Mother Goddess and Baby Sister

Mother almost always wore a skirt or a dress. Yes even when cleaning house or working in the garden or yard. How do you keep up with that?! Take a closer look and you will see that her shoes had heels! Mother always wore earrings and her makeup was perfect. Picture taken by me with my new "Brownie" camera which I purchased with my birthday money.

I simpler time in life - long ago. We were so lucky growing up in Rhinebeck. Small town back then had an "It's a Wonderful Life" connotation. We were innocent and didn't have to deal with complicated big city issues.

Barefoot, carefree, we could ride our bikes and visit neighbors all on our own. No cell phones, no GPS, just childhood freedom to explore adventures with our friends. How sweet it was!!!

99 Mill Street

Well, that's where it all began for us, We Three New York Goddesses. For a while we sat and watched the world go by from our front porch, a ship a float in the ebb and flow waters of life. A sanctuary where we could pretend that no one could really see us as we hid in our cardboard Igloo given to us by a neighbor that worked for GE refrigeration. The Igloo had been a prop for some advertising campaign. I learned to sew a simple stitch in that Igloo, making a skirt for one of my dolls. Big sister was outgrowing the novelty pretty fast so I started bringing in the cats and our dog for company. By the end of the summer the Igloo had blown off the porch (out to sea) several times and had become water damaged. It was time to put aside that piece of childhood security and venture out into the light.

You don't want to lose your "skirt"!! in these trying times.

Real Friends, girlfriends or otherwise, and family members never seem to miss a chance to remind you of something you did or something that happened to you much worse than what you may be going through right now.

For instance, I was speaking with my daughter this morning and we were talking about work related tension and stress. She told me about her upcoming meetings and traveling to Colorado on a bid defense for her company.

I told her that I was touring a client today and planned to show many homes going by the list that was sent to me. I was a little stressed trying to fit it all in ( large country geography here)and was a bit concerned I might get lost or turned around because of the unmarked roads etc. in the lake communities I was to be visiting.

She said, "Hey Mom, what are you wearing?" I replied, "skirt,top, matching shoes and jewelry." She inquired about the stability of the closure on the skirt. I was puzzled trying to understand what she was talking about and then she reminded me that I had, in fact, lost my skirt last year while showing houses.

Well I didn't really loose it, it just completely fell to the ground as I was walking. Thank God I was wearing opaque pantyhose over the panties. No slip though as I hate them. I indeed was mortified and positive that the customers would want no further part of me. They did end up purchasing one of my listings after all and Bridget reminded me that if those purchasers could still work with me, then what is the big deal about a little turn around in the middle of deep woods.

Bridget reminded me about one of my most embarrassing moments, yet I felt better about today. PS. It was a successful tour.

Miss Vivian - Vivian GainesTanner-Paxton

Vivian was an Earth Mother. She was a self- taught Black Artist & Poet who never painted or wrote until she was well into her 60's. She was my sister/girlfriend, which we fondly called each other. She enveloped me with her warm glow of pure God given love. She cooked with a magical touch that nourished your soul. My children's eyes would light with glee at the mere mention of Vivian's magical chocolate chip cookies. She was a deceptively ordinary woman on the surface, yet like no other woman you would ever have the good fortune to meet. I was drawn to her by some force quite beyond my ability to explain. There was a palpable aura about her.
I feel blessed that destiny brought her into my life, and that she shared her many unique insights on this journey we call life. My home is filled with the mystical glow from Vivian's lovely paintings. My heart is filled with the comforting words and profound insights she shared. She was a sister/girlfriend/fellow traveler on the pathway to understanding life's many dimensions. Noreen Reilly

Help, my "Girly" survey says I am at 12%

That is bad. Facebook, you have totally depressed me. I tried to answer honestly and truly some of the categories had me on the low end but still there. Which to me means that my "girly scale" is actually less. So yesterday I died my hair and got rid of the silver stripe and all of the straggles. Today the nails will get attention; but I am afraid that my casual life style has slowly eroded my feminine side. Has this happened to you?

Sisters of the Heart

Sisters are of the heart not of birth. Sharing the love of our families our innermost thoughts and feelings makes us sisters. Since I don't have a birth sister, the love of very special friends has always been inportant to me. There are always those few friends who make such an impact on your life that you feel as close to them as you would a sister. I am very lucky to have had 3 such special friendships. God has truly blessed me.. Dottie in North Carolina