BoomerGirl Diary

Flashback of the day

The brainwashing of an heiress.

Rock of ages

We love turquoise. There, we've said it. We know some of you out there are wrinkling your nose as visions of concho belts and squash blossom necklaces dance in your head.

Bedtime just as crucial as awakening in garden

With the temperatures stuck in the 90s and this year’s vegetable garden petering out, it’s hard to think about replanting next spring. But in fact, work we do in the garden over the next month or so will make a difference in how our vegetable crops fare next time around.

Different generations can enjoy camaraderie

Often, friendships emerge when people are in the same life stage. Whether they meet at school or work, they are usually similar in age and relate to each other. But, as many adults are learning, having friends from different generations can be just as satisfying, if not illuminating.

Try covering walls with wafer board

I have raised two teenagers and have patched quite a few holes in my walls.

Look here for what's new on the site today

We're tearing into the holiday weekend with new stories on the Friends, Home, Garden and Fashion pages, plus a hilarious new blog by the Showbiz Kid, Carol Starr Schneider. Click below for links to the fresh stuff!

Kitchen sink clogged?

Try this tip before you call the plumber

Still fighting after all these years

We've been together 32 years. Why are we always fighting?

Do you and your long-time partner bicker, brood or battle it out so loudly it wakes the neighbors? That anger might be someone's way of intentionally keeping intimacy at a distance.

Flashback of the day

A first for the highest court of the land

Trading places

Web sites promote house swapping

Hazel Clark wouldn't take family vacations in Europe if she hadn't discovered house swapping.

Princess Di's personal chef shares recipes and recollections

Chef Darren McGrady, Princess Diana's personal chef for four years — from the time of her split-up with Prince Charles in 1993 until her death in 1997 — was often privy to the thoughts and feelings that could pour out during a heated moments, or during the moments when she just wanted to talk and chatted at the kitchen table.

Some adults can't resist the school supplies

As sales of school supplies keep climbing a lot faster than the U.S. population, it's pretty obvious that parents and other adults can't resist building their own stash of Flairs, scissors and glue sticks.

Grill Seared Tuna with Cannellini Bean salad

This is what's fresh on the site this Thursday

We're gearing up for the holiday weekend with new stories on the Create, Love, Travel and Food pages, plus a great new blog by the Rock 'n' Roll Grandma. Read on for quick links to whatever rocks your world.

Caregivers use technology to help faraway family

Becky Bashor lives 800 miles away, but she can still look into her mother's eyes every night and tell whether she's had a good day or a bad day.

De agony of defeat

Q. A couple of months ago, while I was on the cross-training machine, after about 30 minutes my left foot fell asleep! Considering that my left (as well as my right) foot was always in motion, I couldn't believe the sensation.

Look at what's fresh on the site this Wednesday

Celebrate "Hump Day" with our new stories on the Spirituality, Family, Fitness and Books pages, plus a new blog by Pat Detmer. Click through for easy links to what you want to read now.

The gift of presence

In our busy world, the gift of presence can be a rare commodity. We’re often too busy to notice when someone just needs a hug, a reassuring touch, a gentle smile or a word of comfort and reassurance.

Tuck these into your off-to-college care package

Cookbooks tailored for the kitchen-impaired student

It's not likely that your college-bound child is going to starve to death shortly after arriving on campus, whatever your fears may be. Still, it wouldn't hurt the kid to know a little bit more about cooking than how to heat up a Pop-Tart.

Fall fashion is taking a tailored turn

Ready or not, summer clothes are flying out of stores on sale racks, and wool ensembles are filling in the gaps. Goodbye, cotton jersey tube dress. Hello, elbow-length swing coat. Good-bye, flip-flops. Hello, shoe boot. Hey, this might not be such a bad transition after all.

There's plenty of fall makeup for eyes and lips

There's simply no substitute for trying makeup on your own face. Half the fun of buying makeup is experimenting with new products, textures and application techniques. This way, it's easy to avoid falling victim to seasonal shade promotions that don't work for you ("Purple is the new brown!") and pass on products that are too difficult to apply.

Loneliness can be a large part of depression

Have you noticed that lots of people are taking medications for depression these days?

