dailyprompt

60 Happens

~ MaryG ~ 21 Comments

Lo and behold, I’m able to answer today’s daily prompt! (Typically I see a message saying that I have already answered the daily prompt, as I’ve been blogging regularly for well over a year now.)

How do you waste the most time every day?

The big news is that I started this blog when I turned 50 and named it accordingly, but the seasons…they go round and round…and now I’m 60.

And, I’m still wasting far too much time looking at social media. I’ve even added TikTok to my repertoire. Oy.

But here’s what I’m going to try to stop wasting so much time on this decade: controlling situations and worrying about outcomes. I’m really REALLY going to try to live in the moment more. I want to enjoy my life.

Stephanie’s terrific response about worry reminded me that just recognizing when you’re fretting is a step in the right direction.

From the moment we get a positive pregnancy test to the day we die, moms will worry about their kids, but the active “molding” phase of that job is over for me. I can relax. I’ve told my kids everything I think they should know. We got them all the shots, hosted all the birthday parties, went to all the games, helped with all the homework, paid all the tuition bills. We did good! If I die tomorrow, they will be fine.

So, as a first step, here’s three things I enjoyed recently:

  1. Swimming outside – my outdoor lap pool is open for the season and how lucky am I that I get to swim in a nice, warm, sun-filled lap lane?
  2. Strawberries 🍓- It’s strawberry season here and they are delicious.
  3. Books – I got a free Audibles subscription for two months and have started listening to books, which is a very different experience. I find that memoirs read by the author are especially good, because they know exactly which words to emphasize! (Currently listening to Molly Jong-Fast’s new book: “How to Lose Your Mother: A Daughter’s Memoir”)

Final thought: hating DJT and everything he represents and does has been a pretty major feature of the past ten years for me. In order to enjoy my life more, I need to somehow let that go a bit. My feeling is that maybe by staying involved in my church (which is full of activists), I can feel like I’m doing something without letting the political situation make me feel hopeless. Would love any tips that other like-minded people may have about this.

Massachusetts farmstand strawberries

One if by Land, Two if by Sea

~ MaryG ~ 7 Comments

I’m locked out of WordPress Daily Prompts (because I’ve already responded to all of them) and I don’t usually look back at my old responses, but in this case, I’m happy to report that I did something I said I would do!

History at my doorstep

My husband and I visited the newly renovated Concord Museum in December and it was impressive.

This year, 2025, is the 250th anniversary of the start of the American Revolution, specifically the Battles of Lexington and Concord (April 19, 1775).

Along with the Old North Bridge Visitor Center, the Concord Museum is the place to learn about the American Revolution. If you don’t know the story of the lantern warning (“one if by land, two if by sea”) and Paul Revere’s famous ride from Boston to warn the colonists (“the British are coming!”), you’ll learn it here.

There’s also a ton of cultural information about Concord’s many famous intellectuals and writers like Louisa May Alcott, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and Henry David Thoreau. Many unsung leaders of both the abolitionist and suffrage movements also lived in Concord.


John “Jack” Garrison was an African American man who escaped slavery in New Jersey around 1810 and settled in Concord, Massachusetts. In Concord, he worked as a woodcutter and day laborer. In 1812, he married Susan Robbins, the daughter of Caesar Robbins, a Revolutionary War veteran. Together, Jack and Susan raised nine children, four of whom survived into adulthood. Despite the challenges of his early life, Jack became an integral part of the Concord community. He was known for walking around town with his saw-horse over his shoulder and his saw on his arm, even into his 60s. In recognition of his status as the oldest person in town, he was presented with a walking stick, which is now part of the Concord Museum’s collection. Jack’s life in Concord was marked by both acceptance and the persistent threat of capture due to the Fugitive Slave Acts.
Colonial era silver on display at the Concord Museum

Something new I learned is that a lot of “privileged” white Concord ladies used their influence for good, mainly by talking some sense into the white men. For example, did you know that Ralph Waldo Emerson had to be convinced that slavery was bad? Seriously, Ralph?? And guess who convinced him. Women. Especially Elizabeth Palmer Peabody, a close friend and vocal abolitionist, and his aunt, Mary Moody Emerson.

