If you share my Boomeresque age demographic, you have learned, probably repeatedly, that the Scottish poet Robert Burns had it right when he wrote in his 1786 poem, To a Mouse, that: The best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry. This sentiment was echoed by Woody Allen some 200 years later when he said: If you want to make God laugh, tell him about your plans. While we’ve all experienced our plans derailing no doubt multiple times during our lives, this time feels different because the COVID-19 pandemic seems to have people all over the world, simultaneously saying, “Now what?” a ..read more

(Note: This post contains some Amazon affiliate links. If you make a purchase from this link, Boomeresque receives a small commission that does not affect your price.) I’m Baaaaack Actually, I was never physically away even though it looks like I last posted a Hump Day Zentangle Challenge for Valentine’s Day. My body has remained at home, my brain—-not so much. Judging by my Facebook Newsfeed, I’m not the only person whose brain has been off somewhere else as it deals with the new abnormal imposed by the Covid 19 pandemic “Stay at Home” orders. I’ve been under a double Stay at Home order as my ..read more

I’m writing this while under a “Stay at Home” Order issued by the Governor of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. This Order requires people to stay in their houses, leaving only for essential activities like food shopping. The Order was issued in an attempt to mitigate the spread of the pandemic caused by Covid 19, a novel Corona Virus that is sweeping around the world. Meet Viru, a Tangle in the Time of Covid 19 The Covid 19 virus has been the main story on the cable news stations I watch too much. They usually display graphics of the virus. As devastating as the virus has been, I often think ..read more

As it does for many people, my birthday usually prompts some introspection about where I’ve been and where I’m heading. My 66th birthday has arrived with most of the world under Stay at Home orders to try to at least mitigate the effects of a a global pandemic triggered by the spread of the novel corona virus, Covid 19. On a good day, I can use the wheelchair as a walker and try to regain some cardiovascular fitness and strengthen muscles I never thought much about before. As you can see, the dog is much more interested in seeing if some food or food like substance is on the rug. Due to the ..read more

The 2020 appearance of Covid-19, a novel Corona virus, has infectious disease experts recommending ways to try to contain the spread of this highly communicable disease. I propose adopting namaste as an appropriate greeting and farewell. Covid -19 is an airborne spread pathogen. When we sneeze, cough or even talk, tiny droplets are released into the air. They can then settle onto people, and even inanimate objects, waiting for an unsuspecting person to grasp a contaminated door handle, keyboard, writing implement, etc. When that person then touches their face (which apparently we all do, all.t ..read more

Next Friday is Valentine’s Day. However, I thought it would be a good idea to start thinking about it this week, so you can make some romantic plans or at least get a card ready for your loved one. If you need any suggestions, I provided some in this blog post entitled Romantic Escapes. I’m feeling especially grateful to/for my loved one, Mr. Excitement, this year. As I’m dealing with the pain of four compression fractures in my thoracic spine, he has proven time and time again that he was serious about that “in sickness and in health” thing. In addition to his more than full time day job, he ..read more

During the winter here in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States in the northern hemisphere, I usually fall prey to Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). Then, I feel guilty because I know I have been so fortunate compared to others. One way I try to cope is to plan a trip to somewhere warm during February. As I mentioned in my last Hump Day Zentangle post, this year, we were supposed to go to Mexico, but that trip was scuttled by my experiencing intractable back pain. I shared that I underwent an MRI study to look for the cause of back pain. I received the results, and as my physician susp ..read more

I’m supposed to be writing this from Mexico City where we planned to visit our digital nomad son who lives there — and also escape some cold winter weather. Instead, I’m sitting on our couch in Philadelphia, trying to avoid triggering a back spasm. I’m leaning on a heating pad, downing ibuprofen (a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory for your pharmacy types), and wallowing in a bit of self pity. I’m also wallowing in guilt because this is actually last week’s Hump Day Zentangle Challenge which should have been published last Wednesday. Instead, last Wednesday, I finally saw a Physical Medicine and ..read more

When I was a child, not only couldn’t we entertain ourselves with I-Pads, we even had to watch a TV show when it was actually being broadcast. In my family, we were allowed to watch one half hour “educational” TV show after school. The rest of the time, we could read actual books, do our homework, ride our bikes, and play with toys. (I know some of you rolled your eyes and thought “O.K., Boomer” as soon as you read, “When I was a child….”) During my childhood, some of our “toys” were pretty simple. When our sons were young, they learned some of their first “bad words” thanks to their parents ..read more

I think my ongoing back pain issues are playing with my mind. I thought Thursday was Wednesday for well into the night. If it had been, today’s Hump Day Zentangle Challenge would only be one day late, instead of two days. Since this is already late, I’ll try to keep my rambling brief. What’s In A Name? What’s in a name? That which we call a rose By any other name would smell as sweet. In this famous quote from Romeo and Juliet, William Shakespeare suggested  names don’t matter, but most of us get rather attached to our names. We spend hours agonizing discussing what we should ..read more