Focused at Fifty

During most of the 90’s, I worked in the hospitality industry, formally at a luxury hotel, and informally for a catering company. My day job was at the hotel and my night job, the fun casual gig, was with a private caterer who serviced the wealthy families of Philadelphia and the blue-blooded Mainline. I miss the people I worked with and miss the fun that I had at these two jobs. I do not miss the long demanding hours and the occasional snobby wealthy people that one had to put up with. In fact, they were two of the reasons that I left the business. I was fortunate enough, though, to have many chance encounters with celebrities. Over the course of my 19 year hotel and restaurant career, I figure I have met dozens of popularly recognizable figures from fame and fortune. These include political figures, the infamous, sports stars, musicians, famous cooks and authors, and of course the Hollywood celebrity. Julia Child was a American chef who taught America how to cook French cuisine. Fr...

Farmers markets and roadside stands are a great place to take in the local scenery, color, and flavor. Where else can you get the freshest of farm produce, dairy products, and eggs for a fraction of the price at a supermarket. Not only that, you are supporting the local economy down to the basic level of production, the farmer himself. I grew up in South Jersey (which to the folks who aren’t in the know, is “southern” New Jersey). My family would take the back roads down to various bay and beach side towns such as Fortescue, Ocean City, Strathmere and Cape May. Along the way, passing the cranberry bogs, the Pine Barrens, and eventually smelly salt marshes, would be my first introductions to the roadside farm stand. At these roadside stands we would find specifically what that particular farmer was growing. Mom would buy apples, blueberries, peaches, heavy softball size Jersey tomatoes, white “Silver Queen” corn, asparagus, and other farm products which grew well in the sandy ...

I recently had the pleasure of seeing the exhibit of this artist photographer's blog "project" at the Morris Graves Museum of Art in Eureka, CA., while I was out visiting with my parents, Robert and Martha Haynes for my 41st birthday in June of this year.  Coincidently, my father is on the board for the Morris Graves Museum of Art and the Humboldt Arts Council . If you are ever in Eureka, check out the Museum. It is a wonderful jewel in that small Northern California city. http://39nomore.blogspot.com/ Mia Semingson is the artist photographer. Her statement off of her blog is as follows: "I turned 39 on May 7th, 2009. I am documenting my 40th year of life by photographing everyday and posting it on this blog. Each day will in some way reference the previous day's image either visually or conceptually. The project will end on my 40th birthday." Here is some more information about Mia's exhibit which was featured at the Morris Graves Museum of Art ...

I was in Walmart yesterday picking up some not so important stuff, crisscrossing aisles not particularly looking for anything.  it was just the mindless shopping that one does when you just want to shop. No, I don't really need a new set of dish towels, but after a long day at work, for $8.00, a set of new dish towels was reasonable if not cheap. Suddenly at the end of the aisle was a crying little boy. I turned and realized that he was alone, looking around, and crying. Interspersed with his sobs were the cries of "Mommy! Mommy!" A frantic little boy was lost in the big cavernous store of Walmart.  I started walking over to him to see about finding his parents on the loudspeaker system when his Mom swooped in like a mother bird, grabbed him, and continued her shopping. His sobs of panic and fear were replaced with sobs of relief. I think each of us has experienced that panic and fear at one time in our lives. My thoughts go back to one particular summer on the Ocean Ci...

As young as I can remember, my mother and father instilled upon me the value of family heirlooms and antiques. Maybe it’s because we didn’t have much when I was growing up in the 70’s and therefore, whatever heirlooms and antiques that my parents had, they held dear to their hearts. As an adult, I now cherish the heirlooms that are from my grandparents, mother, and father. I remember my Nana giving me 2 very worn British pennies from the early 1900’s. I held onto them as if they were gold and still have them. She also gave me a metal heart hanging from worn piece of purple yarn. I do not remember the significance of it to her, but to me, as it was my Nana’s, I will keep it in my cufflink box forever. The same concept goes with my Grandpop’s encyclopedia set from the 1930’s. I may not seek out up to date knowledge from them but just knowing that for decades, they were in my Grandpop’s den, and then his office, and now on my bedroom shelf, makes them an heirloom set, at least to me...

With the official beginning of summer just around the corner, I had wanted to reflect on the birds which have appeared in my yard this springtime. It was a treat to finally see the robins come back. At one point, I counted 20 in the yard. Now I have an average of six at any one time. They look for worms and don’t really use any of the feeders. The feeders are attacting Baltimore orioles, finches, a cowbird or two, catbirds, one or two mockingbirds, lots of wrens, titmouses, mourning doves, and downy woodpeckers. Unfortunately, my dozen juncos which remained for the winter have moved on. I only have one cardinal couple that I have seen. The male seems to be a bit of a territorial brute as I have had to put up reflective decals on the windows to prevent him from crashing into them. He seems to think he is not the only one in the yard! The cats were enjoying it though, constantly jumping up to the sink when they heard the familiar sound of Mr. Cardinal knocking his head into the glass. ...

Here is a great gardening idea from my sister Sheryl. I love gardening but it is can be so expensive. Some people have told me that I should grow plants and flowers from seed packets and that will save me money. The problem with that is that I also tend to be a bit impatient (no pun intended as I don’t care for impatients) and don’t want to wait for seeds to sprout. Well, if you have a basic green thumb and can water a plant that you won’t spend a lot of money for, check out the bargain and clearance shelves at your local big stores such as Walmart, Home Depot, and Lowes! They have great deals on plants which have been moved to the back of the garden center off of the front shelves if favor of the new plants. You can also request discounts at nurseries for plants that look a little weather worn or dry. It really never hurts to ask! Sure, some may be half over their blooming cycles but you may still be able to get a couple weeks of blooms after you show that ,dried out, hanging plan...

One hot July afteroon in 1989, I was traveling up to college at Rutgers University and was pulled over by a New Jersey State Trooper. It wasn’t due to excessive speeding. It didn’t involve a harrowing police chase after a daring bank robbery. And, there was no slow motion OJ Simpson police chase. My first “pullover” by a police officer was the result of an ill-timed allergy attack. I was driving up to my fraternity house in New Brunswick, NJ. Cruising along in my little red Nissan Sentra, I decided to take Route 295 instead of the the New Jersey Turnpike, most likely because of crazy traffic reported on KYW1060 News Radio. I wanted to get up there as soon as possible because all of the fraternity brothers were headed up for a summer party in the new house on Prosper St that had been just been rented. I was heading up in the afternoon for a fun evening of beer, beer, and more beer. So here I was traveling up 295 North when I felt one of my summer allergy attacks coming on. I started...