Focused at Fifty

 (SOURCE)  I love Chobani Yogurt !  Chobani is a Greek yogurt with great flavor that comes in several varieties. It is perfect for a quick breakfast or snack. Let me just start off by saying that when I grew up, I hated yogurt. Never a fan. But as I got older, I "grew" into yogurt and eventually liked it. I never thought in a million years though that I would develop a taste for Greek yogurt! Out of the several brands on the market, Chobani is definitely my favorite brand.  Greek yogurt has a different flavor and texture than regular yogurt. It is creamier, heavier, and more indulgent. I feel it has a tangy flavor about it. It's definitely an acquired taste. If you are just beginning to include Greek yogurt in your diet, you might want to try one of the flavored ones first. It may be a little easier to handle on your palate. Some people compare it to sour cream. I don't think it is that sour, just tangy.  (SOURCE)  Chobani has several flavors:  Plain...

(SOURCE) I took off from the blog for the last couple of days. My allergies have been horrendous. When they get that bad, the medicine I take just allows me to barely function. These are not the sniffles that one gets during the spring. These are full blown head-blown-off sneezing exhausting put-to-bed allergies! Besides high blood pressure, it is one more gift from my mother. I used to remind her of this constantly to elicit sympathy. Being better at Jewish guilt than I, she would remind me of the never ending pain I put her through at childbirth. My allergies stemmed from problems as a babe. As an infant, I suffered from a disorder called autoimmune neutropenia. Basically, my body did not make white blood cells. I was susceptible to infections and if it had gotten worse, I could have become like the “boy in the bubble” story from years ago, cut off from the outside world due to no immune system. Luckily and miraculously, I started producing white blood cells to...

I love Fall. It has always been my favorite season. First off though, a very Happy Birthday to my Dad! I love you Dad! Hope you have a great day! It looks like we didn't have an Indian Summer this year. Went right into chillier weather. It's great sleeping weather though. Love sleeping with the windows open and hunkering down under a nice warm quilt. I woke up last night around 1 am and heard an owl somewhere in the trees. If it had been the weekend, I might have gone outside and tried to spy it with a flashlight. My mums are doing well. I got mostly yellow to brighten up the yard.  There is some purple and burgundy colored ones mixed in. Haven't seen the hummingbirds, so I guess they have already flown south. I am going pick up some pumpkins this weekend and get out the Halloween stuff to put up towards the first of the month. I love displaying pumpkins, gourds, Indian corn, corn husks, and anything else that gets me into the mood for the fall season.  Soon I will be...

Death. It's scary and it's inevitable. Older folks often say they aren't afraid to die. From what I understand, mostly it's because they have lived a full life and understand the inevitable. Others who are terminally ill say they aren't afraid to die as they have accepted it as part of their path on this earth. Young people think they are invulnerable and it will never happen to them.  Middle age is when you start to think of it more. As you get older, in your 30's and 40's on up, you question your life, where it has gone, what you have done, etc. At 40, I realized,  hopefully I am only half way through and I still have 40 years to go. What do I wanna do significant with these next 40 years?  You are also at the age where your parents begin to have more health issues and possibly pass away.  You really begin to question life and mortality. I wanted to share the three times that I almost died. I have never really discussed these incidents. Every now and t...

During the 1990’s, my brother Adam was inked with several tattoos. Some of these were done while he was in the Marines. My sister Sheryl even had a couple. I, on the other hand, decided to get piercings. Nothing too crazy and I soon grew out of this phase of my life. I never thought about a tattoo until I discussed it with my brother and sister before meeting them at my mother’s home in the Florida Keys. The three of us were visiting my Mom when she lived in Islamorada, Florida. We decided to get a tattoo which would reflect the sibling bond as well as closeness with my mom that we all shared. As far family goes, we have always been extremely close: best friends, confidantes, compatriots, comrades in life, thick as thieves, loyal to the core.  My siblings and I became closer when my parents divorced in the early 90's. We vowed that we wouldn’t ever let each other down and always be there for each other. Twenty-something years later we have kept that vow....

I love my sister Sheryl. She makes me laugh at the things she says. I see more and more of my mother in her. Sheryl has taken to making these inflammatory statements when she wants to drive home a point. Perfect example: I was driving home from work and talking with her on my cell as we often do. She was finishing her day at the office. I was so excited that I had just purchased a couple washcloths from Kohl's which were 60% off on sale, or $4.00 each. They were soft and fluffy. I always love a good sale! Not one to ever let me have my balloon. Sheryl popped it with a three foot needle. "UNBELIEVABLE!!!  You could have bought a pack of them for $4! You spent too much!"  I started howling and mimicking her, "THAT'S UNBELIEVABLE! YOU SPENT TOO MUCH MARC! A WHOLE $4.00 ON A WASHCLOTH! THAT'S JUST UNBELIEVABLE!" Sheryl retorted,"I am frugal!!" "But Sheryl," I pleaded, "They were originally $10.00 each and I saved $6.00 on eac...

I have been rather melancholy this past week. I figure most of the reason was that this weekend was the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 tragedy. I thought about it and mourned for those that were lost. I prayed for all the families, spouses, and children who lost a brother, sister, child, spouse, or parent. I didn't want to graphically "relive" the events online or TV because I just didn't want to go there again. But I did. How could you not? My sister and I were talking and found ourselves once again, riveted to the news reports. Overwhelmed with emotion as the buildings were hit and then, one after the other, fell. I gave more attention to what happened in Shanksville, PA, and the Pentagon as I did not know all of the stories, survivor accounts, stories of rescue, and the stories of lost souls that came from those two events. I didn't realize until after the fact and reading some of my friend's online posts, that several of my friends knew people that were ...

I LOVE San Pellegrino Sparkling Natural Mineral Water . I find it very refreshing on a hot summer day. With a slice of lemon or lime, it is perfect. Some mineral waters has too much of a mineral taste to them. Dating back to 1899 and still from the same source in the Italian Alps, San Pellegrino has a light flavor without any distracting or overpowering smell. It's delicate effervescent bubbles will tantalize your mouth. San Pellegrino Aranciata and Limonata takes it to another level! Aranciata was first produced in 1932. It contains real orange juice from concentrate but just enough for flavor and not enough to bog it down. And again, you have that tickling effervescence with each sip!  Limonata was produced later has 12% real lemon juice. It has a full flavor, not overly sweet like lemonade. Slightly tart and yet it is light and refreshing enough that you will want to grab another can! I personally like the Aranciata more. Both fla...

(SOURCE) On Saturday, I was on my way to the city to meet my sister for a Labor Day trip down to the shore.  Sheryl would drive us down to her friend Edna's condo in Atlantic City where we would meet up with our friend Marie for a day of drinking, beach lounging, fun, and the sun. Sher was staying over the holiday. Unfortunately I could only get away for the day, but a day away at the beach was sure to be relaxing enough! I had just connected with the PA Turnpike towards Philly and was busy chatting away on my cell with my Dad out in California. On long trips to work or Philly, I use those times to catch up with friends and family.  The countryside along the PA Turnpike is either the hilly farms and countryside that PA is to famous for or miles of woods and fields. I glanced over to my right as I passed a dairy farm. The herd of black and white dairy cows were lounging in the grass resting in the late morning sun or standing around eating their daily fill of grass...