Sue Counts

My friend, Sue Counts, retired three years ago as the Director of the North Carolina Cooperative Extension in Watauga County after more than 40 years in government.  During her tenure, Sue initiated educational programs in the areas of sustainable tourism, sustainable energy, Hispanic outreach, and women in agriculture.  Sue says, “At this point in my life, I’m seeking a better life for the Baby Boomers who are entering that stage of their lives known as ‘the senior years’.”  So, when Dene Peterson, the founder of ElderSpirit Community came to Boone a few weeks ago to talk about her life’s work, Sue was there attending meetings about the possibility of creating such a community in Watauga County, NC.  She graciously shares important information on “Retirement Housing.”

IT’S OFFICIAL!  We are now in the “ERA OF THE GOLDEN BOOMERS!”.  On January 1, 2011 the very first Baby Boomer turned 65, and 10,000 boomers will turn 65 every day for the next 19 years.  This gigantic generation has transformed America as they have passed through every stage of life…..and housing for the elderly will not be any exception.

It's Official

Co-housing communities if you will!  These communities bring together the value of private homes with the benefits of more sustainable living.  That means common facilities and good connections with neighbors.  All in all, they stand as innovative answers to today’s environmental and social problems.

According to Charles Durrett, author of Senior Cohousing Handbook — 2nd Edition, A Community Approach to Independent Living, “No matter how rich life is in youth and middle age, the elder years can bring on increasing isolation and loneliness as social connections lessen, especially if friends and family members move away.  Senior co-housing fills a niche for this demographic — the healthy, educated and proactive adults who want to live in a social and environmentally vibrant community.  These seniors are already wanting to ward off the aging process, so they are unlikely to want to live in assisted housing.  Senior co-housing revolves around custom-built neighborhoods organized by the seniors themselves in order to fit in with their real needs, wants, and aspirations for health, longevity and quality of life.”

Elderspirit Community

The ElderSpirit Community at Trailview in Abingdon, Virginia is the living example of a community of mutual support and late life spirituality.  It is the first mixed-income, mixed ownership Elder Co-Housing Community in the United States and in this capacity it is making its way as it “walks the talk.”  The founder of ElderSpirit Community is Geraldine “Dene” Peterson, a “spry” woman in her 80’s who recently received the “Lifetime Achievement Award” at the 2011 National Cohousing Conference in Washington, DC.

Dene Peterson

At eighteen, Dene  Peterson left her parents and ten siblings to join a convent. She ultimately chose to leave the religious order, but her spirituality remained deeply rooted. In 1995, at age 65, she created the ElderSpirit Community in Abingdon, Virginia. Inspired by a Danish model, Peterson wanted to form a co-housing retirement community that would allow friends to live together in a collaborative and supportive setting while also offering some of the autonomy of private dwellings.  Peterson also envisioned an alternative to institutional long-term care, a place where community members would have the emotional support of their peers as well as the necessary medical assistance to live out their lives at home.  Using a creative patchwork of funding from public and private resources, Peterson raised $3.5 million, and her vision materialized.  Construction of the 29 residences, common community building, and a prayer room was completed in late spring of 2006 and houses both the moderate and low-income.  The model has gained national attention, and an ElderSpirit outreach extension program in now helping to plan similar communities in Florida, North Carolina, Ohio, Kansas, and Virginia.

The ElderSpirit Community is dedicated to making possible new opportunities for Elders in the 21st Century.  The ElderSpirit Community values are: To live in a community of diverse spiritual paths; To give and receive support in relationship with neighbors in community; To belong to a community who make the decisions on how they will live together; and To encourage each other to live simply and care for the earth.

Annice

Last winter was long, cold and miserable.  It’s one winter I want to forget.  I spent months taking care of my husband (after he fell on ice and had to have a hip replacement) and feeling sorry for myself.  When Spring finally arrived, it brought my father’s passing followed by the death of both my dogs within three months of each other.  At long last, I received some good news.  I was gifted one full week in a writer’s residency program at the glorious Wild Acres Retreat Center in the North Carolina mountains.  Their website says, “The program allows individuals the solitude and inspiration needed to begin or continue work on a project in their particular field.”  And so, from Sept. 5-12^th, I stayed at the Owl’s Nest Cabin, tucked away in the mountains to work on my novel without any interruptions – none.  No distractions – none.  No T.V., no cell phone service, no internet, and no iPod.  It was just me, my laptop, my yoga mat, and 23 chapters of my book needing to be revised.  

As if that wasn’t cool enough, I also didn’t have to spend time preparing any meals, or cleaning or washing anything.  I didn’t have to be concerned about anyone other than myself.  How often does that happen?

SEE ANNICE WRITE

I was pretty much off the grid (without a car) and had to hike ¼ mile up to the main campus for my meals.  No big deal.  However, I was a little alarmed about a few things such as critters in my room and hunters on the gravel road near my cabin with their barking dogs.  You see, it’s bear hunting season in the mountains, and while I don’t want to be judgmental regarding a tradition that is centuries old, I am disturbed to know that folks are still out there hunting bears.  I mean, what for?

