Category Archives: Uncategorized

February 7, 2011 · 7:12 am

Growing Old…er: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

For women in the over 50 brigade, none of this is news. For those girls who are younger, more innocent and still delusional, this is your future. Get ready. Growing old…er is inevitable but, as George Burns said, “…growing old is not for the faint of heart.” He wasn’t lying!

The good: you save a small fortune on cosmetics. Nobody’s looking at you so why use them?
The bad: you spend a small fortune on hoof and heel cream to “moisturize” your face which refuses to give up its wrinkles without surgery.

The good: the hair on your legs grows slower so you don’t have to shave as often.
The bad: your mustache comes in better than your grandson’s. The hair on your chin picks up the slack on your head. Where are the tweezers?

The good: there are no worries about unwanted pregnancy – no one will touch you with a barge pole.
The bad: hormones still rush through your blood stream but all you get for your trouble is hot flashes.

The good: you have all the original equipment (read body parts) you sailed through your 20’s with.
The bad: the equipment seems to have stretched, slipped and/or slid downward. Gravity’s a bitch.

The good: You don’t care about the picture on your driver’s license.
The bad: You wake up looking like your driver’s license picture.

The good: You can stay up as late as you want and watch anything you want to on TV.
The bad: You can’t keep your eyes open after 8PM.

The good: You can get up as late as you want.
The bad: You can’t get a good night’s sleep so getting up late means 5AM.

The good: you’ve got plenty of money to buy what you need.
The bad: you don’t need anything, at all. In fact, you are giving away more than you get!

The good: you actually get to sit on your butt and do nothing.
The bad: you actually get to sit on your butt and do nothing.

I started with a quote from George Burns. I am going to close with quote from another 20^th century philosopher, Charles M. Schulz, whose advice we women of a certain age would be well advised to take. “I have a new philosophy. I’m only going to dread one day at a time.” Schulz knew how short the future was so live in the moment; only dread today – it’s all you’ve got!

BTW – if you enjoyed this and want more of the same, visit C-Boom and laugh yourself silly.

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Filed under Freelance Writing, Life & Death, Uncategorized

Tagged as Charles Schultz, George Burns, getting old, hot flashes, humor

April 5, 2010 · 12:17 pm

Hay! How good is yours?

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March 9, 2010 · 12:30 pm

Saving horses – one at a time – Manes and Tails has horses available, now

Manes and Tales is a New Jersey-based, horse rescue that rehabilitates, retrains, and re-homes the most commonly slaughtered breeds of horses – Quarterhorses, Thoroughbreds, and Standardbreds. Started informally in 1995 by Ellen Cathryn Nash, this rescue operation didn’t incorporate until 2004 when Nash set it up as a New Jersey 501 (c) 3 non profit.

Manes and tales were all that Ellen Cathryn Nash had left of two beloved horses she leased and lost in a tragic accident. “One was a Seattle Slew son and the other was an Arabian. They had to go together because they were so bonded,” says Nash.

Always careful about whom she leases to, Nash did her homework before releasing Bullie and Sahlih to their new caretaker. “…a girl at Cornell University, a really experienced horse person. I had her stay with me for a week or two,” explains Nash. “I drove up there and I checked out the place,. I liked the place and the owner.”

The farm and the person leasing the horses checked out but no one could have predicted the outcome. “Somebody forgot to turn on the electric fence. They hopped out and raced along the road, ran down a mile long drive that ended up on a highway,” Nash pauses. “They died together. All I have left of them is their manes and tails.”

That’s how she came up with the name of the horse rescue and rehabilitation operation she has been running for more than 5 years.

Manes and Tails is a small equine rescue with a unique twist. “I don’t sell horses; I don’t take horses that are healthy. I rescue horses and I free lease them. People don’t pay me anything,” says Nash, quietly. “I wanted to keep the horses safe and retain ownership. I will always take a horse back so that horse will never go to a killer, ever.”

There are no fees for leasing one of Nash’s horses, just the usual costs of board and upkeep. People who lease horses from Manes and Tails are getting a good deal – rehabilitated, healthy and happy horses.

Nash has been rescuing horses, one at a time, since 1995. Her quiet courage and her determination have helped to keep her operation going but today, she is facing her most serious challenge.

“…getting donations to take care of my horses. I don’t have any money but I pay to get them done myself,” she explains quietly. “I have gotten donations but not in the last couple of months because of the recession. It is tough.”

Nash tries to make it easy for people to support her rescue. Manes and Tails accepts checks that can be mailed right to Nash. And she accepts PayPal payments on her site. Nash says no amount is too small. “If you are thinking $25 isn’t much, it will pay for a trim or go into a fund for supplements. People have sent me donations of $5.00, any amount is good.”

Rescuing horses, bringing them back to health and fighting for donations keeps Nash pretty busy but she still finds time to help other rescues. Nash is a Vice President of Gray Dapple Rescue, another small, Pennsylvania-based horse rescue run by Amanda Sorvino. Nash and Sorvino also went after and are trying to shut down Bravo Packing, a horse slaughter operation in Salem, New Jersey. A look at Sorvino’s operation is next for saving horses, one at a time.