Did you know that there are two castles 16 miles apart in the northern New Jersey area? One is Lambert Castle, perched on Garret Mountain overlooking the city of Paterson. Built by Englsh silk magnate Catholina Lambert in 1892-93, he named it “Belle Vista.” Lambert continued to expand the building…

John Spencer
My husband and I are huge The West Wing fans (“The West Wing”). In the last 20 years we somehow learned that the late actor John Spencer, who played White House Chief of Staff Leo McGarry and sadly passed away during the last season of the TV series, is buried…

A Case Of Contrast
I gravitate towards the color blue because it is the only color I can see, but sometimes its darkness makes it hard for me to find things that I have purchased in that color. The iPad case I have been using is dark blue. I often have difficulty locating it…

Living A Life Of Content
I keep a list of ideas for stories I want to write. Up until recently I had many options but my travel ideas have begun to dwindle. We usually take trips in the spring and the fall, hunkering down in summer and winter. I asked my husband if we could…

Sole Destroyer
Piper is the only one I know who will wear out his sneakers without ever putting them on. #sisterrain #alittlesightalotofheart #piper #birdmom #conure #parrot #bird #conuresofinstagram #parrotsofinstagram #birdsofinstagram #parrotlife #instaparrot #adoptdontshop #ahelpingwingparrotrescue #soledestroyer

Blue Mountain Resort
The world of skiing, any winter sport really, is foreign to me. I have never tried skiing or snowboarding, neither ever appealed to me. I attempted to ice skate once as a child. It did not go well. But I love watching the Winter Olympics and am amazed at what…

Whitewater Marriage
Recently driving through Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania, my husband and I reminisced about the last time we were there, over 25 years ago. We had gone whitewater rafting with a bunch of my co-workers who had turned into friends, the 12 of us filling two rafts. After changing into our green…

Lawyer Denise Or De-Neighbor?
I have a friend who is blind and her name is the same as our next door neighbor. For the first few years after meeting the woman with the visual impairment, I called her Blind Denise to differentiate her from Neighbor Denise, when speaking of her to friends and family….

Just Another Saturday Morning
The evening before Wreaths Across America Day, I was texting with my good friend, Donna, from my hotel room in Arlington, Virginia. She asked what time we had to head to Arlington National Cemetery the next morning. The above texts followed. Most Saturday mornings I am home checking the pantry…