NOT MY HAND

As for critters, I had a ring-neck snake in my cabin which I managed to get out without killing it.  How did I know it was a ring-neck snake?  When I described it to people at lunch, they informed me that’s what it was.  I don’t like snakes, but I survived that crisis and moved on to another crisis, a yoga crisis.

When I left my house, I grabbed the September issue of the Yoga Journal  in case I needed it.  So, while I was patting myself on the back for progressing so well on my revision, I put myself in a funk practicing Hanumanasana (full splits).  Well, I knew it wasn’t an easy pose and certainly not one I ever practice out of class, but hey, I figured in a week I would make some progress- NOT.  So, frustration paid me a long visit that week, thanks to my greedy self wanting immediate results.   It’s amazing how we can find things to be discouraged about even when we don’t have to.  Once again, my mat teaches me a lesson.  I guess a yoga retreat is in order next.

YES SHE CAN!

SADHVI

It’s National Book Week.  Or that is what I was told by a friend on Facebook.  I thought it was a fun 2 minute diversion to an otherwise hectic day.

The rules: Grab the closest book to you.  Go to page 56.  Copy the 5th sentence.  Don’t mention the book.  Pass it along.

“Every woman wants to kill the husband – it is another matter that she does not kill him – because if she kills him, what will she do?”

*Note: I know this quote seems strange, but just so you know, I was feeling overwhelmed and my husband was adding to the mix; so when I picked a random book from the shelf, and read this  quote I had to laugh!  I am not a violent person, and I wasn’t thinking to kill him either. Enjoy!

SADHVI'S MEXICAN TORCHFLOWER

SADHVI

It’s been really hot on the eastern side of the US.  Or maybe it’s just a long hot flash?  Either way, I haven’t felt like doing much cooking in the evening lately.  So I try to take it easy and make simple things for dinner, like cold beet salad (I LOVE BEETS!) with fresh goat cheese and something from the garden, like dill.  I have a feeling that everyone has their own recipe with their own memories from their grandma or mother making it, so I won’t post mine.  You do know that I really don’t follow any recipes anyways, right?  And that it’s too hot for me to prepare dinner AND write down what I’m doing?

Oh, and by the way, if you happen to be living on the western coast of the States, where it’s been cold, well, you can still make fresh steamed or juiced beets – beets are so good for you.  Didn’t Dr. Oz talk about them recently?

But here is a recipe from Clara, who is almost taking the place of Oprah.  I find this woman fascinating!  She’s lived through the depression, and she looks terrific!  She has her own website, and her own book.  Maybe everyone but me knows about Clara, but if you are not familiar with her, take a few moments to watch her in action.  I think you’ll agree, she’s a treasure.

P.S. Thanks Garima for sharing!

Stay Cool,

Sadhvi

SADHVI

I wanted to share my secret to eternal youth this week, but I couldn’t think of one.  Then I thought I could let you in on how at the age of 53, I’ve invested wisely and am now retired, except that this is not the case.

So instead I’m going to share something that I think is pretty interesting.  I was looking at the data collected from GoogleAnalytics, a free service from Google that shows which key words people are punching into their search boxes, and how many of them there are.  What I discovered is that the majority of people using the web are trying to find their perfect mate!  Uh oh, wait!  I think that also includes porn sites.  Geez.  I shouldn’t be surprised, since just about all of my single friends use online dating these days.  I even have friends who tell me, “I’ve got to find time to get on Match.com!”.

If only they realized that their type of “Mr. Right” is not anywhere but between the pages of a book.  Because having been in a relationship for over 25 years with the same partner, I can attest that it ain’t like what these single friends are yearning for.  It is not necessarily bad, it just isn’t romance every day!

MR. RIGHT THERE ALL ALONG

If I were looking, I definitely wouldn’t look for a potential relationship online!  They pick the picture themselves and they write things that make them appear like they are auctioning themselves off on the block!

If I were looking for love, I would join a tango class, or a bowling league, or maybe just go the library and get some Harlequin romance novels and drift away in a comfortable chair.  Or just order online at my favorite book site: Better World Books.  A much better company than Amazon to support, by the way.

Here’s a quote from a summer read that I recently picked up (no pun intended).  Let me know if you agree with me that reading about romance might be better than an actual relationship.  It’s cheaper. There is no compromise.  When your heart gets broken, vicariously of course, it will be better by the end of the book.

Enjoy!

