FOUR THINGS THAT HELPED

1. SLING - At Urgent Care, after X-rays confirmed my broken arm, the nurse brought in two slings. A size small and a size large. I was in so much pain that I didn’t ask but assumed they were out of medium slings. I was fitted with the large sling…and it was, Large. Too large. I was in so much pain that I could barely talk, so didn’t complain. But the very next day I went on Amazon and ordered a size medium sling.

2. PJ’S - My sleep outfit has always been an Xtra Large T-shirt and cotton pants. But because I couldn’t bend my broken arm, putting on a T shirt was impossible. I ordered 3 sets of the cheapest short sleeve button down pajama sets I could find on Amazon. They do the job, and I am looking forward to donating these to goodwill.

3. SHORT SLEEVED BUTTON-DOWN SHIRTS - Prior to the accident I practically lived-in long-sleeved flannel shirts. I tried rolling up the sleeves on one of my shirts, but I still couldn’t bend my arm enough to get the shirt on. I ended up purchasing my first Luau shirt off Amazon. Wish I was vacationing on the beach in Hawaii instead of recuperating in Canoga Park!

4. A CARING HUSBAND - Every day since the accident Tony has made me breakfast, lunch and dinner. At night he brings me ice packs. He never complains. He has done all the shopping. All the laundry. He has been encouraging and sympathetic. I could go on and on, but I think you get the drift. BTW I didn’t find him on Amazon, but Veggiedate.com.

 

How I broke my humerus

It was a normal day. Up at 6:00AM, breakfast and then off to the Beehive for an hour on the Treadmill. Next on my TO DO LIST was a quick Target trip for household paper goods.

Made it home and started unloading the car. Our indoor ladder is barely 3 feet high, but I needed to be on the top rung to stack the 2 large 18 rolls of toilet paper in the garage. One down and holding onto the 2nd packet and as I tried to place it atop the first it slipped and instinctively, I tried to catch it. Missed.

It felt as if I was falling in slow motion, but it only took a few seconds for me to land on the hard concrete floor. 

Screams. Blood. Tears. 911.

 

 

Follow Your Heart - I did!

I have a long history with the Follow Your Heart Cafe. I first heard about it in the 1970’s and although I didn’t live in the San Fernando Valley, I drove the distance to sit at their counter and dine on one of their vegetarian delights.

My first date with Tony was at FYH. What I remember about the night wasn’t the food or conversation, but that in the parking lot he gave me a rose from his garden. Our visits to FYH continued throughout our relationship. So much so, that we chose to have FYH bake our wedding cake.

Twenty-four years may have passed and we still love FYH. And Tony still picks me flowers from our garden. Yesterday it was a gardenia.

On Saturday to celebrate my first outing since my accident we had brunch at FYH. Some things never change - lots of love and laughter. 

 

 

Elderly Young at Heart Perfume

My all-time favorite perfume is Shalimar by Guerlain. I wore it for so many years, that it became my trademark. After my divorce I switched to a vanilla perfume. It was expensive but it was worth it to smell like a cookie. I say that because I once attended a play where the lady in the seat directly in front of me, turned to her companion and said, “I am craving a chocolate chip cookie!” In retrospect, I think I might have used just a tad too much perfume that night.

Over the years I went from $$$ perfume to $ Bath & Body Works Calypso Clementine Perfume Spray. I love the scent of orange blossoms, and it fitted my “retired elderly” lifestyle. But then everything changed last August when I went to NY and discovered Desert Kush by Dilo. I know zilch about the psychology of perfume, but it made me feel young again. 

I then started thinking about the power of something as simple as a scent and wondered if there was such a thing as a school for budding perfumers. Well, you could have knocked me over with a feather! There are actual schools in France and throughout the US where you can learn the art of perfumery.   

I now have a new respect for the complexity of perfume. I used to only wear perfume when I went to work or someplace special. Not anymore. Someone worked damn hard to create Desert Kush and I will proudly wear it every single day.

 

Why Did I Buy It?

When I go shopping with my daughter Cassandra, I seem to lose the rational part of my mind. I’ll try on something, she’ll say it looks great you need to buy it, and I do. More than once I have regretted my purchase, but the one item I can barely look at is the infamous Kelly green top.

I literally don’t know what came over me. First off, it’s a color that I never wear. Secondly, it’s huge. Thirdly, it’s not my style. And fourthly, it cost $350!!!!!

Hurts to admit, but I have NEVER worn it. Once I tried to sell it on Poshmart, without success. Every now and then I take it out of the storage bin and sneak a peek. Nope, still hate it.

So, to sum up this sad blog post, what would I do with the $350 if I could take back time? What else, but go on another shopping adventure with Cassandra.

 

Why Did I Sell It?

Years ago, while in NYC, I happened upon a wonderful little shop called Bettie Paige. Bettie, the quintessential pin-up star from the 50’s, was a playboy model and winner of the prestigious Pin-up Girl of the World contest. Her style was the essence of sexy, and her clothing represented her naughty girl style.

It was a fun shop filled with retro clothes, and I ended up purchasing a retro, light-weight leopard cardigan sweater with ¾ sleeves. Perfect for Los Angeles.

I loved the sweater, but I didn’t wear it much. Actually, “much” is an exaggeration. I only remember wearing it once. Several years later, during a closet declutter, I decided to bid farewell to my Bettie sweater and listed it on eBay where it sold in a matter of days.

A few more years passed and while looking for a new purse on Amazon, saw this darling yellow purse (see photo above). Click. Love the purse and immediately went to look for my leopard sweater. And then I remembered. I sold it.

It would have made such a cute outfit. Picture it: black boots, jeans, leopard sweater and my yellow purse with leopard trim. Cause that is what it will always be – just a picture in my head.

Next up – Why Did I Buy It?

 

This is a Story

We love The Broad Museum. It’s been around since 2015 and is dedicated exclusively to postwar and contemporary art, emphasizing works created primarily from the 1950’s onward.

It offers free general admission with a small fee for special exhibits. A few years ago, we saw a wonderful exhibit of Keith Haring and last week we went to the Robert Therrien exhibit that featured 120 pieces of his art from simple drawings to super large pieces.

One thing I love about his work is that he chose to leave most of his works untitled. His reasoning was that the viewer was supposed to figure that out for themself. Okay Robert, I christen this exhibit Alice EllenBee in Wonderland Wonderful!