address. I’m thrilled by the boldness of the newly elected Congresswomen and by their initiatives like the “Green New Deal.” Establishment Democrats are pushing back against the new progressives in their midst. It’s up [...]
Pat Taub
Older women are feeling powerful as they discover a voice they didn’t possess in their previous decades. They’re speaking up with a boldness and confidence unknown to their younger selves. Writer and blogger, 80 year-old Elaine Soloway has shed her passive aggressive self to take on verbal bullies. The popular Australian writer, [...]
Pat Taub
My Desert Vacation Update As I continue to enjoy my Palm Springs respite from the polar vortex, I’ve been exploring the desert, developing a new appreciation for its magnificent landscapes. This week my friend Ily and I went to Indian Canyon where we did the easy hikes and took lots of photos. Hot Mineral Baths This week I also [...]
Pat Taub
GUEST POST by JANET WEIL I was not in a good mood as my husband John and I exited the LA Metro station for the Extinction Rebellion rally. An hour and a half on the terrifying freeways driving west from Palm Springs, followed by nearly an hour on the crowded, noisy Metro from Azusa to downtown Los Angeles, may illustrate some of the reasons [...]
Pat Taub