Flashback of the day

Bob, meet George. And Paul. And John, and Ringo.

We want our food to improve us

We big-foot baby-boomers are at it again, changing the nature of the relationship between humans and their food.

See what's fresh this Tuesday

We've got harmony in our political blogs, fall colors on the Fashion and Beauty pages, and more for you on our Food and Health pages today. Read on for links to what's new!

Cruise explores a harsh universe of thinning ice — in comfort

It's well past midnight, but the sun is still gleaming just behind jagged peaks, washing the sky with a rosy shimmer. A waterfall gushes from a rocky cleft beneath the downy hood of a glacier.

Organization is key to saving money, time

An organized home saves time and money.

Yearning for an empty nest

Dear Susan: I saw the little video thing you did on empty nest. But my response is different. I dream about an empty nest. I count the months until I have an empty nest. It can’t come soon enough. Unfortunately, my kids know it and we have this wall going up.

Kick off your week with a pack of new stories

Getting back to the workday grind isn't so much fun, but at least you can take a break with BoomerGirl! Read on to see what's fresh on our blogs and on the Advice, Home and Travel pages.

Find today's new stories here!

Kick up your feet and enjoy our fresh stories on the Food, Entertain, Family and Garden pages today. Read on for easy links to the new stuff!

For families, a precious time to regroup

Whether it's going back to the family farm, renting a cottage at the beach or camping out in a national park, summer hosts the annual ritual of sharing time and space with the extended family. In a mobile society, where families tend to bowl alone as scattered nuclear units, the summer vacation has emerged as the prime arena for the family writ large. This is when cousins bond, aunt and uncle siblings catch up, the in-laws assimilate (or not) and the grandparents manage and enjoy.

The no-Labor Day party

When Labor Day began more than 120 years ago, it was a celebration of the worker, and the prosperity the labor force brings to the country. That's the sentiment that inspired our labor-free party — a day off from prep work, housework and cleanup.

Fake flowers fill in for real

Though using artificial flowers indoors has long been perfectly acceptable — socially speaking — few have dared to put their arrangements out in the front yard. But some say the newest fake flowers look genuine enough that some people are willing to shun convention.

Culinary icon takes cake with classic recipe

I recently was in need of a recipe for a substantial cake to give as a thank-you gift, but it had to be a recipe that was simple to make because I was pressed for time. My first thought was of a carrot cake recipe that I became attached to more than 30 years ago.

Two wives, a generation apart, intertwine in 'Keeping the House'

This is a novel about a mansion in Wisconsin, the family who lived in it from 1896 until the aftermath of World War II, and the young wife who becomes fascinated by its lonely, empty grandeur in 1950. This first novel by Ellen Baker is a family saga, steeped in the history of the two world wars, whose characters are brought together by this house. At its best, "Keeping the House" savors of works by Willa Cather and Marilynne Robinson.

The spirit medicine of sage and owl

Feeling the wild harvest within

The mysteries of owl have lived in my memories for as long as I can remember. The golden, brown and white-toned night birds have made their presence known to me in the trees at every home I’ve lived in since I was a young married woman. The suburban neighborhoods where I lived felt confusing to me, energetically, and the old urban community I love, for the beauty in the old growth trees and brick lined streets, embraced me in ways that at times were precarious at best.

Keep the clothes drier running efficiently

The lint trap might LOOK clean, but is it?

On the rocks with flavored vodkas

Once upon a time, about the only thing vodka had going for it was that orange juice-and-vodka thing, maybe a vodka Collins and an occasional classic martini with an onion or olive.

Flashback of the day

Money-grab on Wall Street.

It's hard making Mom's home your own

Dear Mi-Ling: After my mother's death, I moved into the family home. It has been seven years. I am finding it extremely difficult to decorate in my style and to "claim" the house as mine. How do I start?

See what's new on the site this Friday

We're toasting the weekend with new stories, reviews and cocktail recipes plus a blog by Little Miss Echo today. Click through now to get links to whatever interests you!

