BoomerGirl Diary

Party lines might split nation, but family can cross the divide

These are days of intense national polarization, when everybody’s bunched up along two extremes, including those of the people closest to you.

With personal histories, everyone can star in a memoir

Ordinary people — particularly baby boomers and their elder parents — are hiring filmmakers and writers to immortalize their histories on pricey videos and books.

Pajama Games: Working out without going out

With the days growing as short and cold as North Pole elves, now’s a great time to stockpile workouts you can do in the comfort of home.

Follow these steps to keep feet happy

Commonly called corns, calluses can form on the toes when shoes don’t fit properly. Corns can be treated and eliminated either at home or with a doctor’s assistance.

Walking around office is a better workout

I hadn’t been to the gym in a month when “Desk Sets: 5-Minute Desk Workouts” arrived.

Flashback of the Day

Flashback of the Day for Oct. 30

Flashback of the Day

Flashback of the Day for Oct. 29

Worth their salt

Specialty salts increasingly common in cooking

Salt is salt, right? Apparently not, if the latest gourmet trend is any proof. Salt — that most basic of seasonings that has been used in kitchens across human cultures for thousands of years — has now gone upscale.

St Louis or Bust

Flashback of the Day for Oct. 28

An intimate matter: Sex after cancer

Minnie Wharry had one thing on her mind when her husband, Donald, was diagnosed with prostate cancer at age 55: survival. Donald had his mind on something else: Could he still have sex?

More women choosing mastectomies after finding genetic link to breast cancer

There’s a growing demand for preventive mastectomy. Mostly it’s due to genetic testing that can identify two genes that put people at significantly higher risk of breast and ovarian cancer.

Overcoming bad bugs with good

It’s spooky to think that good and bad are fighting it out inside us every day. And with 100 trillion bacterial cells in our intestinal tract, let’s pray the good side wins.

Flashback of the Day

Flashback of the Day for Oct. 27

Boxed-in basement? No sweat!

After stashing stuff there for months — or, let’s be honest, decades — basements often present an overwhelming challenge. For most of us, they are THE last room to clean.

Hanging out in paradise is fine, but ...

The unwound attitude is enhanced by physical pleasures offered by the soft tropical air, a warm sea to swim in, flat roads to bicycle on and boats, boats, boats.

If the guy warns you he’s a jerk, believe him

He’ll tell you he’s got “problems with commitment” and that you’ll have to be patient while he “works through them.”

Power of the pen holds key to romance

Turn on the romance with an old-fashioned love letter. The November issue of Best Life tells how.

Use media therapy to make it through divorce

Getting divorced? Here’s some advice on taking solace in movies, television, songs and the Internet.

Couples who remarry their exes say it’s a sweet second chance

What drives couples to wed one another not once, but twice? Amnesia? Insanity? Those who have done it say it is something else: A precious second chance.

Door open to frank discussion of sexuality

My mother made sure I knew about menstruation but she gave me her version. My sister and I were told not to touch the plants during our periods because they would die.

Male Myths — Busted!

I’ll probably get kicked out of the XY tree house for this, but here I demystify the male species and give you the truth behind the most common husband myths.

Flashback of the Day

Flashback of the Day for Oct. 26

Male breast cancer begins to draw more attention

Although the number of men with breast cancer is small compared with women, men’s cases have been inching up in the past decade.

Family mirrors nation’s HIV struggle

Two decades earlier, Chinea had unknowingly passed HIV to her daughter during childbirth. The disease sapped Chinea’s health and stole her daughter’s innocence, leaving the young woman with deep emotional wounds. Now, AIDS was stalking a third generation — from mother, to daughter, to grandchild.

A knee designed just for a woman

Until about a decade ago, many medical research trials focused exclusively on male subjects. Traditionally, the assumption was that if it worked for a man, it would work for a woman.

Right size not only requirement when seeking the perfect bra

Even if your bra is the correct size, that doesn’t mean it will fit. To feel comfortable in your bra, the size and style have to be right for you.

Flashback of the Day

Flashback of the Day for Oct. 22

Eileen Fisher tackles bedding

Eileen Fisher's versatile, easy clothes are known for their soft colors and rich fabrics and are normally found at high-end department store such as Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue.

Purple reign

This rich color, with its association to kings and queens, can make anyone look and feel like royalty.

Vest is warm, and a bargain to boot

Here's just the bargain for cool fall mornings: a down-filled vest from Lands' End.

With furrowed brow, we examine the plucking power of the latest high-tech tweezers

With tweezers being such a beauty essential, why is it so difficult to find a pair that neatly, gently and effectively helps us with this grooming ritual?

Kids with cameras get the picture — of themselves

The benefit of taking your own portraits is that the camera never catches you off guard and you can delete the awful ones in an instant.