Blogging challenge

A logo for "50 Happens," [a site dedicated to Gen X women with children and grandchildren] [who embrace life's challenges with humor and resilience], [featuring a modern and uplifting design] [that embodies strength and positivity] [with an elegant and playful style] [and a harmonious blend of colors like pink, fuchsia, purple, and blue].
~ MaryG ~ 13 Comments

Thank you Stephanie for nominating me to participate in this fun blogging challenge.

How did you come up with your blog name? 

I turned 50 (as one does, if one is fortunate) and felt the urge to do something new, like start a blog. Fifty just sort of “happens” — it sneaks up on you and seems a bit more dramatic than either 30 or 40. Whereas there’s a good chance you’ll live to 60 or 80, there’s only a very slim chance (0.0173%) that you’ll live to 100. You can be pretty sure your life is more than half over at 50.

If your blog was a person (fiction or real), who would it be?

Hmmm…this one is hard. I’m obviously no Anne Lamott, but if she had a blog, I have no doubt I’d read every post.

What helps you create new content if you feel like you need some inspiration?

I like a writing prompt like this one (thanks Stephanie) or the WP Daily Prompt.

Do you have a specific style of blogging?

Gosh, I don’t know. Let’s ask ChatGPT.

“Her writing style is confessional, characterized by personal reflections and candid expressions of her thoughts and feelings. She discusses topics ranging from family traditions, such as holiday baking, to her reactions to current events, often conveying a sense of humor and resilience. This confessional style is popular among bloggers, as it allows for a personal connection with readers through the sharing of intimate experiences and emotions.”

Is there anyone you would like to collaborate with?

I do love 80s memories, music, and trivia. Maybe a bunch of GenX bloggers could all tackle a shared topic like “where were you when…(the Space Shuttle Challenger blew up)” or something like that.

Is there anything more you wish you had or would like to learn as a blogger?

Honestly, no. I like my blog, I love my regular readers (I like reading their blogs too) and I really have no desire to write fiction or get published.

I would appreciate it if WordPress would come up with some new Daily Prompts. After responding to them for a full year, it says I’ve already “answered” each one daily and doesn’t offer a new one.

My nominees:

S.J. Asher

Anyone else who wants to join in the fun!

Off the rails

~ MaryG ~ 10 Comments

Do you ever see wild animals?

I see lots of wild animals around here, but I don’t feel like writing about them today.

Unfortunately I took a peek at the national news yesterday and I’m feeling scared today. It feels as if the country is definitely going off the rails. Humans behaving like animals is going to be the norm.

For the most part, I have not been watching the news since the election, but my husband told me about the assassination of the UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, and then my son showed me the horrific video. It was so chilling. I was thinking, “Is this Russia? Is the President-elect somehow involved in this?” I literally thought that…and I am not a whacko conspiracy theorist.

But the reality is almost worse. The overwhelming reaction to this guy’s murder is completely justifiable rage at the health insurance industry. There is very little sympathy for his widow and children. I did a quick check of social media and it seemed the overwhelming consensus to the police’s request for help in finding the suspect is “snitches get stitches.” (So yeah, maybe “the public option” or even “Medicare for All” weren’t such crazy communist ideas after all.)

Animals. We are like animals now.

Then I read a quick article about the animal that has been nominated to lead our Department of Defense—Peter Hegseth. If you think “animal” is too harsh a characterization, please just google him. This guy could be walking around with the nuclear codes as soon as next month. I wonder if he’ll keep them in a pocket near his pro-Crusades tattoo?

Animals. An animal is nominating other animals to help him debase this country to a level we could have never imagined 10 years ago.

Pop quiz

~ MaryG ~ 18 Comments

Do you have a favorite place you have visited? Where is it?

A year ago this week we were wrapping up a bucket list trip to Paris. I loved it and posted many times about it, with lots of photos.

Below are four iconic works of art we saw there.

Just for fun:

Can you name the artist or title of each work without the help of Google or ChatGPT?

If you took Art History 101 and 102, you really should get 100%. If you weren’t a scarf-wearing liberal arts major in the 80s (like me), I think you should still be able to get a 50 or 75.

Good luck.

Artwork 1
Artwork 2
Artwork 3
Artwork 4

Five skills

~ MaryG ~ 6 Comments

Share five things you’re good at.

I attended a three-hour business zoom meeting last night for my church. We are an elected, unpaid executive board. Someone else was running the meeting and honestly, it was pretty bad…poorly organized and inefficient. We spent an excessive amount of time on non-issues and didn’t even get to the important items until 9:15pm.

