Life is what you make it.
Growing up in the 1950's, my mom, aunts, and female cousins were all making fudge. It didn't require fancy and expensive ingredients like chocolate chips, sweetened condensed milk, or marshmallow cream that those West Virginia farm girls didn't have. It was made with basic ingredients they found in their kitchens. If the too soft candy… Continue reading Old Fashioned Hershey’s Cocoa Fudge
What gal doesn't love a notebook? We use notebooks for all sorts of things. We write our thoughts into journals and diaries, draw our ideas onto the pages of sketchbooks, save mementos in scrapbooks, take notes in classrooms, and perhaps, even use them to document our business data. WhackyBinders are my newest product. They give… Continue reading Currently in the WhackyShack Shop…
Even those of us who like to cook, don't like to cook all of the time. In the middle of doing other, more important things, the need to stop what we're doing to prepare a meal can be a bother. I'm always excited to find a new "from scratch" recipe that is both tasty and… Continue reading Fast Fix Steak with Mushroom Gravy
Most of our grandmas were not fussy bakers. They didn’t have the time. Household and farm chores kept them busy through much of the year. When peaches came ripe, grandma took advantage the surplus by canning quart jars of the sweet summer fruit to be enjoyed through the winter. During peach season, Grandma's simple cobbler… Continue reading Grandma’s Fresh and Easy Peach Cobbler
My husband’s son, who lives across the country, asked if he could come for a visit. “Of course!” Always! No need to even ask! I knew my husband would be thrilled. Mark not only booked a flight but he ordered tickets for a concert that his dad would love and he booked a hotel room… Continue reading A Son Visits His Dad or “The Ruse”
July 31, 2019 The other night, my friend Lori asked "How are you?" Only it wasn't a pleasantry that you respond to with an "I'm fine. How are you?" She really mean t it to be a question. She truly wanted to know how I am doing. The question caught me by surprise. You’d think… Continue reading A Decade with Parkinson’s Disease: Where Am I Now?
On all of my "Decade with Parkinson's Disease" posts I have selected a feature image of original artwork. There is a reason for that. It's because art is such an important player in the lives of many with Parkinson's Disease. Betcha didn't know that, did ya? Neither did I. And it sounds sort of crazy.… Continue reading A Decade With Parkinson’s Disease: What’s With All The Artists?
Signing up for a clinical study is not an irreversible decision. Trial participants always have the right to change their mind. After agreeing to participate in the Parkinson's Progressive Marker Initiative (PPMI) at the Cleveland Clinic I went home and spent more than a few days questioning my decision. I found many reasons why I… Continue reading A Decade with Parkinson’s Disease: On Becoming a “Lab Rat”