The problem: 'We can all be a superstar'

Grandparenting just got tougher. It's not enough anymore to babysit, to love, to encourage, to share, to attempt to instill values and ideals. Now you have to be up-to-date on the new parenting methods. And, frankly, they seem to be "under construction."

Chilly & refreshing

Cold soups take the edge off of sultry summer days

After working in her garden on a hot morning, nothing is better for Joan Vibert than coming in for a lunch of cold gazpacho. “It’s like heaven,” Vibert says. “It’s all your abundance, all put in a bowl of cold wonderfulness.”

Patent fever

Patent leather is a classic that’s making a comeback! This time, it’s not just shoes and bags but jackets (peacoats and short cuts like '50s “toppers”) and coats (trench styles), even great hats.

Read what's new on the site this Thursday

We've got fresh stories on the Fashion, Food, Family and Legacy stories, a new Laughing All the Way blog AND an online poll about Hillary. Click through now to read the new content!

Can a woman candidate win?

Gender gap as important a factor in Hillary Clinton's candidacy as politics, personal history.

A pair of Sen. Hillary Clinton's worst nightmares trudged past a giant blue "Hillary for President" sign outside the Iowa State Fair here with palpable disgust. "Hillary can go to hell," said Alice Aszman, 66, a Democrat from Ottumwa. "I'll never vote for her."

Traveling for peace and quiet

In April, Maggie Blandin-Clark participated in a silent retreat at the Jesuit-run Eastern Point Retreat House on the Massachusetts coast. "I thought it would be interesting to see what happened if I could be quiet for eight days," says Blandin-Clark, 56.

Beauty on the cheap

No I haven't sworn off Sephora or left Saks in the lurch. It's just that I have been enjoying this glorious summer in a place far from any mall or upscale store.

Facing down the dragons

This summer, not for the first time in my life, I sat a Zen retreat. Unlike all the other retreats I’ve sat — and in 31 years of Zen practice I’ve sat quite a few — this one was in Japan, at a Rinzai temple whose forms were much stricter than the forms I’m used to.

See what's new on the site this Wednesday

We've got stories and blogs you won't want to miss today, including a beautiful memorial written by Men's Room blogger Warner Lewis. Read on to get previews and direct links.

'Hey, Mom, cook that junk we really like.'

In memorial: Nelle Brown Lewis, 1915 - 2007

Dear Mom, Thanks for showing up at my football and basketball games, getting me involved in Scouts, making sure I took “Industrial Arts” in school and numerous other roles normally taken on by a father of a boomer child.

Black bean & corn salad

Cell phones on campus make cutting the umbilical cord more difficult

All those cell phones on college campuses aren't just talking to each other. They're speed-dialing home. A lot.

Research on breast cancer and sisters needs more women of color

Ever since they were children, Connie Orr has adored her older sister. They've supported each other through marriage, children, divorce, re-marriage and the deaths of both parents. Now, they're taking on breast cancer — together.

Greens in autumn

Though drought is upon us, you can still plant fall crops

It's summer, but think fall. Autumn means a fresh array of crops for your vegetable garden. Some of the best vegetables of the year await planting this month and into September. These include easy-to-grow lettuce and spinach and cool-weather hits such as broccoli, brussels sprouts and collards. You can pull this off in spite of the hot, dry conditions we have now. But you will have to take extra care to water as long as these conditions persist.

This is what's fresh on the site this Tuesday

It's back to school time, and we're celebrating with new stories on the Advice, Health, Family and Garden pages plus a new blog on vacation karma. Read on for links to what you want to read right now!

How to lose those empty nest blues

Now that the kids are off to college, many parents are dealing with empty nest syndrome. Family therapist and BoomerGirl.com advice columnist, Susan Kraus, has experienced it from both sides of the couch.

Ministries seeing need to distinguish between marriage and remarriage preparation

Clergy and professional counselors have known the need to learn how to stay married. More recently they see a need for training specifically tailored for couples entering their second or third marriages.

To tell or not to tell

A cosmetic surgery choice

Did she or didn't she? We've all engaged in a snark-fest at one time or another, trying to guess if a certain film or television star has had "work" done. But the rich and famous are not the only ones going under the knife.

