I propose that we enlarge Mother’s Day to honor not just our biological mothers but our spiritual mothers as well. They are the...
Friday the 13th, A New Diet, A New Book & More!
Friday the 13th Today is Friday the 13th, a date long regarded as signifying bad luck. However, this wasn’t always the case. In the Neolithic period, when many societies were goddess worshipping, Friday the 13th was sacred. It was known as “Venus Day,” because it represented the 13 lunar moon cycles and the average female has 13 [...]
Pat Taub
Waking Up to Climate Change
I have to make a confession: I have been a bad climate citizen. While I have been moved to the core by this summer’s record smashing heat, wildfires and floods, in response, I have done little more than wring my hands and exchange feelings of despair with friends. This weekend I read the book, All We Can Save, which hit me like a ton of [...]
Pat Taub
We’re All Done with Sex!
Over a recent Sunday brunch with two single women friends both, like me, in their ‘70’s, the conversation turned to sex, but not in the same way it did when we were decades younger, sharing juicy tidbits about our sex lives. This time the conversation centered on how sex had lost its appeal. One friend, B confessed to having lost interest [...]
Pat Taub
“I Hate Getting Old”
I recently received an email from a WOW reader, who confessed to being angry about aging: “I hate getting old. I hate the wrinkles, sleep problems and bouts of loneliness . . . I hate having aged out of the dating scene.” The reader’s complaints carry a universal ring in our ageist and sexist culture, which presents a formidable [...]
Pat Taub
Sexism at the Olympics, “Pose,” “Roadrunner”, & More!
Sexism at the Olympics What year are we living in? Apparently the Tokyo Olympic Committee thinks we’re still in the Dark Ages as they went about punishing an athlete for wanting to breast feed; another because she is blind and deaf and in need of a guide; or fining Norway’s women’s beach handball players for wearing shorts rather [...]
Pat Taub
Summer Reads For Every Mood
This year’s list of summer reads are books that I got so lost in that I stayed up well past my usual bedtime, or overlooked social gatherings with friends. I’ve compiled a wide range of books to fit a variety of moods, transporting you to 17th century Boston, the worlds of magic realism, psychological thrillers, and important social thinkers. [...]
Pat Taub
The Wisdom Path
The writer, Lily Iona MacKenzie admits that she finds aging hard, but when asked if there are advantages to being an older woman, Lily offers a big smile, followed by the response, “I get to celebrate my wisdom.” But what if one is having trouble accessing her wisdom? For help in getting on the wisdom path, I’ve compiled responses [...]
Pat Taub
A Visit from the Grands, Writing My Family History, 2 Films & More!
Grands Visit Last week, my two grands, Jane, 17 and her brother Max, almost 16, flew from Chicago to Portland to visit me. It was our first time together since Christmas, 2019. Since then Max has grown to 6 feet. Jane’s funky-thrift shop look is now off the charts. We had fun even though the cold and rain pre-empted beach time. [...]
Pat Taub
Summer Heat, Climate Fears
GUEST POST by JANET WEIL Last week I was in the grip of a climate anxiety attack, stronger than anything I have felt thus far. After looking online at heat maps of the Pacific Northwest, where the temperature was predicted to rocket to well over 100 degrees F, I felt like screaming. I sat shuddering on my bed. Needing support, I called the [...]
Pat Taub
The Secrets of the Dog Park
GUEST POST by BARBARA BENGELS I’m a dog run junkie. There’s hardly a day that goes by when my husband and I are not at a local dog run with my daughter’s 2 ½ year old pup who lives with us. I’d like to say that this is all to benefit our Penelope—but I’d be lying. Yes, Penny looks forward to these excursions every day—to [...]
Pat Taub