Sadhvi

SADHVI'S SWISS LINZER TORTE

A lot has happened since I had that dream of Arianna Huffinton wanting me to be her friend on FaceBook.  The earthquake in Japan.  The Tsunami in Japan.  The Nuclear Nightmare in Japan.  Coming to terms with my heart opening and crying for what seemed like a long, long time.  People all around not really feeling it.  As if, since it didn’t happen here, and there is nothing to be done about it, well, Japan will recover.  Something feels broken to me and something feels more insane in the world.  I feel both scared and relaxed a lot of the time.  I  turned 53 last week, and I woke up to having jowls, just like all the women on my mother’s side of the family.

THE FIRST SPRING CROCUS

Spring has come.  And here where I live it feels already like summer.

I also made one of my favorite things to eat, something that I have not made for maybe 20 years:  A Swiss Linzer Torte.  The recipe I want to share is exactly the same kind you would find in any Bakery in Switzerland, and boy, it is good.  Which made me happy, and made me feel like there is hope.

This recipe is easy and is truly divine.  Oh, I know that the metric is a drag, but only if you don’t have that manual metric scale that is very affordable and ever so easy to use like I have.  Don’t go to Amazon, Google it and shop someplace local, so that you can get it in person, Ok?  Because if you order it from Amazon, and it is broken, you will not be able to return it to Amazon, etc.  I am trying to spare you from having the nightmares that I have had with them on more than one occasion.  I try not to get anything on Amazon.  No customer service.  No, I mean, horrible customer service.  In fact, before I forget to tell you, if you like to buy books, go to Better World Books online.  They are a great company with great prices on new and used books, and they contribute money to promote literacy and help fund libraries.  Oh, and they have free shipping.  Thank you Tosh for sharing that site.  Ok, here is the recipe:  Here is to things getting better everywhere.

Sadhvi’s Swiss Linzer Torte

(preheat oven 400 F about half way through this recipe)

200 g. soft Butter (7 oz)

200 g. Sugar (7 oz)

2 Eggs

1 pinch Salt

1 t. Cinnamon

1 “tip-of-the-knife” bit of ground Cloves

1 T. Chocolate Powder, or the same of grated Dark Chocolate

200 g. ground Almonds (7 oz.)

250 g. Flour (a little less than 9 oz)

Butter for the 11 inch springform pan, or a tart pan

400 g. Raspberry Jam (14 oz.)

(I used a couple of spoons of some Red Currant Jam that I had too)

1 egg, beaten with a fork, to paint over the top of the crust

a.) Mix the Butter and the Sugar in a bowl.  Add the Eggs, Salt, Spices, Chocolate Powder and ground Almonds

b.) Sift the Flour into the mix and quickly make into a dough ball.  Put in the fridge for 30 minutes.

c.) Divide the dough ball into 4 parts.  Take 2 and roll them out and put in the bottom of your pan.  With the 3rd part, roll it out, length-wise about finger thick, and place around the edge of the pan.

d.) Spread the jam on the bottom

e.) Roll out the last portion of the dough out onto some parchment paper, oh about 1/16th of an inch, and put in the fridge until it’s firm

f.) Cut the dough into finger-wide strips (or hearts!) and put them on top, making sure they are firmly put on the edges.

g.) With the mixed egg, take a brush and  “paint” over the top of the dough

h.)  Bake for 30 – 40 minutes

It gets better as it gets older, but I seriously doubt that it will last more than a couple of hours, er, I mean days!

Enjoy!

Annice

I hope this is the last post I write about taking care of my husband and all my tsores (yiddish for troubles).  As expected, Len turned the corner from being in pain all the time and taking lots of drugs to moving about more, going up and down the stairs, and reducing his pain meds.

Better Days

Like him, Gus  also turned the corner so we are all doing better.   I’m even back at work part-time.  Being home-bound with Len has been a true learning experience, and, as a woman over 50, I feel liberated enough to say, I didn’t like it.  It made me feel isolated and anxious, and considering I am a 7 (Enthusiast) on the Enneagram that was tough.  By the way,  if you’re not familiar with the Enneagram personality profiles, check it out!  Seven’s are extroverted, optimistic, versatile, and spontaneous.  At their best, they focus their talents on worthwhile goals, becoming appreciative, joyous, and satisfied.  At their worst, well, let’s just say that nursing would not be good for a 7, as being patient often feels like being stuck.  Needless to say, I have work to do on that one.

.

Being home-bound has made me realize how much I like my work.  I’m not a workaholic, but I like my work and love the interaction with people.  Friends and family asked me what I did all day during the downtime.   Well, what kept me from going over the edge emotionally was getting on the yoga mat, reading wonderful novels, facebook, and re-visiting cookbooks.  I’ve been preparing 3 square meals daily for almost 6 weeks, and I’ve never done that before.  I’m pretty much cooked out!  Last night I made an “Indian Samosa Casserole” and a Green Bean Salad with Miso dressing, compliments of the  January issue of the Vegetarian Times. You can be sure with me back at to work part-time, the food fest is over.  Let the diet begin!

