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The Ladies of Forest Trace: A Time for Prose

“Yesterday, I felt a little disappointed.” It was Wednesday, the day after Barack Obama was inaugurated, and my hundred year-old mother was calling to talk about how she thought it went.She had been an...

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The Ladies of Forest Trace: Civics Lesson

“I know it’s only a little more than two weeks since he was inaugurated, but I’m feeling worried about his ability to lead and run the government.”  I had just placed a call to my hundred-year-old...

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The Ladies of Forest Trace: Definitions Republican Style

“I’ve only got a minute.” It was my mother calling.“Me too. Are you OK?”“I’m fine. I’m fine. But I have to run in a moment. It’s one of the girls 100th birthday and they’re having a pizza party for her...

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The Ladies of Forest Trace: Nancy

I hadn’t seen my 100 year-old mother so upset since the Reverend Wright surfaced. At that time she wasn’t as much concerned about Barack Obama’s association with him as she was worried that it would...

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The Ladies of Forest Trace: The Girls Take Stock

“How long has it been?” It was my nearly 101 year-old mother calling.I assumed she meant how long since we had come to see her. “I don’t know, maybe two weeks.” I was feeling guilty. After all we had...

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The Ladies of Forest Trace: Pepi

“I know you will be leaving for New York in an hour.” It was my nearly 101 year-old mother calling, I presumed, to wish us a safe trip. For decades this has been a tradition which by now has assumed...

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The Ladies of Forest Trace: Fear Itself

I was late for a meeting and decided to let the answering machine pick up the call.  From the hall I could hear that it was my 101 year-old mother who was calling from Florida.  When someone is that...

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The Ladies of Forest Trace: Mom Turns 101

My mother turned 101 yesterday and you can only imagine all the excitement. Not just about the number, which is something, but because she is doing so well. The ladies in the Jennie Room where she...

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The Ladies of Forest Trace: Pollyannas

“I only have a few minutes,” it was my 101 year-old mother calling from Florida, “so just be still and listen.”“I’m in no hurry. So take your time.” She sounded breathless and I worried that maybe she...

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The Ladies of Forest Trace: Basal Cell Carcinoma

“I’m calling to see how he is doing.”  It was my 101 year-old mother who lives at Forest Trace, a retirement community near Ft. Lauderdale.I was in the midst of a project and for a moment didn’t know...

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The Ladies of Forest Trace: "It's All Because He's Black"

“The ladies are saying that they don’t want socialized medicine. So I say to them, ‘You’re on Medicare, right? And you have no complaints, right? Well, maybe a few. And they say to me, ‘We like what we...

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The Ladies of Forest Trace: Exerting Leadership

“I only have a minute.” It was my 101-year-old mother calling from her retirement community in Florida.“Is everything all right? You sound out of breath.”“I’m fine for an old lady but like I told you I...

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The Ladies of Forest Trace: Obama Knew

“What you’ve been writing on that blog, or whatever you call it, misses the whole point.”My more than 101 year-old mother was calling from Forest Trace, the retirement community in south Florida where...

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The Ladies of Forest Trace--More Book Burning

“Why do things like this always have to happen to us in Florida?”“What kinds of things, mom?” I asked my more than 102-year-old mother who was calling, all upset, from Forest Trace, the retirement...

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The Ladies of Forest Trace: What He's Made Of

"Did you see what Paul Kugelman wrote?"I knew she meant, Paul Krugman op-ed columnist for the New York Times. My 102-and-a-half year old mother is devoted to him but always refers to him that way. I...

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Ladies of Forest Trace: Family of Nations

“I know you’re coming here later to take me to Publix—I need fruit and some milk to drink with my Ensure—but I don’t want to spoil the visit by talking about politics, and so I’m calling.”“That’s all...

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Ladies of Forest Trace: More Than Two Lifetimes

Even before we could get to Logan Airport to catch our flight to Ft. Lauderdale to celebrate my mother’s 103rd birthday, she was calling my cell phone.This was unusual. Like many of her generation, my...

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Ladies of Forest Trace: Breaking News

"Did you see the breaking news?" My 103-year-old mother was calling from Forest Trace, the retirement community in Lauderhill, Florida where she lives."After this past week with Hurricane Irene I...

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Ladies of Forest Trace: What Obama Needs to Do

“I’m worried about the ladies,” my mother said over lunch the other day.“Is Bertha in the hospital again? I know that Fay . . .”“No, they’re fine. By that I mean fine for people our age.” My mother is...

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Ladies of Forest Trace: Lifeweary

“I’m feeling very old.” My nearly 104-year-old mother was on the phone.“Well, mom, to be honest with you, you are getting old,” I said but quickly added er to make it, “You are getting older.”“I didn’t...

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The Ladies of Forest Trace: Obama, Oy Vey!

“You haven’t had dinner with the girls in a long time. So how about coming on Friday? They have a nice menu—some kind of beef with a French sauce, which I of course can’t chew--but you will...

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The Ladies of Forest Trace: Natural Causes

“I’m not doing well.” On the phone my mother sounded breathless and weak.I was concerned. Though she is nearly 104, she has been in fine physical and mental health. “You do sound under the weather....

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Ladies of Forest Trace: Uncle Ben & Danny

“I am feeling much better.” It was my 104-year-old mother calling. “I know you gave me up for dead; but as who-was-it said, ‘The reports of my death have been exonerated.’”“I think it was Mark Twain,...

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Ladies of Forest Trace: Frieda

“You’re here two minutes and already I’m giving you bad news.”We were in Florida, at Forest Trace, in anticipation of celebrating my mother’s 104th birthday on Thursday.We braced ourselves because,...

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Ladies of Forest Trace: Nothing Wonderful

“There’s nothing wonderful about being 104.” My mother was calling from Lauderhill where she lives at Forest Trace, a senior citizens residence.  “You keep telling me there is and I say, No. There is...

