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Good Riddance Kitchen
An ice cream cone held in front of Red's Dairy

Summer in Maine

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Greetings fellow empty nesters. I haven’t been around lately, but it is time to get back to work. This blog post was written in the summer, but I decided to throw caution to the wind and take the summer off and savor it like a little kid. I am refreshed and ready to conquer more exciting adventures in the empty nest world.

Hello Darkness, My Old Friend… July 2022

I am writing this blog from the comfort of my cool and dark bedroom. The dog is snoring, the fan is whooshing, and it is the middle of the day. Something is definitely wrong with this picture. I am not a napper and wouldn’t be caught dead laying around in the middle of the day. I am type A and that is not part of my vernacular.

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Mandel Bread

History Repeats Itself..

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This empty nester has been in a funk for the past few weeks. The war in Ukraine has torn a hole in my heart and I am in a state of disbelief. As a Jewish person of Eastern European decent, how is it that we have come so far and now we are back where we started?

Both sets of my grandparents came from Eastern Europe. My maternal grandparents were from Poland-Lithuania and my paternal grandparents were from Belarus. I remember as a child growing up, hearing stories about my family escaping the harsh conditions and awful treatment of the pogroms. While listening, I would try to imagine what this all looked like. Similar to a black and white film.  Well fast forward to 2022, now it is in technicolor. I see violent media images every day and walk around with a horrible sinking feeling.

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dog biscuits

Mom (and Dad’s) Best Friend

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I remember as a teenager, I had overheard my mother talking to some of her friends. One of them said, “Life begins when your children have moved out and the dog dies.” Okay, I have to admit I was kinda horrified. As luck would have it, we had a great dog that lived to the ripe old age of 20. Take that, mean friend of my mom’s!!

When my kids were very young we had a dog, not Rosie our present-day wonder dog. Our childhood-family dog was special and beautiful in her own right. The problem was that as a young and crazy family with 3 kids under the age of 6, we weren’t able to enjoy her to her fullest. We were in survival mode. Granted she was loved and well taken care of like one of the family, She was fed the best food, thoroughly exercised, and well protected from our toddling toddlers. She was loyal to the end, and we cried when she crossed over the rainbow bridge. I admit that I was both sad and relieved at the same time. I had one less living creature to worry about.

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QUICK… GETAWAY!!

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I can’t believe it is already the end of February. This has been one long winter, and apparently, it’s not done yet. As I am writing this, Maine is predicting another “large” snowstorm by the end of the week. I love snow and all the winter sports. In fact, I get a bit giddy with each snowfall. However, this winter has kicked my butt. Darkness, frigid cold, and ice everywhere I walked. This empty-nester needs some warmth and sunshine!

The beauty of being an empty nester is that you can pick up and go. I’m talking pure freedom. No figuring out the logistics of family travel. Remember the days of planning and packing as if you were going on a trip around the world – only to take another non-descript family getaway? Unlike a “trip,” a getaway is when you go somewhere, relax and unwind. “Trip” is where you go somewhere and still have to clock in as responsible parents. Getaways are spontaneous and fun!

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candy hearts

Love is in the air..

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Happy Valentine’s Day, Empty Nesters! It’s time to celebrate YOU and throw some love your way. 

Remember the days of having to purchase those cheap, junky valentines for every kid in your child’s class? We bought them at the CVS the night before. And all the popular valentines had a prize attached to them, like Fun Dip or cool stickers. They were snatched up by the mommies who cared. This left me to choose on February 13, between the Smurfs and some other generic, out-of-date cartoon character. I had three kids so we’re talking close to 75 valentines. Now, these lists of students are as closely protected as a HIPAA medical release. Even back then, to gain access, you had to be in the “know.” Let’s just say, I was never a model PTA parent. I spent my time just trying to keep my kids alive. 

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