I’m realizing that even though I’m good at it, I don’t want to do volunteer roles like this. If I’m going to do “work work,” I want to be paid. If I’m going to volunteer, I want it to be fun.

I still managed to accomplish several things for the church during the meeting using my business skills:

  1. Perceptiveness (understanding situations clearly)
  2. Prioritizing
  3. Speaking directly
  4. Writing succinctly
  5. Getting shit done

I have fully recovered from whatever Imposter Syndrome I may have had when I was younger (see yesterday’s post).

Acceptance

~ MaryG ~ 7 Comments

What is one thing you would change about yourself?

One great thing about growing older is that you finally accept yourself. I know a lot of people want to lose weight and that sort of thing after 50, but for the most part, you’ve accepted who you are as a person by age fifty.

If you were a dutiful oldest daughter for too long, you should be fully over it by age 50. Even if your parents are still alive, their guilt trips should no longer hurt you. If you got raised in a repressive church, you should have escaped it by now and realized that you have agency. You are the captain of your own ship. Whatever you feel is correct. You don’t have to be nice all the time. You can say no. If you’ve been feeling anger over what’s been going on in this country since 2016, that’s fully justified. If you are angry and fearful about what’s coming next, that’s also fine. No need to apologize to anyone for anything you say or do, women especially.

So no, I’m 59 and I’m perfect. There’s nothing I would change.

I’m so perfect I could be a Disney Princess. (AI image generated by my daughter, who is also perfect.)

Sunrise, sunset

~ MaryG ~ 2 Comments

Are you more of a night or morning person?

If the title of this post makes you immediately start humming Fiddler on the Roof (original Broadway cast album starring Zero Mostel), then you are my people.

I searched my photo drive, for “sunrise” photos and found just ONE (and I have thousands and thousands of photos).

This is sunrise over Trustom Pond National Wildlife Refuge in South Kingstown, Rhode Island.

Whereas I’ve got sunset photos up the wazoo (in America, that means more than I could ever use). I could make sunset photo calendars every year for the rest of my life and still not use them all.

So, I’m going to use this hard evidence to conclude that I am not a morning person.

Here’s a sunset photo from the same vacation in Rhode Island. This is Westerly/Watch Hill. Taylor Swift has a house nearby.

Fromage, my true love

~ MaryG ~ 2 Comments

What are your feelings about eating meat?

I wish I could envision being satisfied without ever eating meat, but I can’t. Sometimes I choose the vegan option at church lunches, but I’m always still hungry immediately afterwards. I could potentially go vegetarian (no meat, but dairy OK), but I’m pretty sure that would result in me eating such massive amounts of cheese, that my cholesterol levels would go through the roof and they are already too high.

I think I have to include chicken and lean beef in my diet in order to keep things balanced. Otherwise, I’d be dreaming about cheese glorious cheese day and night.

Sweet Potato Pie and Sausage Stuffing

~ MaryG ~ 9 Comments

Do you or your family make any special dishes for the holidays?

We officially took over hosting Thanksgiving from my parents a few years ago, as they are now both 85+. The two things I make the day before Thanksgiving (today) are sweet potato pies and sausage stuffing.

Since my sweet potato pie recipe (with photos) is linked above, I’m going to write up my sausage stuffing recipe for posterity. It comes from my mother, who got it from her mother, who probably got it from her mother. Long live the matriarchy.

Mom’s Turkey Stuffing

Brown two 16oz roll packages of pork sausage (Jimmy Dean, Jones Farm, etc) with one large cut-up onion in a Dutch Oven.

This type of sausage is found in the frozen foods section. You need to thaw it in the fridge before you make the stuffing.

Break up into small pieces a stale-ish loaf of bread and combine it with the sausage mixture. (If the bread is too fresh, it doesn’t work well. You can leave your bread out the night before to dry it out a bit.)

Add 1-2 teaspoons Bell’s poultry seasoning and salt & pepper to taste.

“Since 1867” (wow, that’s an old company)

Add water, if needed, to moisten the mixture.

Keep in the refrigerator overnight and stuff the bird in the morning.

Whatever doesn’t fit in the turkey, can be baked in a casserole dish until hot.

This is how the stuffing looks before I stick it in the fridge for the night.

Happy Thanksgiving 🦃🍁