Summer has finally officially arrived, and it ushered in some sunshine over the weekend. With all of the rain we experienced during the early part of June, I hadn’t gotten around to doing much yard work in the way of cleaning out flower beds, mulching and weeding. That all changed around two…
Are you a collector? I know plenty of folks who are collectors, and my mom was a big collector. Part of being a collector is the fun of acquiring pieces for your collection or in having someone give you a certain piece as a gift. It’s great fun seeing something that you know a loved one woul…
Since we just marked Memorial Day, I was remembering that old clothing fashion rule that you only wear white shoes or carry a white handbag between Memorial Day and Labor Day. Remember that? Whatever happened to that rule? Then again, whatever happened to white shoes?
Spring cleaning got started a little late at my house, but at least it’s done. After going through boxes and plastic totes of belongings that used to be in storage, I can proudly say that my entire house is organized and “redd out.” Well, don’t go into the attic – that’s a project I’ll tackl…
I wrote a column a while ago about how much time and effort we women put into our appearance. Between makeup, skincare, hair styling, nail polish, jewelry and matching shoes and belts among other things ... it’s exhausting.
You’ve probably seen those tiny houses on television, but could you actually live in one?
Each spring, it occurs to me just a little too late that I should have made plans to spend some time at spring training soaking in the sun and watching the Pirates play baseball in Bradenton, Fla.
I heard that familiar sound the other morning just after waking up, and it wasn’t the birds chirping or the sound of the school bus on its usual route.
Well, it finally happened. For decades, I thanked my lucky stars that I had 20/20 vision and didn’t have to endure the same torture as my friends and family did wearing contacts lenses or any kind of glasses. Father time finally caught up with me a few years ago when middle age presbyopia se…
When I was growing up, there were several things that were annual summer traditions in our family: a trip to the Jersey Shore, spending long days at the local pool, playing baseball and softball at Washington Park and taking part in the Washington Community Theater summer musical production.
You may have read a recent health and medical article I wrote that appeared in last Saturday’s Observer-Reporter about the results of a new study showing the pros and cons of getting enough, too little or too much sleep.
As we slog through winter, my skin keeps getting drier and drier. Ladies, you know what I mean, right? Despite the humidifier on the furnace, thicker face and body creams and even moisturizing botanical oil, the flaky skin always resurfaces this time of year. I just returned from a ski trip …
This wild roller coaster of temperature swings that we’ve been on the past two weeks has everyone so confused about the weather that they don’t know if they should fire up the snow blower or throw on a T-shirt and sunglasses and wash their cars.
Every time I bend at the waist or reach above my head this week, I am cursing the creators of wallpaper. Who in the world invented this stuff, anyway?
It’s a new year, and since we’re already one week in and I haven’t exercised once, that working out resolution isn’t going so well. But today is a new day and there’s no reason to give up yet, right? My New Year’s resolutions in recent years have been more introspective and have included goa…
Let's all hope that Mother Nature's New Year's resolution is to turn off the faucet around here.
They finally found me. There, in my mailbox, was the official notice that I wasn’t a spring chicken anymore. No one really needed to inform me of that, but in my mind I’m still eternally 25 years old. Aren’t we all? It’s just my right knee that tells me otherwise after too many decades of sk…
Note to self: Don’t book your next diving excursion right after binge-watching an entire DVR full of “Shark Week” specials. Then again, maybe that’s exactly what I need to do every year. I booked my latest trip to the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico at the same time I was glued to the television…
I picked up a couple of bags of Halloween candy for trick-or-treaters the other day while browsing the Halloween aisles of a local store. Yes, there was an entire section of Halloween candy, costumes and decorations, and we even have entire Halloween stores pop up temporarily just for the oc…
What are you wearing right now? That’s not meant to be a creepy question, because you may be in your pajamas if it’s first thing in the morning. The real question is whether those pajamas are summer shorties or fall flannels. While you may have put away your flip-flops for the season, the we…
It was a very busy week for me, and I was doing my best to meet every deadline for my editors, wake up before the crack of dawn to do the early morning weather broadcasts and still keep on top of chores around the house, such as mowing the lawn and doing laundry while trying not to find excu…
We’re at the peak of the 2018 Atlantic hurricane season and even though we don’t live near the ocean, we are still experiencing the effects of tropical systems thanks to moisture from both Hurricanes Gordon and Florence making its way inland across our area.