Last night's dinner

Ingredient List

Serves 6

Crust

• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 2 Tbs. vegetable oil

Filling

• 1 Tbs. black or yellow mustard seeds
• 1 tsp. curry powder
• 1 tsp. ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
• 1/8 tsp. red pepper flakes, optional
• 5 medium potatoes, peeled and quartered (1 1/4 lb.)
• 1 1/2 tsp. vegetable oil
• 1 medium onion, diced (1 cup)
• 1 medium carrot, diced (1/2 cup)
• 3 cloves garlic, minced (1 Tbs.)
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 1 cup low-sodium vegetable broth
• 2 tsp. agave nectar or sugar
• 2 Tbs. soy milk

To make Crust:

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.  Whisk together flours and salt in bowl.  Stir in oil until clumps form.  Add 6 to 10 Tbs. cold water, 1 Tbs. at a time, until dough holds together.  Shape into ball, cover with damp towel, and set aside.

To make Filling:

2. Stir together mustard seeds, curry, ginger, cumin, and red pepper flakes (if using) in bowl; set aside.

3. Cook potatoes in boiling salted water 15 minutes, or until tender.  Drain, return to pot, and mash, leaving small chunks.

4. Heat oil in skillet over medium heat.  Add onion, carrot, and garlic, and sauté 5 minutes, or until carrot is tender.  Move onion mixture to side of pan, and add mustard seed mixture in center.  Toast 30 seconds.  Stir in peas and broth.  Fold onion mixture into potato mixture; stir in agave nectar.  Season with salt and pepper, if desired.

Spread Filling in 9-inch pie pan. Set aside.

5. Roll out Crust dough to 11-inch circle on floured work surface.  Cover Filling with dough, pressing down to make sure no air pockets remain.  Trim away excess dough, and crimp edges with fingers.  Cut X in center to vent steam; brush with soy milk just before baking.  Place pie on baking sheet, and bake 40 to 50 minutes, or until crust is golden. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

6. Frozen cooking instructions:  Preheat oven to 375°F. Place casserole on baking sheet, and bake 75 to 90 minutes, or until Filling bubbles and Crust is golden. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Nutritional Information

Per slice: Calories: 299, Protein: 7g, Total fat: 7g, Saturated fat: <1g, Carbs: 54g, Cholesterol: mg, Sodium: 469mg, Fiber: 7g, Sugars: 7g

Annice

I was first introduced to the writing of Nawal El Saadawi,  Egyptian doctor and  feminist, as early as 1980 when I was in college and reading all the feminist literature I could get my hands on.

Nawal El Saadawi

After reading one of her first books, The Hidden Face of Eve, Women in the Arab World,  I was captivated by El Saadawi’s disturbing account of religious and political oppression of women in her country as well as in the region.  It was through her writing that I first learned about female circumcision of young girls.  Living in exile for decades, she finally returned to Egypt.  I was thrilled to read an interview with her published Feb. 11^th, in The Root.  We wish Dr. El Saadawi well on her journey for liberation in her homeland.

guest writer Kathryn Wilson

Following Kathryn’s story on Monday, we’re continuing with Part II of E., One Intrepid Senior

E. worked as a model in post-war Manhattan for the Elizabeth Arden Salon and lived in the famous Barbizon Hotel in the mid 1940’s. This glamorous part of her life led her to meet Gloria Vanderbilt, Marlene Dietrich, and her first husband, D.      

After marrying D. and living in New York and Cincinnati, E. returned to her hometown of Louisville after the death of D. to start Louisville’s first finishing school. Once the charm school was successful, E. moved on to pursue her true love—art.  She and two friends started Talents Unlimited, a company that sold art supplies, taught classes, and specialized in unique Christmas dioramas that E. designed and crafted.  These wreaths were hot ticket items, frequently requested and often selling for more than $300 a piece.  Each wreath was highly specialized, electric, and musical, and featured detailed Christmas scenes.  E. even had one of her more elaborate wreaths, modeled after the Kennedys’ last Christmas in the Blue Room, accepted by the Kennedy Memorial Library.  The wreaths have been showcased in museums and craft shows across the country, winning many awards.

Eloise's wreath

E. has traveled to many exotic locales, including Paris, Hong Kong, Haiti, and Thailand.  She has had many adventures abroad, including meeting Maria von Trapp and, in a separate instance, nearly being kidnapped.  E. and I spent an entire day viewing slides of these beautiful trips to near and far.  She will soon be leaving for her yearly sojourn to her condo in Highland Beach, where she will wait out the icy Kentucky winter in the peaceful warmth and light of Florida.

In short, E. has had an amazing life, one worthy of transcribing and well-deserving of the title she’s chosen: Yes, I’ve Had a Life.  She is an admirable woman who has made the most of her life.  I have found myself inspired continuously throughout the process.  Yes, I hope my life will be just as exciting as E.’s, but I also hope to never forget the importance of each person’s life story.  I know now that these small anecdotes are always worth observing more closely, no matter how high the pile of surrounding souvenirs may be.