When pink means green

Pink ribbons are turning up everywhere, including at the supermarket. But just because you see pink on a box of cereal or a bag of chips, don’t assume your purchase will help fight breast cancer.

Backpedaling on the life cycle

Our current system is irrational. We tend to leave or be eased out of the workplace when we have completed the child-rearing tasks — about age 50 — and now have time and energy to devote to work.

Stick it in your ear

Hearing aid design catches up with the fashion, technology worlds

Studies suggest that only one in five people who could benefit from a hearing aid actually wears one. Just take a look at one to understand why.

Flashback of the Day

Flashback of the Day for Oct. 24

How to deal with encroaching wildlife

Coyote, fox, deer, raccoons, possums and skunks — they’re all living near you, in developed urban and suburban areas. But you may not fully appreciate this until you meet them on your own paved turf.

Be continually chic in a classic black suit

Seasons and trends come and go and come again, but there are items in your wardrobe — or at least there should be items in your wardrobe — that are “workhorses.” Those are the garments you rely on, trusty standbys. Topping the list is a necessity: the black suit.

Getaway to Galway

For many who have been to the little green island called Ireland, County Galway is their favorite destination. For me, this is the county that really seems to have it all.

Try these new organizing rules

We’ve all been told to toss anything that’s outdated, but how about those old organizing rules that don’t fit your busy, fast-paced life anymore? Here are some new ideas that will keep you on track.

Kitchen Etc. offers solutions for cooks online

Online shopping site of the week: Kitchen Etc.

Don’t skimp on post-shower skin care

Many people find taking a shower or bath refreshing, sometimes even therapeutic. But keep in mind that extended periods in warm-to-hot water can have an adverse affect on your skin. Hot water removes the skin’s natural oil. Ideally, a bath or shower should take place with lukewarm water, and last for no more than 10 minutes.

Add style to your party with five easy decorating tips

Streamers and balloons? Sure. But if you really want to wow your guests, you need to think beyond the helium tank. Sprucing up your party space is easier than ever — all it takes is a little inspiration.

Five budgeting tips for party-planning success

Worried about how quickly the costs for your party are piling up? Save some cash with our tips for keeping the kids' college fund intact without sacrificing on style.

Throw a fest without the mess

If you really love food and wine but you're just not ready to entertain at home, consider planning a get-together with friends at a wine event.

As over-50 population booms, menopause becomes hot topic

Prime Menopause — once known as the silent passage — isn’t so quiet anymore. As a generation of information-seeking women weaned on consciousness-raising groups and the “Our Bodies, Ourselves” approach experiences “the change,” a new study shows they’re speaking up and seeking out the newest and most accurate information to help manage symptoms and make informed health-care decisions.

Breast cancer awareness draws corporate interest

Companies capitalize on concern

Every October, products from tweezers to toothpaste get packaged in pink.

Cheeky Tiki

Pop-Polynesian style rears its (Easter Island) head again

Somewhere in the city, someone is lounging in paradise. The Kamikaze-smelling room spray helps. The palm trees rustle. Papaya tempts the taste buds. And oh, what’s this coming from the stereo? Monkey noises?

Are you ready for a slice of something really different?

Pumpkin carving goes upscale in the October issue of Country Living . A linoleum cutter, which comes with variable-size tips, is the key to the magazine’s cool designs, which are inspired by autumn leaves, tree bark and thorn trees.

Hot stuff for your home

• Make room for treats • Take foods to new heights • Light up the night

Style march

This fall, march into style in a military coat, which will be available in a variety of lengths. Pea coat or trench, straight or with a flaring bottom, soldier- and sailor-inspired outerwear is most recognizable by its rows of brass oversize buttons.

In search of a decent substitute for Chanel’s flirty ‘Vamp’

Chanel's classic color, "Vamp," has made a big comeback. Tragically, it’s sold out everywhere, forcing us to search for a suitable replacement. Did we come close?

Dark victory: When it comes to nails, the lady is a vamp

Statement-making clothes call for equally daring nails, hence the return of shades dramatically deep.

A place to breathe, brainstorm or just plain be

Spirit stuck in second gear? Give the Blue Pearl a whirl. Named for the yogic seat of awareness, this “Bed, Breakfast & Breakthrough” is the lodging equivalent of a consciousness-raising.

Flashback of the Day

Flashback of the Day for Oct. 23

Flashback of the Day

Flashback of the Day for Oct. 22

The whole house was shaking

Families stay in for the night with the rise of high-end home theater systems

It’s your own, personal movie theater, but better: you don’t have the kids sitting behind you talking and everything, you don’t have the sticky floor, you don’t have somebody sitting in front of you that you can’t see around.

Flashback of the Day

Flashback of the Day for Oct. 21

Flashback of the Day

Flashback of the Day for Oct. 20

New life for old jewels

Antiques junkie peppers garden with sentimental value

Just call her Junker Jo. Her friends do. Joan Stone has been collecting and arranging antiques for decades. But she doesn’t limit herself to the confines of four walls. Many of her favorite relics are nestled among the plants in her garden.

