Happy April sweet friends. This week San Antonio experienced near totality during Tuesday’s eclipse, while the next night we had 70-mile-an-hour winds and a hard rain. Since my girl Annie is scared of storms, we rode it out on a blanket in my closet and listened to one of my Favorite Things for this month.
A Kindle book and audio version from one of my favorite authors, Cheryl Strayed.
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For longer than I care to think about, Tulum has been one of the favorite resorts of beach lovers and social media influencers, but did you know this Maya (the correct word is Maya not Mayan) ruin that overlooks the Caribbean was once pristine and undiscovered? Now, it’s filled with hordes of tourists and drug dealers. Six weeks ago, an American woman was killed in Tulum during a gun battle between warring drug dealers. Ironically, she and her husband had left Los Angeles because of the rising crime rate there.
While extreme violence in Mexico is nothing new, it makes me sad because the first time I saw Tulum, I was 21, and I felt like I was the one who discovered it.
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All of you know how much I love my dog(s), Annie, and if you’re like me, this will tug at your heartstrings. And if you know someone who needs to read this, please forward it to them. And if you know someone who’s abandoned their dog, please don’t tell me their name, because I’ll be tempted to send Guido and Little Louie after them.
This is a real letter from a veterinarian. It’s longer than I usually post, but I hope you’ll read it anyway. I’ve included some little stories for you along the way. xoxox, B
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This is one of my favorite photos taken of me. I was probably twenty-three years old, and it was photographed by my first husband, Philip, while we were on a boat in the Bahamas. Those were some of the most exciting days of my young life, but little did I know, they would lay the groundwork for a memoir I would write someday.
Speaking of my memoir, please forgive me for not blogging on a more regular basis, but I’ve been slammed with things related to my book like editing the manuscript and putting together a public relations strategy. Even though it won’t hit bookstores until next year, publishers begin working on a book a year in advance. Yesterday, I had a Zoom call with my editor, who told me how their creative director will approach the book cover design. It’s all new and fun to me, and it’s building my “pub date” anticipation.
In the meantime, here are some of my favorite things for March.
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Every month my friend Cindy and I interview a different woman we think you’d like to know. This month I’m introducing you to Ageless Style with Jacqui Getz.
While raising three daughters, Jacqui Getz taught school and later was a principal in the New York City public school system. Jacqui was an advocate for children, and she was as fierce as she was fashionable. Now, at age 63, Jacqui Getz is a pro-age fashion stylist who works with women over 50 to help them define their style and shop smart.
“Life is all about the details. Some details are apparent: an accessory, a shoe, a color. Other details are subtle, a twist that puts your signature stamp on an outfit.”
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Photograph by Brenda Coffee @2023
Last year when I was in Florence, I visited the Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella which began as a convent that dates back to 1221. With the plants the Dominican friars grew in their garden, the friars made natural medicinal remedies that had pleasant scents, and eventually, they expanded into fragrances and wellness products they still carry today.
While I was there I bought several boxes of “scented wax tablets” to put in my dresser drawers and give as special gifts.
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This is the time of year when many of us make New Year’s resolutions to eat better and get more exercise, but I have one that may change your life. It changed mine, BIG TIME, and it involves the brain-gut connection and how healthy aging is directly connected to the microbes that live in our intestines.
Two months ago I made five easy changes to reset the microbes in my gut, and they’ve changed my life.
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Photograph by Brittan Goetz
Each month my friend Cindy and I interview a different interesting and amazing woman. This month I’d like to welcome you to Ageless Style and the World of India Hicks.
When I think of India Hicks the words history, tradition, family, and design are just a few that come to mind followed by style, author, service to others, and entrepreneur. The life India Hicks and her family have built on Harbour Island in the Bahamas is centered around Hibiscus Hill, their elegant yet laid-back home. The house is a mix of timeless British colonial, and the rich island culture of bright gelato colors, tropical flora and fauna, and pink sandy beaches. Add five children, several beloved dogs and cats, some lovebirds, a tortoise, and a passion for entertaining, and you’ve just begun to imagine the world of India Hicks.
If you think it sounds like paradise, you might be right.
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This month I was going to share a number of my favorite things, but I decided it’s more important to help my dear friend, Tammy Carrington. She’s set up a GoFundMe page to raise money to buy a wheelchair lift van for her severely challenged son, Jonathan. You may remember I’ve written a couple of times about Tammy. Once when a stalker followed her from WalMart to her hotel and tried to break into her room, and the other time, about how far a mother will go to keep her child alive. This is one of those stories.
Tammy and Jonathan need your help, and I pray you’ll keep reading.
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I’ve been offered a publishing contract for my memoir, and I’m over the moon. Publishers schedule books a year in advance so my book will hit the shelves in May 2025. A year seems like a long time, but there’s a lot to do like edits, proofing and approvals, and getting the book cover designed. Then there’s a national public relations campaign that needs to be planned which will include special features for social media and YouTube.
I’ve written this book for all of you because repeatedly, you’ve asked me to share more about my life. That wasn’t an easy thing for me to contemplate, much less write.
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