Kathryn Wilson

Our friend, Kathryn Wilson is not one of us.  She is NOT a woman over 50,  but we want to introduce her to you anyway.    She lives in Louisville, Kentucky, and is currently enrolled in Pacific University’s M.F.A. in Fiction program.  She is an aspiring writer and editor.  She hopes to one day relocate to the Pacific Northwest with her boyfriend and two cats.

Kathryn is writing an autobiography of a beautiful woman 85 years old, so we’ve invited her to share part of her work with us.  So, sit back and read Part I of this lovely woman called E.

Eloise Then

For the past two months, I have been assisting a charming 85 year-old woman with the writing, formatting, and editing of her autobiography.  As you can imagine, this is no small task.  This lovely woman (let’s call her “E.”) is a somewhat disorganized and very busy woman with mountains of newspaper clippings, photographs, and other detritus that must be incorporated into her story in some way.

Why, you may ask, did I take on this arduous task?  There are two reasons.

First, I have always gotten along with elderly folk; I love their stories, their idiosyncrasies, their endearments, and free cookies, so getting paid to spend time with someone from my favorite demographic seemed too good to be true.  Secondly, I have always been inspired by my own grandmother’s stories of her life in the coal country of southern West Virginia.  My grandmother was recently diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, so I have quickly learned the importance of recording memories.  I related to E.’s wish to record her life story for future generations.

E. is, on the surface, just as sweet and amicable as your own grandmother; she frequently calls me “honey” and shares delicious Modjeska candy.  But it was in working on E.’s story and delving into the details of her life, that I found she is so much more than a delightful, polite elderly woman who just happens to live in a condo with seven bathrooms.

E. has witnessed a great deal of tragedy in her life.  She married three times; her first husband, the love of her life and a famous radio and television personality, died in a car wreck after they had only been married nine years.  Her son contracted polio, but luckily survived.  Her second husband, who she was married to for over thirty years, died after a lengthy and painful illness.  E. lives now with her third husband, J.  They were married in their childhood church and just happened to be the oldest couple ever wedded in the chapel.

E.’s adventures were not limited to her love life, however.  To read more, stay tuned for Part II.

Eloise Now

Photograph by Michael & Patricia Fogden/Corbis

I was going to write to all of our women over 50 bloggers about the changes I want to make in 2011, and believe me, there are more than enough to fill a week’s worth of posts.  However, as I look back at 2010, what strikes me most (besides the most obvious news stories) is that 2010 was the year of the vampire. It was everywhere.  Why are people so fascinated with vampires?  Not me, I’m all about getting rid of all the life sucking forces around me, and not only in 2011 but  “Ad infinitum et ultra!”

In 2010 I felt bombarded with vampire stuff everywhere around me.  Bookstores, movies, television, recipes, and even phone apps.  Even our beloved Jane Eyre has been reduced to a spin-off:  Jane Slayre by Charlotte Bronte and Sherri Browning Erwin.  

This volume takes Brontë’s classic and turns the Reed family into vampires, and Jane Eyre’s classmates into zombies.

Vampire Cupcake

If you were reading this vampire classic late into the night, were you sipping on your Vampire Blood Drink recipe courtesy of Michael Chiarello from the food network?  Maybe you preferred to veg out in front of the T.V. this past year.  If so, did you indulge in a vampire cupcake from Baking Bites? And, while you were devouring the last of your vampire cupcake crumbs, I know you enjoyed the all-American supernatural series, The Vampire Diaries.  Or, did you prefer the big screen?  Were you one of the millions that saw, Eclipse, voted the best vampire movie of 2010?  Have you had enough of The Twilight Saga films based on the books by author Stephanie Meyer which have been translated in 38 different languages?  A footnote here, the series grossed over $1.7 billion.  

Smashed from your vampire drink, you might’ve cruised the web for Bite This!  A Vampire Books blog for everything you ever wanted to know about vampires but were afraid to ask, including Vampire Apps for your iPhone like Choice of the Vampire: a text-based game where the user can begin her two-hundred year journey as a vampire in New Orleans circa 1815 for only $1.99.        

When you’re bored with that, I invite you to the fine sounds of vampire music videos (I’ll spare you).

Needing a laugh?  Try a few vampire jokes.  You can use them on your trick-or-treater’s or save them for your grandchildren on Halloween.

Like this one:  How do vampires get around on Halloween night?  By blood vessels.