Traditional trip yields extraordinary results

We have vacationed at the same Delaware beaches for all our family life also because we don't like surprises. This year there were two. Big ones.

Slow down your aging clock

Ease into the best shape of your life with Fabulous Forever Easy Strength

Check out these training exercises epecially designed by fitness expert Mirabai Holland for people who haven’t been exercising in a while and who want to ease back into shape. You don’t have to be an athlete to reap the benefits!

Look here for what's new on the site today

Our Anne Taintor contest rages on along with five new stories and blogs today. Click through to get details and links to the fresh content.

Barbecued shrimp

Flashback of the day

She coulda been — no, wait, she WAS — "The Contender."

Bunny tracks

Coerce hungry rabbits to hit the dusty trail

When I was young, I loved cute, furry, cotton-tailed critters. There was Peter Cottontail, the Velveteen Rabbit, the Easter Bunny, Bugs Bunny. They’re ingrained in our memories of childhood as adorable, nose-twitching creatures. But I’m beginning to see Elmer Fudd’s reasoning.

The risk of overdressing

Fashion is different. There is something audacious about a woman who works at being stylish. What is she neglecting in order to focus so much attention on herself? Whom is she ignoring? Who does she think she is?

Frosty, fizzy, old-fashioned comfort in exciting new flavors

Exciting and comforting: It's a combination that's hard to beat. That's why the current trend of reimagining nostalgic comfort food with new and unexpected twists and ingredients is so much fun: You get the best of both worlds.

Look at what's new on the site this weekend

Kick off your flip-flops and enjoy our new content on the Fashion, Food, Garden and Herspectives pages today. And don't forget to enter our all-new "You Deserve It" giveway. Read on for links.

With right supplies, a home office can work for you

As our personal and professional responsibilities continue to merge, a home office has become a fact of life. Home-office experts offer these suggestions.

Good grilling

Summertime or any time, firing up the barbecue is a tasty way to make dinner special. Here's how to make it earth-friendly, too.

How to avoid a hotel nightmare

Does 'clean' enter into hotel ratings?

You’d like to think that any hotel at all that is rated with a star or diamond or any rating system has at least passed the basic “clean” test. But is that always the case? Not necessarily.

Look at what's new on the site this Friday

Join us in a TGIF toast with new stories on the Legacy, Travel and Home pages, a new blog by our Rock 'n' Roll Grandma and inspiring new artwork in the gallery. Read on for previews and links.

11 doctors later, a diagnosis

Looking back, Jacquelyn Silverman recalls, her quest for a diagnosis was "really hard. It consumes you and becomes your life. My message is to ask, ask, ask questions. And don't stop until you have an answer."

Seat at one table can lead to helm of another

You want to be a CEO or company director, but how do you get there? The path is not always clear. Women, especially, may not always hold the key jobs that put them in the running.

Garden's bounty: Spirituality, joy

Sooner or later, there comes a gardening moment like this: It's hot. We're alone, watering, weeding. The chores are mundane, yet we're at peace, loving the warmth and repetition, the simplicity and silence. The garden, we come to realize, is a sacred place.

Don't just drive past Norman

I never thought about Norman, Okla., as a possible destination. It’s a few exits off I-35 en route to Texas. Until I stopped. And stayed for a few days. Now I can’t pass without nostalgia and wishing I had some time for a visit.

We've got a winner ... and new stories today!

The winner of the Bedfan has been chosen at random, and we've got a brand new prize in our "You Deserve It" giveaway today. Read on for details and previews of the day's new stories and blogs.

Fresh and food-friendly

Today's wide array of roses provide perfect summer sipping

It can be fresh and lively, or deep and structured. It's a great match for every kind of food, from pad thai and wild-mushroom bruschetta to hot dogs and apple pie. Only one problem: It's pink.

Thaw some dinner

Meal assembly more fun when you socialize

With the right tools, recipes and a little bit of prep work, you can gather your friends and neighbors and try your hand at making freezer meals at home.

Nails to go

A confession: until very recently I'd never had a summer when my nails were up to being noticed. Blame it on gardening or extensive time in salt water, but without fail two days after a manicure I was reaching for the remover to erase the remnants of chipped polish.

