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All Fired Up About Fire Safety

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(*Note: Originally published as a  HuffPost  Contributor) If   your child is living in the dorms, there is reasonable assurance that fire codes and drills are in place. A parent can be assured that sorority and fraternity houses have safety measures in place, too. But off-campus housing? Hear me out.  Our daughter, who was in her junior year, elected t o move a mile or so outside of town, away from the main campus. "But, Mom, it's going to be so cool. I'll be living with my friends in a house !" she announced after she had signed the lease with seven other girls. During sophomore year, she and her "sisters" (sorority speak) were in a stately BRICK house built on campus in the 1920s.  They were now living in a WOOD house built in the 1940s. As the premises are not under the direct auspices of campus housing, my husband and I were adamant about a few safety issues. We urged our daughter to check whether there are any fire extinguishers in the house, specifica...
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Circular Sentences Saying the Same Thing

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Listening to jazz music in the park by the river on a summer evening made me think how grateful I am to sit in the park by the river on a summer evening listening to jazz music. #liveisgood    #gratitude    #thankful    #strokesurvivorsneverquit  
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KATIE COURIC MEDIA & "My Stroke in the Fast Lane"

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And in today's news . . . KATIE COURIC MEDIA is re-running the story about my book, My Stroke in the Fast Lane: A Journey to Recovery . Sincere thanks to Nancy Steiner, Life and Career Coach, for the excellent questions! Read  it here:  "She Couldn't Walk or Talk After a Massive Stroke -- But She Had One Goal" .
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New England Sunsets by the Sea

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No words are needed. Breath deep and enjoy . . . Photo Credit: Bonni Brodnick
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Jazz Revelry in Vienne, France

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The steps on the main cathedral were painted to welcome the jazz festival to town. Get a load of these kidders. Note the flashing lights on the breast. Loved how they are embracing the moment. Loved their sense of frivolity! Listening to outdoor music on the knoll in town. This is an ancient temple smack-dab in the middle of town, Some might call it a real traffic stopper. Though surrounded by a parking lot, I say "Bravo, Vienne" for preserving your town's antiquity for hundreds and thousands and millions of years.
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The Leo Marchutz School: A Visit to My Alma Mater

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I took a semester abroad to study art history, painting & drawing at the renowned Leo Marchutz School in Aix-en-Provence. The school today is thriving! Here I am with one of my former teachers, Alan Roberts, who holds a copy of my book, My Stroke in the Fast Lane: A Journey to Recovery. Several teachers lived at Château Noir, a frequently painted motif by Paul Cézanne. It's located just outside of Aix, on the Route du Tholonet. Even in the daylight, it's eerie and mysterious. Whenever there's a Cézanne exhibit, you'll find me staring at the painting, mesmerized, and remembering the wild dinner parties we had there. We'd drink lots of local red wine, roll up the rug, and dance the night away.
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A Day in Beaujolais

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We spent the afternoon visiting the splendor of Château de Varennes, a vineyard in the family since the 16th century. The current family is the 15th generation of that lineage. Here is a photo of me with Monsieur Charvériat  in the tasting room.  This is a photo of the five wines they produce. We tried every single one of them. I am not showing the photo after that when I was trying to squeeze around a barrel with empty wine glasses on top. My pocketbook bumped into them, and they all hit the floor, shattering. I tried to cover up the faux pas  by gently kicking sawdust over them, but it was hard to hide the shards. Slightly embarrassing (to say the least). But what a landscape! "Stunnnnning!", as my mother would say.
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