So, move over David Letterman, oops50.com presents:

Top Ten Signs You’re Ridding your Life of Vampires

1. You get a big anti-vampire tattoo on your neck
2. You breathe in fire every morning after meditation
3. You drink a Martini with extra olives every Saturday night
4. You scrape the dishes religiously every night before loading the dishwasher
5. You start reading the old testament from the last page to the first
6. You never  step in dog poop
7. You never keep empty change in your pocket
8. You brush your teeth with garlic paste, mix a little anchovy paste in there for extra precaution
9. You play Tiptoe Through the Tulips  by Tiny Tim while you’re drinking that Martini with extra olives
10. You post these on Facebook

My friend, Kathy, is making her living these days as a freelance editor, and a new book that she developed and edited has just come out.  I’m particularly excited about it–and not just because Kathy is the editor.  It’s called Craft Hope:  Handmade Crafts for a Cause, and it is written by Jade Sims (a beautiful woman under 50!)  Here is how Kathy describes the book’s origins, in an article featured on the website of Lark Books, one of the premier publishers of craft books in this country  (to read the whole interview, click here):

A year and a half ago, I was tooling around on the Internet, half goofing off from my then-job as managing editor at Lark Crafts and half hunting for book ideas. I wanted to do a book that offered both beautiful craft projects and a way to make a difference in the world, but I couldn’t quite figure out how to do it. I googled “craft” and “charity,” probably for the 20^th time in months, and this time I landed on the recently launched Craft Hope site. As soon as I saw the Craft Hope logo, I knew I loved the aesthetics of Jade Sims, the site’s creator. Part way into her description of the first project—sewing pillowcase dresses and bandana shorts for a children’s shelter in Mexico—I knew I loved Craft Hope and had found my author. What I didn’t know was that I’d also find a friend.

Kathy

After looking over this wonderful book, I asked Kathy to let us feature it on the blog.  I also asked her to send us a description of the book in her own words. What follows is what Kathy, our featured beautiful woman over 50, sent me from her home in Charleston, South Carolina. 

The book, she says, “tells about crafters using their passion to help those in need. Part of the movement of crafts online has been the tremendous number of people sharing their love of crafts through personal blogs. Jade Sims was one such crafting/blogging mother in Austin, Texas. After a few years of successfully blogging, she began to wonder if she could find more meaning from this mix of craft and community, so she launched Craft Hope, an organization that combines love of crafting with a desire to help others. Her first project,” (the pillowcase dress project described above), “brought a surprisingly large response. Her next project, handmade cloth dolls for an orphanage in Nicaragua, resulted in over 400 dolls sent in from all over the world. In July, she shipped 2,614 handmade blankets, booties, and beanies to infants in orphanages in India. These items were sent to Craft Hope from crafters in the United States, Canada, Switzerland, New Zealand, Australia, England, Scotland, Holland, and Malaysia. Crafters in more than 100 countries now follow the Craft Hope site, and the audience just keeps growing with each project.

The book Craft Hope presents photos, instructions, and templates for 30+ craft projects by top designers, each matched with a specific charity and with alternative suggestions for local places to contribute the item. It also highlights the charities that are being helped through Craft Hope.com. There’s information on how to give locally, how to give thoughtfully (making sure items are appropriate and useful), and how to empower those you are helping. One dollar from the sale of each book will go to Global Impact, an organization representing more than 50 leading U.S.-based international charities.” 

So, to all our crafters out there, can you think of a better way to spend your time than working on some of the following projects to help  Jade Sims with her important work?

• Pillowcase dresses for girls in a shelter in Mexico
• Cheerful quilts for homeless children
• Soft dolls for orphans in Nicaragua
• Patchwork Pillows for families in transition
• Sock monkeys for children in African communities affected by HIV/AIDS
• Knit scarves for teens who have aged out of foster care
• Soft puppies for children convalescing from cancer treatment
• Art Kits for children undergoing heart surgery in Iraq

By the way, here’s what the book looks like:

 You can purchase it on the website for Barnes and Noble.

Sadhvi

I remember reading the book, Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert when it first came out in February 2007.  It was so good that I didn’t stop until I was done, and I continued talking like Ms. Gilbert for a few weeks after.  Then again, I also dressed and talked like Diane Keaton’s character in the Woody Allen movie,  ”Annie Hall” for a long time after seeing it.  I guess I’m just a wee bit impressionable, no?!   

I knew when I finished the book that it would be made into a Hollywood movie at some point, and sure enough, Julia Roberts bought the rights shortly after it came out.  She stars in the movie that is coming to the screens next month.  So if you have NOT read the book, DO!  The book is gonna be hard to beat.   

Here’s the trailer, take a look, and hopefully, we will all enjoy a good film this summer taken from a great book!

Jane

 Jean Boone Benfield decided in her early seventies to do something she had never done before:  to write a book.  Jean was born in Buncombe County, NC, and the book, Mountain Born, tells about her life growing up on a farm.  Her first inspiration for writing the book was noticing that a lot of the “mountain” expressions she’d heard during her growing-up years were disappearing before her eyes.  So, she decided to write them down.  She started taking notes on little pieces of paper and then in notebooks.  And then one day, her sister-in-law suggested that she put them in a book:  phrases like “soft as a pocket full of mice” or “pee out the fire and call the dogs”. 

