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  The internet certainly gets its share of criticism, some well-deserved. Yet, one reason we like it is for the relationships it has helped foster.  Many will never become dear friends or lead to true friendships as we define that word. But some have definitely become acquaintances with whom we learn we have much in common. This forms the basis of many micro-communities within a larger one such as Facebook or other virtual sites.  We crave community that is built on common interests such as stamp collecting, bridge or poker, cooking, writing, grief support, religion, painting, books, ancestry, movies, exercise...

Margaret's sisters tease her: "When did you become such a cleanliness nut?" Barbara is always saying to Margaret that she needs to do a YouTube tutorial on how to properly clean and teach her.  Yes, Margaret has become a cleaning machine. It helps too that her apartment in New York City is small, making cleaning a breeze. If only her late mother could see her now.  On the other hand, Barbara's mother was disappointed that Barbara wasn't a better cleaner. Barbara had little interest, perhaps, a reaction to her mother's intense interest and pride in having a spotless home. "We...

With rising inflation, many of us struggle to make ends meet. So, when we recently inventoried how we spend (or rather waste) money, we both realized that too much goes toward high-priced restaurant meals.  We scratched our heads trying to think of clever ways to continue to eat out, though less frequently, and trim the fat, so to speak.  Yes, we could stop eating out completely. But this is major depravation of a big pleasure for each of us and part of our social lives. We crave this kind of getting together as much as the free fresh-baked bread often...

At some point we each have thought, we wish we were richer. Maybe, have another income stream as prices rise, especially if our writing dries up. Our co-mingled anxiety has led us to wonder how easy or hard it would be to retrain ourselves in our 70s and find a new job.  We have a great work ethic, lots of life experience and like being around people, especially younger ones. In fact, we may each rewatch The Intern with Anne Hathaway and Robert De Niro to help us teach younger folks, including millennials, that we-and our peers--represent a fabulous applicant...

  In today's world, especially during the pandemic lockdown, we seemed to take our energy out in the kitchen. Peeling and husking. Shucking and kneading. Twisting and braiding. Pureeing and sautéing.  We had the time to spare. Cooking became a passion rather than something hastily tacked on to the list of things to do each day, especially when there wasn't much to do but work. Home cooked food provided tangible evidence of human contact, feelings and comfort during those dark days.  Pre-pandemic (remember those days?), some of us loved cooking for ourselves, family and friends. We did it to the...