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Spring is nature’s feel-good story, a celebration of life anew with abundant vigor, as all the colors in its palette blanket the terrain, ranging from different shades of green to an array of radiant hues.  The arrival of March last Sunday—and the official spring kickoff just two weeks away--also brings good news of brighter, warmer days for those of us not into cold weather and ice (fear of slipping or falling), early darkness, winter sports and staying indoors by a roaring fire or drinking hot toddies or cocoa with marshmallows to warm us up. We eagerly await the signs of...

NOTE: We’ve been a working duo for 38-plus years and were recently interviewed by another female duo—Maura and Christie--who’ve been working together for 10 years which includes co-hosting their The Balance Dilemma Podcast  Despite many asking us: Are you two still getting along? We are, as are our interviewers. Here’s our story from their FEB 20, 2026, recording.                                                             ### What Two 70-Something Writers Know About Collaboration, Reinvention, & Why Everything Gets Better After 50 For 38 years, Margaret Crane and Barbara Ballinger have been writing together through five children, one divorce, one widowhood, relocations, reinventions, and enough life plot twists to fill several...

We hear the terms opinionated and judgmental bandied about and wonder, what are the differences? You might say about a friend who typically doesn't like your movie or restaurant choices, “Oh, she’s so opinionated.” But then, when she rolls her eyes or tut-tuts at a young girl’s mini-mini skirt or multiple tattoo piercings, you think, “My goodness, she’s judgmental.”   Are these terms interchangeable? Is one better than the other, or are both put-downs? Where does this stem from? Does social media fuel these fires? We were eager to learn the differences between the behaviors, so we asked Baltimore psychologist...

  We’ve discussed what you think you need to do to be a great host, but what are some hosting faux pas that might irk friends and family? Maybe it's asking guests to take off their shoes without offering slippers. Obviously, anyone invited into your home should be comfortable, since hosting takes effort, time and money. It’s much easier to gather at a restaurant, yet it’s so much warmer, cozier and welcoming to be together in a home. A few tweaks can help you avoid leaving a bad impression on your guests.  Why not do your best? We’ve borrowed a...

  We grew up with parents who considered discussing anything financial to be fraught with problems, less than classy, and, might we say, downright tacky. We were instructed: ·       Don’t ask how much something costs (as the adage goes, “If you have to ask, you can’t afford it”); ·       Don’t share that something was costly since it makes those unable to buy it feel uncomfortable (cheap is OK at times); ·       Don’t divvy up restaurant meals by figuring out who ate what rather than splitting the bill equally, even if someone drank their weight in alcohol; ·       Don’t ask how...