It’s football season, and we kicked it off by traveling to Charlotte, N.C., where my WVU Mountaineers played Tennessee. That area has huge alumni populations for both schools and provided close proximity for both fan bases. The folks at the stadium were prepared for the enormous crowd, but I…
A funny thing happened in the fitting room of a clothing store the other day, and it’s too funny not to share. I was trying on sale dresses when I heard voices next to me. Women often shop together and sometimes share a fitting room. I have not, however, seen a man share a fitting room with …
It’s summer, and that means the farmers markets are in full swing. So I was surprised recently when I read an article about the fear that farmers markets have maxed out and are selling less than they used to.
I turned on the television Sunday morning and was riveted, as I’m sure many of you also were, by watching the British Open.
There I was, surfing the television channels or watching those shows I love about buying vacation homes on some Caribbean island when the commercial break hit. Some ad for a company selling furniture and home furnishings online was first followed by an ad for another company touting its webs…
I’ve pulled some real winners when it comes to stupid mistakes in my life. There are the daily missteps first thing in the morning such as pouring orange juice rather than milk on my cereal or starting to apply my pink lip liner only to realize I’m holding a black eyeliner pencil in my hand.
Memorial Day has come and gone, and though it’s officially still spring, it sure feels like summer. It seems we went from a never-ending winter straight to blazing hot temperatures and just skipped right over spring this year.
Memorial Day weekend is my favorite weekend of the year, and it’s not just because it’s the unofficial start to the summer season.
If you read my last column, you might remember me worrying that we had to change planes at JFK airport in New York on our latest trip and the crazy experience I had doing that there two years ago. Well, we’re back after an amazing trip to the Caribbean. However, JFK lived up to its awful rep…
As I pack for a trip (I know, when am I not on a trip?), I’m reviewing the itinerary for our upcoming flight. This time, a travel agent helped plan our route and connections, and we chose the times and flights that will maximize the time at our destination and on the beach (arrive early, lea…
The posting on the vacation home rental website looked too good to be true …which usually means it is. A high-rise, modern, luxury condo right in the heart of the Toronto entertainment district for the same price as a hotel. Two of us would make the short drive north of the border and pick u…
There I was doing the very thing that I had made fun of others for doing. How did I get here? That’ll teach me to be less judgmental, I thought. The restaurant where I was having lunch between work and a hair appointment was someplace that I had wanted to try for a while. Eating alone in a r…
Aren’t you glad it’s finally spring? You’re probably reading this thinking it still looks a lot like gloomy wintry weather, and it sure does. This latest wintry blast of rain/freezing rain/snow marks the fourth nor’easter of the month, with parts of the East Coast from Boston to New York ant…
Last time, I wrote about the wasted minutes and hours that we women spend on fashion decisions such as foundation color, matching earrings and which pantyhose to wear. My inbox was filled with comments on the column, including one from a woman who enjoyed reading it but wanted to sell me her…
There I was packing for a weekend getaway and deciding what to wear that evening. I am a seasoned traveler and could easily live out of a suitcase and hotel room for months. However, it does take women some extra time to pack, as you ladies can attest. I always envy men who seem to throw a f…
Are you ready for spring yet? The calendar officially says it’s still six weeks away, but given that we’ve had wild swings from days of zero degrees and subzero wind chills up to 62 degrees a few days later and another drop of 30 degrees in three hours, well… who can tell what season we’re i…
The post on social media had us all worried. When several friends embarked on a weeklong Caribbean cruise last winter, it sounded like a dream come true and we were all envious.
Just know that whatever dumb move you pull today is not as ditzy as what I did on Christmas Eve. It all started with the best of intentions: I wanted to go to church despite the fact that I had to work forecasting the weather for the 6:30, 10 and 11 p.m. newscasts.