 Jean’s first plan was to just make a permanent record of all that wonderful language, but one thing led to another, and the next thing you know, she was writing about her childhood and her parents and growing up poor in Western North Carolina and Asheville during World War II, and on and on.

Jean Boone Benfield

Jean’s book, which is self-published, is worth a read, not only if you have an interest in what it was like to grow up in the southern Appalachians of the forties and fifties but also if you like etymology or are interested in the history of Western North Carolina—or if you just like to add interesting phrases to your vocabulary, especially ones with homespun wisdom, such as “Flit like a butterfly from flower to flower and land on a pile of cow crap.”

I had lunch recently with Jean, and she told me about how she’s descended from Daniel Boone’s brother, Israel.  She also told me that another of her motivations for writing the book was being fed up with all the “silliness” that is in books about mountain ways or mountain language, such as the “hillbilly books” that you can buy at tourist stops on the highway.  She wanted to, whenever she could, show the history and derivation of the words or phrases she was quoting.  This adds another interesting layer to the book for students of language.  As Jean said, she had to do “a lot of old-fashioned research” for parts of the book.

The book is written in a homey style, as if someone is sitting in a rocking chair and talking to you.  And that’s just how Jean intended it.  She said she just “listened to a voice in (her) head” and wrote it down.  She finished the book when she got “good and tired of fiddin’ with it” and was “ready to let it go.”  Good advice for any writer!

One of the questions I asked Jean was to name one thing that her parents gave her that ended up being important to her.  She said they encouraged her to think for herself and not go with the herd.  As she said, they didn’t worry about giving her a “sense of self-worth” the way that parents focus on nowadays.  They just gave her the “sure knowledge that they were behind her,” no matter what. 

I’d say they succeeded.  Jean is definitely an independent thinker.  When she finished her book and realized she was going to have to do some work publicizing it, she joined Toastmasters, to get herself ready for the ordeal of public speaking.  Before she went to Toastmasters, she called up a speech professor at AB-Tech and asked for help in getting ready.  Jean takes life by the horns!

I encourage our readers to check out her book! You can purchase her book by writing to the author at mountainborn@bellsouth.net.

If you are in the Western North Carolina area, you can also meet her in person:   at Accent on Books in Asheville, on June 18^th, at 6 p.m. or at the Carolina Mountains Literary Festival in Burnsville on September 10 and 11, with info at www.cmlitfest.org.

Annette Dunlap is an independent scholar and author.  Her book,  Frank: The Story of Frances Folsom Cleveland, America’s Youngest First Lady, was published by SUNY Press in 2009.  She lives in North Carolina and is hard at work on her next book (because she’s not getting any younger).  She and her husband have four children, one grandchild and another one on the way.

My 50^th birthday occurred 10 months after my father died.  Those two milestone events – passing the half-century mark and losing a parent – starkly reminded me of my own mortality.  My new mantra was, “I’m not getting any younger.”  Writing a biography had been a dream ever since I was in elementary school, and it was now time to move from ‘dream deferred’ to ‘dream realized.’ My new mantra became, “I’m not getting any younger; so, if I’m serious about writing a book, I’d better get with it.”

The book I planned to get serious about was a biography of the nation’s youngest first lady, Frances Folsom Cleveland. I had begun researching Frances’ life in 1994-95, when I was a marketing professor at a small liberal arts college.  The school laid off all of its non-tenured faculty in 1995, and I went on to run a consulting business for the next six years and dabble in a career change or two. My 50^th birthday occurred at a time when I was in the throes of deciding what I was going to be “when I grow up” (read: I was unemployed).  For once, issues of impending mortality took precedence over how much money was in the bank account.

Two months after my 50^th birthday, (which, for the record, was five years ago), I attended a women’s writers’ conference at Salem College.  One of the break-out sessions I went to was entitled, “How to write a Book Proposal.”  An hour later, I had my game plan.  For over 10 years, I had written strategic plans for businesses as my business, and that, I had just learned, was all a book proposal was: define your target audience, describe how the book meets the demands of the target, tell how you’ll market the book, and show why you’re qualified to write it.

I dug out my research on Frances (there are certain benefits to being a pack rat), drafted my three sample chapters, wrote the book proposal, and sent the material to one of the agents who had been at the conference.  She contacted me within the week and suggested I consider a university press.  I took her advice, selected three possibilities, and had the proposal accepted by SUNY Press.

In retrospect, I think I did a better job of writing biography at the age of 50+ than I would have done had I written it in my 40s.  Being older gives me more perspective and a better framework within which to examine and handle the experiences of someone else’s life.  For example, Grover Cleveland, who was 27 years older than Frances, died when she was 39.  He left her with four children to rear on her own, and the youngest was only five years old.  At 40, I certainly could have understood the challenge of rearing children alone, having four of my own.  At 50, however, I could sense, even more, how demanding it had been, and I could also understand Frances’ line to a friend upon her re-marriage (at age 50), which went something like this: “I feel like an entirely new person.”