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Ladies of Forest Trace: The Terrible Man With All That Hair

“I’m terrible and need to talk with you.”It was my mother calling.  She has been dispirited the past two months, even saying, “Maybe it’s enough already. I’m so old I can’t even remember how old I am.”...

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Ladies of Forest Trace: Oral Surgery

“You know I have to have my teeth removed.”“Not your teeth, mom, one of your molars.”“And my doctor said that at my age, which we will not discuss, I could die in the chair. Actually, he said, there is...

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Ladies of Forest Trace: Rand Pail & Chuck Schmoozer

"Why are you calling? To cancel? You're not up for a visit?"It was my mother calling from Forest Trace, where she lives with 250 other seniors. This has happened before. Many times. At nearly 105 it’s...

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The Ladies of Forest Trace--Groans

“Can I ask you something?”“Anything, mom.” We had driven over to Forest Trace to visit my nearly 105-year-old mother.“Have you been watching?”“Watching what?”“TV. CNN.” She was having a good day,...

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Ladies of Forest Trace: With Mother

When we learned that my brother and sister-in-law who share in caring for my nearly 105-year-old mother would be out of town until the 24th, reflexively, we changed our departure plans—moving the date...

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Ladies of Forest Trace: Do Unto Henry Cross

When visiting with my mother on Friday to celebrate her 105th birthday, I did one of those silly things one is inclined to do on such occasions.Rather than asking her which invention or technological...

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Ladies of Forest Trace: Maureen Shroud

“I’m fed up with her, all the time calling him ‘The One.’”“I think I know who you mean.”As usual on Sunday, at the stroke of noon, my more-than-105-year-old mother was calling from Florida. She takes...

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Ladies of Forest Trace: Senator Cruel

"I only have a minute. I'm watching C-Spanish." My 105-year-old mother was calling from Forest Trace in Lauderhill, Florida.I knew she meant C-SPAN. These days she's been glued to the TV. So much is...

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Ladies of Forest Trace: Immaculate Generation

Approaching 106, there are days when my mother has less vitality. At those times, our conversations are brief as she struggles to take in the oxygen she needs. We talk only about the weather in Florida...

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Ladies of Forest Trace: Are You Limping?

Like clockwork, for decades, at precisely noon on Sundays, my mother would call. In fact, she was so regular in doing this that it would generate genuine concern if she was even a minute late.I would...

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Ladies of Forest Trace: Chris Crispy

"Did you see him on TV?""Who?" I asked my nearly 106-year-old mother, who was calling from Forest Trace, the retirement community in South Florida where she has lived for almost 20 years."Chris...

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Ladies of Forest Trace: India

"Come over as soon as . . . you can. There's something . . . I need to talk to you about."My mother, short of breath, sounded ominous. I thought, considering her age, was this the . . ."Are you OK?" I...

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Ladies of Forest Trace: Three Saturdays

An hour into our most recent visit, for the third time my mother asked, "Is it Saturday?"And for the third time I said, "No, Mom, it's Monday.""So you see, as I keep telling you, I am losing my...

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Ladies of Forest Trace: The Wimp

“You know how much your mother likes us to come to dinner with her and her friends.”“Didn’t we . . .?“We didn’t,” Rona said. “At least not this year. Last winter once or twice but . . .”“We should,” I...

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Ladies of Forest Trace: What's Left?

When I answered the phone, I heard my mother sigh."Soon, it will be another year.""You mean, another birthday?""What kind of future do I have?""In truth, Mom, you've been saying that for years. Many...

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Ladies of Forest Trace: Geriatric Feminists

It was two days after my mother's 106th birthday and I called to run an idea by her."I have a theory.""A what?""A theory, a perception I want to ask you about. It's something I've been noticing for the...

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Ladies of Forest Trace: Winks

“If you want to talk to me you have to call between winks.”“Between what?”“I’m sleeping all the time. Twenty winks.”“Forty.”“Forty what?”“Winks. You’re catching 40 winks.”“So call me later when I’m...

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The Ladies of Forest Trace: IRIS, ISIS, ISIL

These days I call my mother at least once a day.For decades, we used to speak on Sundays. At precisely 12:00. She loved to demonstrate that she was in command of all her faculties by dialing at the...

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The Ladies of Forest Trace: Darling

It is becoming more difficult to determine when it is best to call my more-than-106-year-old mother.Time is having its inevitable way with her. She is losing vitality and spends more time than in the...

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Ladies of Forest Trace--"The Wit & Wisdom of My 107-Year-Old Mother"

I have been writing and posting these diaries for about seven years. During that time many who have read them suggested they would like to see them form the core of a book. I am pleased to report that...

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Ladies of Forest Trace: The Wit & Wisdom of My 107-Year-Old Mother

Here are the final five brief conversations about my new book, Obama, Oy Vey: The Wit and Wisdom of My 107-Year-Old Mother.Information about it is linked below.

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Ladies of Forest Trace--Goodbyes

My mother is not very good at goodbyes. Actually, she is exceptional good with them. Long ones. Very long ones.Here's one example from about five years ago--

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Farewell to the Ladies of Forest Trace

The receipt arrived yesterday from the charity to which we gave much of my mother's furniture, housewares, and clothing.I believe all will be put to good use.

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The Ladies of Forest Trace: Lunch With the Ladies

"We're only here for a few more days and though I know it will be difficult," Rona said, "maybe it would be good, even therapeutic to visit Forest Trace one last time and . . .""But with my mother . ....

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The Ladies of Forest Trace

Two days ago would have been my mother's 109th birthday. Tomorrow is the second anniversary of her death.My emotions this week have been saturated with thoughts of her. And memories. Memories including...

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