When parents and grown children don't get along

Sometime over the past 30 years, we stopped demanding obedience from our children and started seeking their love and companionship. It was a serious tactical error.

Here's what's fresh on BoomerGirl this Wednesday

Snuggle up by the air conditioner and enjoy new stories on the Books, Wine, Entertain and Beauty pages plus a delectable new blog by our favorite foodie, Lisa Johnson. Click through to get to the fresh stuff.

Flashback of the day

The birth of stadium rock!

The four ingredients of sexual self-esteem

We have begun to think of these attributes as the essential ingredients in the recipe for sexual self-confidence beyond 50. They each add a necessary flavor, though the proper blending will vary for every woman.

Thyroid gland isn't the perfect fall guy

Dear Crabby: I am dieting and exercising my tail off and I still can’t lose weight! I am convinced I have a thyroid problem that’s affecting my metabolism. I just know if my health care provider gives me some thyroid medicine, I’ll lose weight.

Does that carpet come in 'red dirt'?

Dear Mi-Ling: We live in the country and would like to replace our light gray carpet in the living areas with some kind of hard surface. The previous owners who put down the carpet also put down 6-inch green tile, moving to brown tile, with wide white grout in the entry through the kitchen to the dining area. Keeping that grout white is impossible.

Openness gives birth to unknown past

Unmarried girls who found themselves with child some 40 or 50 years ago were always reassured that adoption was the best course. But life doesn't always work out the way the experts predict.

Look at what's new this Tuesday

Chill out with fresh, cool stories on the Health, Family, Home and Sex pages plus a new Teenland blog today. Read on for details and quick links to your picks.

Shift in behavior can lower blood pressure

Forget the salt shaker. It really doesn't make a lot of difference. Canned foods are a major source of sodium, so eat frozen foods. Stay away from fast foods and salty French fries. Diet and exercise are important.

Anytime Stuffed Peppers

Make the filling ahead of time for a speedy dinner!

Run in spite of the summer sun

Q: As the weather gets hotter I have noticed that I’m having trouble keeping up my pace. Is there anything I can do to help me hang in there?

More women embracing gray hair

Though more celebs are proudly sporting silver dos, the internal debate most people face about embracing the powdery strands or diving into a bottle of color is enough to cause, well, gray hairs.

Ephron's latest feels like chatting with a friend

The same woman who brought you "When Harry Met Sally" and "Sleepless in Seattle" is just the friend you've been looking for. You can take her home and the two of your can have a guilt-free evening of wallowing in your problems and laugh until you cry, which, if you admit it, is all you've been wanting to do for a long time anyway if only someone would just let you.

See what's new this Monday

A brand new week is beginning on BoomerGirl, with a book review, a blog exchange and a variety of stories to catch your eye. Read on for the details!

Flashback of the day

A city is divided.

The dos and don'ts of DIY home repairs

When our sliding glass door gets stuck, my husband blasts the track with WD-40, a popular lubricant. But not all home repairs are so simple. Home improvement experts offer these guidelines.

Conserving water this summer in your yard

Many state water districts estimate that homeowners use over 50 percent of their summer water for landscape irrigation. In light of global warming and drought, doesn’t that make you feel a little guilty? It’s time to end our long, luscious love affair with needy, thirsty plants.

See what's new this weekend

Welcome to the weekend, BoomerGirls! We hope you're keeping cool. Refresh yourself today with a new "Laughing All the Way" blog and a bunch of new stories. Click through for details.

Longer waits add to stress of breast exams

There's a waiting room at the hospital breast center where I went for my mammograms. I call it the anxiety room.

Skin food

Fruit, spices and foods nourish inside and out

Tropical smoothie, papaya-mango souffle, or chocolate, anyone? No need to worry about the calories; these desserts aren't the kind you devour at your favorite restaurant. They're the kind you slather on your skin at your local spa.

Women after 50 don't want to be a 'nurse or a purse'

Why don't women want to be married? They don't want to be subservient, they value independence, they have not made good relationship decisions in the past, they feel men want control, they don't want to be "a nurse or a purse."