When we are fortunate enough to be healthy, there is a mental sharpness about being 50 that only comes with age and experience.  As I like to put it, we have somewhere to “hang our hat.”  In other words, our half-century’s worth of life experiences has given us a way to view and understand this crazy and unpredictable world we live in.  In writing biography, 50 years of living gave me an invaluable tool for developing insight into, and compassion for, another’s life experience.

Annette Dunlap and Lucinda Frailly, re-enacting Frances Folsom Cleveland at her wedding, at the National First Ladies Library, Canton, OH

The other day, I took time off from work to go to Chapel Hill to do some research at the Davis Library at UNC.  Jane had already asked me to write something for this blog, and I was thinking about it as I walked, lugging the stack of library books I needed to return, from the parking lot to the library – a distance of just under a mile.  I thought about the physical side of my research life.  To research Frances, I drove from central North Carolina to New Jersey in one day.  From there I drove to upstate New York.  To research my current book, a memoir, I’ve been on research trips to New York City and Washington, DC, walking to subway stations, catching trains, walking to libraries and archives, spending time in research.  My innumerable trips to Davis Library (both for the Frances book and my current research) inevitably mean borrowing books and carrying them between the library and the parking lot.  As I walked the campus on the lovely, sunny Thursday we just had, I marveled at my physical stamina, the ability to stroll at a rapid pace, the strength to carry a load of books.  I did not feel 55, and that is, in itself, a gift.

If there were one central observation I would want to make in this blogpost, it would be this: if you are fortunate enough to have the resources and the energy to pursue your dreams, do so.  Turning 50 was one of the most liberating events in my life.  The fulfillment of a life-long dream, publishing a biography, has been intensely gratifying.  If there’s a brass ring you’ve been eyeing, reach for it, because, as I am now very fond of saying, we are not getting any younger.

Readers:check out Annette’s blog at http://annettesobservations.blogspot.com/.

Annette Dunlap at Wells College, Frances Folsom Cleveland's alma mater, in Aurora, NY, with College President, Lisa Marsh Ryerson, and Karla Leybold-Taylor (in hat), dressed as Cleveland, next to a wedding portrait of the nation's youngest first lady.

Content coming soon.

1) I remember when you could go in a store, and the clerk actually cared if you were happy with what the store had to offer you.  Compare that with the attitude exhibited by store clerks too often  in most stores now (even in this Recession), which could be summed up as, “No, we don’t have that item, and we really don’t care if we ever have that item.  You gotta problem with that?”

2) I remember a time, when I was in college, when young women actually had a voice in relationships with men.  So, for instance, a woman who was uncomfortable with the pace of things, might say so, right out loud, instead of feeling tremendous pressure to comply with a guy’s wishes, just to keep the guy!  In fact, I remember a time when women were actually asked out on dates to movies or  to dinner, instead of being invited to “hook up.”  (I’m ranting on this subject because I have two teenage daughters.)

3) I remember when kids had to look up topics in libraries and actual books for their school assignments, instead of hitting Wikipedia!  They actually had to go to the library and search the stacks, move their little arms and legs.  Now, they stay at home and push buttons.

Clearly I am over 50!  That’s it for now.  I’m sure other things will come up tomorrow!

Fipster’s Choice

If you’d like to give yourself a beautiful gift for under $25, we recommend A Mercy, Nobel Laureate Toni Morrison’s ninth novel.
How a writer can produce such a literary gem in 167 pages is a mystery, and that’s only one of the reasons we love her.
Admittedly, some of her novels are difficult to deconstruct, (think Paradise), yet as soon as you read the first few sentences you will be hooked:  ”Don’t be afraid.  My telling can’t hurt you in spite of what I have done.  You can think what I tell you a confession, if you like, but one full of curiosities familiar only in dreams and during those moments when a dog’s profile plays in the steam of a kettle.” In this tale of mercy, you will meet four abandoned women on a failing farm in the 17th century.  You will journey with these women through the poetry of Toni Morrison’s words. There is Florens, a young girl abandoned by her mother,  “with hands of a slave and the feet of a Portuguese lady.”  Also enslaved on the farm is Lina, whose tribe was annihilated by smallpox, and Sorrow, who “is a bit mongrelized but will work without complaint.”  And lastly, you will empathize with Rebekka, the white mistress, herself a victim of abandonment.  Morrison’s characters are raw to the core, and we experience their enslavement, love, and heartbreak as deeply as they do.  Their stories are told so artistically that when you reach the end, don’t be surprised to find yourself turning to the first page to start all over again.  Check out http://www.amazon.com to see a short video of Toni Morrison discussing her inspiration for the novel.  By the way, the photographer of this wonderful photo of  Toni Morrison is Timothy Greenfield-Sanders.  Check out his website at  http://greenfield-sanders.com.