As you’re reading this, I imagine you’re bundled up in your warm, fluffy bathrobe or flannel pajamas sipping on hot morning coffee, since many folks are on a holiday vacation this week. It’s certainly looking and feeling like winter outside now, and the season officially arrived Dec. 21.
I spent a few days this month on the road with a friend helping to drive her car to Colorado, where she’ll spend the winter with family. It was an easy drive due west on Interstate 70 and we encountered rain only briefly on one evening. Most of the trip was highway, but we stopped to sightse…
Last time, I wrote about how amazed I am that folks scour other people’s trash to find treasure. While giving my house a makeover, I’ve put a lot of things out by the curb, taken many an item to charity drop-off sites and sold several items. As I got rid of rid of old furniture and other bel…
My garbage men are my heroes. Week after week, they show up in the rain, snow, heat or cold to take away things that I want to discard from my house and life.
Have you broken out your fall fashions yet? I haven’t either, and that’s probably because it has felt more like San Diego or Miami around here than what we’re used to in fall around Southwestern Pennsylvania. So much for kids playing in piles of leaves while you enjoy that piping hot pumpkin…
Have you broken out your fall fashions yet? I haven’t either, and that’s probably because it has felt more like San Diego or Miami around here than what we’re used to in fall around Southwestern Pennsylvania. So much for kids playing in piles of leaves while you enjoy that piping hot pumpkin…
It sounded like a good idea. In fact, it sounded like so much fun that I couldn’t wait to do it. Then, suddenly, I was perched on a tree stand strapped into a harness attached to a wire and facing the prospect of leaping off the edge. This suddenly seemed like a bad idea … a very bad idea. W…
We were supposed to be packing today. The list included scuba gear, sunglasses and flip-flops. When my friend suggested this trip back in March, we were all eager even though that nagging question kept popping up in the back of my mind. “Why would you want to travel that week? You realize it…
As you are reading this in your morning O-R, I imagine many of you are enjoying a nice hot cup of coffee and some breakfast. As I am writing this, I am enjoying a nice hot cup of coffee and no solid food for the day. No, I’m not trying one of those quick weight-loss cleanses that I hear frie…
It seems as if we blinked and it’s suddenly late August. Where has the year gone all of a sudden? Kids are heading back to school already, football teams and marching bands are practicing, and high temperatures the rest of this week will only reach the unseasonably cool mid-70s. The dog days…
A reader wrote to me last week suggesting a column on how to make sense of or cope with events such as the recent flooding in Washington County or the building collapse that trapped one woman and resulted in several residents and businesses losing everything.
So, I thought I would write a column this week about something I have noticed over the past year. So, possibly you may have noticed this same phenomenon, too. So, I have to explain it to you using the same verbiage I keep hearing in everyday conversation. Get the picture?
It has finally happened. Remember the grumpy old guy or lady on your block who you were afraid of as a kid?
Last Friday’s drenching downpours created damaging flooding across Washington and Greene counties and drove the water table up over what was an already saturated level. It seems as if it’s done nothing but rain since the start of spring. However, a look at the numbers shows some surprising f…
I got a call from an acquaintance a few days ago asking if I would write a column about something. When I asked the subject, he mentioned the anniversary of D-Day. How could I have forgotten? Last Tuesday, June 6, marked the 73rd anniversary of the invasion of Normandy during World War II, a…
It was all going so swimmingly (don’t you love that word?). The hedges had transformed from lovely landscaping to something resembling a jungle and were ready for their annual spring trim. This is no small task given that some of these shrubs are now taller than I am.
How’s your golf game this spring? I haven’t had a chance to hit the links yet because I’ve been too busy working and playing groundskeeper of my lawn. First, I beat back the spread of dandelions only to nearly break an ankle while mowing when I stepped in a mole hole. That’s right: I’m now c…
As I write this, I am eagerly awaiting vacation. I’m using that as an excuse not to grocery shop or cook anything this week since I don’t want to leave food in the refrigerator while I’m gone. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.
Do you still carry cash? I know that’s a funny question, but a lot of my friends don’t carry cash at all anymore. Instead, they use their debit and credit cards to pay for everything. I admit I am a practitioner of this plastic economy. I don’t feel comfortable carrying a lot of cash, and us…
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