Skateboarders hang on to adrenaline-fueled hobby into middle age

Often ducking the police, middle-aged thrashers jump the fences of closed motels to sip beer and grind their boards across the empty pools. They trespass into back yards. They swarm local skate parks, speeding past kids half their age

Secrets of 'organic' wines, part 2

In a conventional winery, the grapes are processed by mechanical means, such as the electronic pump over systems commonly seen during fermentation. However, in an organic environment, the grapes are moved through these stages by the use of gravity.

See what's fresh this Friday

Today's BoomerGirl is bursting with new content on the Wine, Beauty, Love and Men's Room pages, plus there's a new Home Alone blog to catch up with. Click through for quick links to them all.

Sunscreen labels may not give accurate information, experts say

"I think 50 SPF means it blocks 50 percent of the suns rays," Dan says. Wrong.

Taking a bite out of New York's top restaurants - on the cheap

You don't need a big budget to experience New York City's hottest restaurants and find out what all the buzz is about.

Home shopping network

These aren't just Tupperware parties anymore. As part of a home-based business boom, some women entrepreneurs are moving from corporate America into a shop-from-home, in-your-home, high-end product business to gain economic independence and job autonomy.

Sponsor visits her global family

Jane Linn is a 51 year-old homemaker from the outskirts of Portland, Ore., who announced one day that she intended to travel alone to visit the children her family has sponsored for years through a Christian aid organization called World Vision.

Here's what's new on the site today

From the shoe-filled closet of an echo boomer to a global journey to visit family members, there's something for everyone today. Read on for pointers to the new stories on the Business, Family, Health and Travel pages, as well as the latest blog.

When online games change from 'hobby' to 'addiction'

Dear Susan: My husband's "hobby," playing an online game, is hurting our relationship. He doesn't see it as a problem, says it is just how he likes to relax.

Frames do not have to match your decor

You don't necessarily need to change out the frames to match with your new design style. In my opinion, artwork doesn't have to match your decor — it should reflect something that you like and appreciate for the sake of the art.

Seaweed's making an out-of-the-blue splash in beauty products this summer

Seaweed has washed up as one of summer's trendiest ingredients in beauty, skin and hair-care products.

Here's the hot spots for Wednesday

We're halfway through the week and bursting with new content on the Advice, Beauty and Home pages, as well as having two new blogs on offer. Click through for links to what's new!

Flashback of the day

The Watergate scandal comes to a head.

Holy-days

Taking holy-days and periods away from heavy schedules to revive our soul and spirit doesn’t have to cost much. I know women who turn off phones and computers, and have soul-refresher days at home.

Fixing your marriage mistakes before remarrying

Are you getting ready to tie the knot a second or third time? If so, don't forget to correct the mistakes you made in your prior relationships. Take control of what you did wrong.

Try a turn-key NYC girlfriends getaway

Let's face it, New York is a big city. It takes a lot of Internet surfing to find a decent hotel. To book your flight. To get show tickets, an airport shuttle or whatever else you want to include in your getaway. Have you ever considered letting the getaway planning pros put your getaway package together for you? Saves you a ton of time, a lot of headaches and money, too.<

When is the price right?

When you negotiate to save $1 — an amount that won't even buy you a bottle of water from the man hawking them at the flea market — is it really about price? Or is it about principle? Or pride? Or, heck, is it just entertainment?

Check out what's new on the site today

With new stories on the Spirituality, Girlfriend Getaway, Dating and Wealth pages today, as well as a blog from Costa Rica, there's something for a wide range of interests on BoomerGirl today! Read on for quick links to anything that catches your eye.

Flashback of the day

Normal service to return soon!

Bank hopes customers warm to retirement planning

In its quest to get the business of retiring baby boomers, U.S. Bancorp has a secret weapon. It's called coffee. Not to mention some comfy couches, a few computers and a big television screen.

I love California

I love California. Every couple of years my husband, Frank, and I make a pilgrimage west in search of great food and wine. In May we visited Napa, Sonoma and the Paso Robles wine country on the central coast.

Look at what's fresh on the site this Monday

You'll find new content on the Travel, Wealth, Health and Herspectives pages plus a new blog by Men's Room writer Dennis Anderson today. Click through for details and quick links.