Flashback of the Day

Flashback of the Day for Oct. 19

Flashback of the Day

Flashback of the Day for Oct. 18

Smart about saving: The little things add up

Some would consider it a fate worse than death — calling it quits on hair dye at age 50.

The coming credit crunch: What’s in your wallet?

Despite the steadily expanding U.S. economy, a perfect storm of rising mortgage rates, disappearing health-insurance coverage, stagnant wages and relentless college-tuition increases is gathering on the financial horizon for many Americans, threatening a flood of debt and bankruptcies.

Life behind Leibovitz’s lens

As she began sifting through an archive of her photographs from the last 15 years, Annie Leibovitz looked into the lens of her life and was startled by what she saw.

Yoga workout offers interesting way to start or end day

“Yoga in Bed" is a DVD written and directed by Edward Vilga, a yoga instructor in New York City who apparently came up with the concept from his daily routine.

Ideas for a grown-up slumber party

Sip wine, receive at-home facials and pedicures, snack on sushi — but most importantly, connect with your friends.

How to love your retirement

Retired and trying to figure out your finances? Here’s some advice.

Flashback of the Day

Flashback of the Day for Oct. 17

Study: Chocolate a sensory treat

A new study of people who crave chocolate shows that eating chocolate, or even just looking at a picture of it, turns on pleasure centers in the brains of cravers far more than in people who don’t crave the confection.

Flashback of the Day

If It Quacks Like A Disco Song...

Lucky 'Thirteen'

Setterfield tops best-seller lists with first novel

When Diane Setterfield sent the draft of her first novel to a literary agent, she prepared a file for rejection letters, jokingly marking it “they’ll kick themselves later.” That file remains empty, though, because the agent immediately snapped up “The Thirteenth Tale,” and secured Setterfield a two-book deal, reported to be worth $1.4 million.

Who put the din in dinner?

Am I getting older, or are restaurants getting louder? Well, there’s no doubt about the former, but I’m pretty sure the latter is true, too.

Relax! It’s only a 45-minute date

I wrote a book once. The title was “Our Time: Why Almost Everything Gets Better After Fifty.” I take it all back. Life only gets more complicated after 50.

The pros and cons of being your own contractor

Tired of your cramped, dark kitchen? Has your bathroom seen better days? Need an extra bedroom or more space? While some homeowners automatically hire a contractor to get what they want, others toy with the idea of doing the work themselves, acting as their own contractor. After all, you aren’t required to hire a contractor to make improvements to your own property. The law allows you to do it yourself.

Broaching the subject of death

Gerontologists and other health professionals who work with those facing death say end-of-life conversations generally are valuable to both the patient and family. They also concede such conversations are difficult and, sadly, rare.

Facing a father’s impending death

Talking about it helps both him, reluctant daughter

It had been several decades since I closed down a bar. But two years ago, in a tile-floored dining room a few kilometers from the Tecate beer brewery in Baja California, I became so engrossed in conversation with a wise stranger I failed to notice how desperately the staff wanted us gone.

Homeowners have luxury bedding trend covered

Back when America was a collection of colonies, wills often included bed linens, if the deceased had been lucky enough to own them. Sheets and coverlets were considered extremely valuable and precious enough to be bequeathed to the next generation.

Audacious autumn

Give your fall garden a color infusion

This time of year, the trees are the stars. While their leaves are turning brilliant shades of crimson, maize and pumpkin, your garden may have settled into its brown autumn slump.

Passport rules for neighboring nations change again

Passport rules for traveling to the Caribbean, Canada and Mexico changed once again on Sept. 29 by action of Congress.

Roughing it, gently, at the Giant Sequoia National Monument

Some die-hard lovers of the great outdoors claim to appreciate the hardships of backpacking. But I felt plenty appreciative when I heard I could sleep on clean sheets and eat gourmet meals at a new luxury tent camp in Giant Sequoia National Monument.

This fall, a vibrant palette of color

Nobody does just one thing at a time anymore. In this age of multitasking, piling the family into the car expressly to go admire fall foliage seems quaint — from the time of Ford Fairlane station wagons and “The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet.”

Reminder: don’t get fat

Getting more forgetful in your middle age? Check your belly. According to a study in today’s issue of Neurology, a high body mass index is tied to cognitive decline in middle-aged adults.

Heather can add touch of late color to garden

Heather can be as pretty a plant in your garden as it is blanketing the bonny hills of Scotland.

Queen of the D-list

Kathy Griffin turns obsession with celebrity into comedic specialty

On the celebrity ladder, some rungs are higher than others. No one seems to be more comfortable climbing up and down this ladder than Kathy Griffin.