I’ve chosen trailblazers in literature, music, painting, political activism and medicine. Many communities lost their own notable...
A Lovely Older Woman, Smiles, Grandson Max & Joan Didion
Joan, A Lovely Older Woman Last Sunday I stopped by Aurora, a neighborhood coffee house/ gourmet food store. Joan was in line in front of me. I was struck by her poise and warm smile. When I asked to photograph her, she didn’t hesitate. I admired her orange scarf, which she said was a favorite of her late husband, explaining she was wearing [...]
Pat Taub
#MeToo
Guest post by Mary Beth Danielson I’m not usually cranky. Then I got a cold. I rarely get colds. What’s going on? Of course I have #metoo incidents. Like most women I have several stories of harassment and, yes, one of assault. As self-aware women do, I’ve been poking at my crankiness. Why am I mad? Why does this rankle? I have [...]
Pat Taub
White Privilege, A Cottage, Chicago Cubs & Resisting #45
Entering into White Privilege Discussions I’m co-facilitating a White Privilege 6 week discussion series with a youngish female minister. We had our first 90-minute session Tuesday evening, attended by 10 white people, 7 women and 3 men. The average age was somewhere in the 60’s with members uniformly saying that they want to do their [...]
Pat Taub
Fall Reads That WOW!
Eureka! I’ve discovered a strategy for taking on the Orange Monster: engrossing books that transport me, like a time machine, to other worlds, where I can temporarily forget about our current politics. My favorite fall reads have ushered me into the worlds of Chinese immigrants in San Francisco in the late 1890’s; into Moscow’s dwindling [...]
Pat Taub
Friday, the 13th, Weinstein Victims, & Women Wage Peace
Friday, October 13th Here’s a bit of trivia about the unlucky status attached to the number 13. According to scholars of Women’s Spirituality the number 13 was purposely denigrated by the founders of the patriarchal religions to eradicate the influence of the Mother Goddess. In goddess worshipping cultures, the number 13 was often revered, [...]
Pat Taub
The 30-Day WOW Self-Care Plan
Hearing about the “Whole 30 Diet,” the latest health craze which consists of a 30 day adherence to a strict diet whose followers claim is life-changing, got me thinking, “What about a 30-day Self-Care Plan?” If you’re like me you tend to think of self-care when the chips are down. That’s when you schedule a massage or take a bubble [...]
Pat Taub
A Great Birthday, Tears for Puerto Rico & a Scavenger Hunt
Recapping My Birthday Weekend I returned home in the wee hours of Tuesday morning after a wonderful Birthday weekend in LA, courtesy of youngest son Jonathan who lives in nearby Santa Monica. The highlights were seeing Hamilton; an exhibit of Chagall’s costumes for the Paris Opera at LACAMA (Los Angeles Country Museum of Art); the Santa [...]
Pat Taub
Can We Please Stop Hating Our Older Bodies!
When I set out to photograph images of older women to post on this blog, I never dreamed I’d meet with so much resistance. Two thirds of the women I asked to photograph turned me down. Sometimes it was a flat “No” uttered in motion as the woman hurried along. Other times I’ve received comments like: “I’m too old. Me? At my age! [...]
Pat Taub
LA Bound to Celebrate My Birthday, Grieving for Puerto Rico & “Transparent”
Off to LA In a few hours I’ll be boarding a plane for LA to spend a long weekend with my son Jonathan, who lives in Santa Monica. It’s become a ritual for me to celebrate my Oct. 1st birthday with Jonathan. I’m anticipating visiting the Santa Monica farmer’s market, the LA art museum, and eating incredible meals. Below is a photo of [...]
Pat Taub
Honoring Our Mother Line
Reading Deborah Tannen’s piece in last week’s New York Times entitled, “My Mother Speaks Through Me,” it dawned on me that as I age I’m becoming more and more like my mother. My younger self would have fumed at this comparison, but my older self honors it. My everyday life has been enriched by adopting some of my mother’s habits: [...]
Pat Taub