Is age the key in hormone therapy?

Hormones seemed like the answer for Nancy Adams. The little pill that she got from her doctor solved the night sweat problem and she slept like a baby once again. All went well — "until," the Los Angeles resident says, "the study came out."

It's good to turn green

If it's grapes, kiwi and honeydew packing your plate

Cool and soothing. That's what light green foods say. And in summer's heat, that's a welcome message.

Better shop around

Save time, aggravation by picking the right shopping partner

It's one thing to go out looking around with a couple of girlfriends. But when you're serious about making a purchase, if you're going to make a date of it, it's wise to pair up with someone who has a similar shopping style.

Beauty and the breath

Glosses take a stab at enhancing both

Dry lips, yellowish teeth and bad breath can be a deadly combination — especially if you're on a date.

Getting serious about cleaning

Cleaning the house last week for a family reunion, I found two foil-wrapped chocolate eggs. I hope they were left from this past Easter, undiscovered by my little nephew and niece, and not the previous Easter. But you never know when you clean house only when serious company is coming.

See what's new on the site this weekend

We've got new stories on the Friends, Home, Beauty and Food pages for your weekend reading. Read on to get previews and links to whatever sparks an interest.

What? Hearing aids cost how much?

Growing up in the 1960s, loud music was a social staple for Ruthann Cage. Highlights of her youth included coveted tickets to the Beatles and the Rolling Stones in Chicago in 1964. At college parties, Cage occasionally joined a band on stage, "banging a tambourine with the other sorority girls." Decades later, Cage found herself straining to hear conversations. She could no longer distinguish consonants. Names such as "Harry" became "fairy."

Take guesswork out of being a good guest

It's high-summer party season. Are you being a good guest?

High impact

How much high-impact activity is enough to maintain bone density? I do a cardio workout (bicycling and the elliptical machine) about five times a week. Because I have to meet fitness standards for my job, I added running (1-2 miles, twice a week) to this regimen, although my middle-aged knees and hips are not particularly fond of the activity.

Here's what's new on the site today

We're celebrating another Friday with new content on the Fitness, Advice, Health and Herspectives pages PLUS a new blog from our gal pal in Paris, Polly Lyman. Read on for links to the fresh material.

It’s as easy as one, two, tray

Many baby boomers can recall blazing hot July days, sitting on a porch step, licking a homemade popsicle. It's summertime. Why not make some memories for those who have never seen a vintage aluminum ice cube tray?

Trekking in Tasmania? Oh, you devil

We hadn't meant to court danger that day. But here we were, staring straight over a Tasmanian cliff at a lake 200 feet below and wondering how to get there on a trail that seemed headed into thin air.

Testing your financial planner

Fully two-thirds of baby boomers plan to retire in the next 10 years and many are seeking financial planners to help them accumulate what they will need when the time comes. But not all "certified" advisers are what they appear to be.

See what's fresh on the site this Thursday

Feast your eyes on new stories on the Travel, Health, Food and Retirement pages and enjoy a new blog by "Little Miss Echo" today. Click through for quick links to whatever piques your interest.

Eating disorders follow women into middle age

Anorexia and bulimia have long been considered diseases of the young, but experts say in recent years more women have been seeking help in their 30s, 40s, 50s, and older. Some treatment centers are creating special programs for these more mature patients.

Floorcloths add splash of boldness anywhere

The kitchen in Marley Stein's home has neutral floors, neutral cabinets, neutral countertops - and a boldly colorful floorcloth right in the middle of the workspace.

Color-coordinate your cauliflower

Here's a cool new decorating tip: Match your cauliflower to your decor and serving dishes.

After 50, ‘openness’ shouldn’t require a truth serum

It occurs to me that it would be extraordinary if a man proposed the "truth serum" approach to his wife. Now there's an idea that sounds both exciting and terrifying. I suspect that many of us have, somewhere in our psyche, the hunger to be fully known and accepted — even those, especially those, that hold up their hand in protest.

Here's what's new on the site today

Treat yourself to new stories on the Home, Love and Food pages plus a new Herspectives column today! Click through for details and links to the content you want to read.