Published in SNAPSHOTS·PinnedMember-onlyImpending GloomForeshadowing in paradise — Travel1 min readTravel1 min readA storm approaches West End, the oldest town on Grand Bahama island. Photo by the authorImpending GloomForeshadowing in paradise----4
Published in About Me Stories·PinnedMember-onlyAbout Me — Cat StravinoI have gotten old too darn fast. — I spent a good portion of my life raising four children (in what I describe as my conservative Christian period) only to get divorced. I had to re-invent myself. Change is the only constant. I embraced it fully in 2017. I learned to say “Yes!” to new things and since that time I have had…About Me3 min readAbout Me3 min read
Published in The Memoirist·2 days agoMember-onlyWho Wants to Hire an Old Lady -Fresh Out of Tech School?My first few days of Non-Destructive Test school and I was panicking. What was I thinking? — Who wants to hire a mature woman, especially one who is competing in the job market with young guys? When I wasn’t crying in the bathroom because I couldn’t get the printer to work, I was hiding in the library reading my textbooks. I had moved to Minnesota after selling…This Happened To Me5 min readThis Happened To Me5 min read
Published in The Wind Phone·3 days agoMember-onlyGrief — That Sneaky Devil-ThiefIt sneaks up behind you, stealing your time, energy, your very life — Do you know what it is like to lose everything? To wake up in a 5,000 square foot mansion surrounded by the four children you have nurtured for 20+ years only to find all of it gone in a matter of weeks? To be transplanted, as if by aliens, to…Grief5 min readGrief5 min read
Published in Today’s Rosie·3 days agoMember-onlyHell NO! Generation X,Y,Z, I won’t Roll Over and DieHousing is in short supply, the cost of labor favors the young, but I Don’t Care. I Want to Keep my House and my Job. They can do what we did — work hard and save. — Housing units are in short supply. As the owner, or mortgage payor for a tiny house, it took a measure of hard work and savings to get this place. I was shocked to discover you no longer have to put 20% down as a deposit, either. Consider it the equivalent…3 min read3 min read
Published in Breast Stories·Jan 25Member-onlyBreasts — A Legacy of Love, Loss and Learning from one Generation to the NextThey form and inform a large part of our lives. How to pass this knowledge from ourselves to our daughters — Breasts. It seems like they just appear one day, and you have to accept them. They arrive with a legacy, one that I witness with my own family. “Kid! Kid, is that you?” My grammy’s voice calls to me from upstairs as I open the door to the brick walk-up. …Breasts7 min readBreasts7 min read
Published in The Memoirist·Jan 23Member-onlyRay: The Neighbor I Didn’t Know I NeededGifts landed at my door as I needed them. I only had to open up. — I was facing a long journey. I knew I could no longer afford the large house I lived in on the East Coast for 10+ years, so I worked at cleaning it out and fixing it up. In the process, I discovered Non-Destructive Testing and a 2-year program in the…Change5 min readChange5 min read
Published in Crow’s Feet·Jan 23Member-onlyThe Magic Necessary to Build Bones and Stay Young at Any AgeIn 1998, before the birth of my fourth child, I read the book “Strong Women Stay Young,” by Miriam E. Nelson, Phd. I was fascinated by the cross-section x-rays she showed of bone mass before and after participants started lifting weights. Her research is just as valid for men. You…Health5 min readHealth5 min read
Published in Middle-Pause·Jan 18Member-onlyWhat Do Naked Women Talk About?Or Bizarre but True Happenings in the Fitness Center Locker Room — I have been surprised since the start of the New Year by some of the locker room occurrences at the gym I attend a few times every week. I want to believe they are committed by first-time attendees, but I am afraid not. I would like to say these discourteous…Life5 min readLife5 min read
Published in Crow’s Feet·Jan 9Member-onlyHow To Live a Long Life As Shared by Two CentenariansAnd additional tips by “youngsters” in their 80’s and 90's — As I age, I have become more curious about the process and the folks who have some experience with it. I have also been blessed with finding people to befriend who are a bit ahead on the journey and they are willing to share their knowledge. …4 min read4 min read
