Bonni Brodnick Blog

For those who are sending their kids off to college ... I can't underline enough the importance of being sure they have a fire extinguisher in their rooms, whether in a dorm or off-campus housing.   Please read and share this Huffington Post: "Fired up About Safety." Click here. Click here. If you have already dropped off your son or daughter, click here to order a fire extinguisher on-line.  It costs $18.98.

My daughter lived at home all summer between her junior and senior year of college. It started off lovey-dovey, but by August the forever-sight of dishes in the sink began to get on my nerves. Wanna come in and listen to the convo? Here's a snapshot of life in the Brodnick house. Click here  for my  Huffington Post ,                 "You Can't Leave For College Until You Empty the Kitchen Sink."

Many thanks to  Ellen Siebert Best , "Talk of the Town" columnist, for her wonderful write-up on  POUND RIDGE PAST: Remembrances of Our Townsfolk  in  The Record-Review  (our favorite hometown newspaper).

I'm not sure how this dance costume info landed in my email box, but I'm lovin' it. I mean ... who doesn't want to know how to add rhinestones to their dance costume?  Count me in! Click here   to learn how to create scattered, flower, geometric or fade patterns. And while you're at it with the glue gun, save a few rhinestones to do something crafty with your iPhone. (See below.) This is called the Fade Pattern. It is so special that we are captializing the "F" and the "P." Some people are forerunners in the art of rhinestone bling. And for that, we love them. Forever. Thank you, B Dancewear , for the great tips on how we can create the look of Liberace. (I mean it.) Liberace: The King of Rhinestone Bling 

The Dow Jones industrial average plunged over 1,000 points immediately after opening bell this morning. It recovered most of those losses and then dropped nearly 600 points  to close at 15,871.28. Although the sun was shining in New York on this 24th day of August, s ans aucun doute , it was a Black Monday.

Going through stuff as I pare down à la Marie Kondo, author of  The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up , I came across this precious letter that Mr. Rogers wrote to my son David when he was 2-years old. The world surely needs more gentle men like Fred Rogers. He epitomizes civility, respect and positivity. The button-down sweater aside, this man rocks it.

Are you beginning to have Back-to-School nightmares yet? Like ... you can't find your locker? Or ... you forgot your combination? Or ... everyone knows exactly where to go for their next class and you have no idea where you even are? Or as reader TA wrote in, "I still have  fear of the alarm clock not going off, even tho those days are all but over." In my Huffington Post , "Back to School Nightmares," I share the sweat and angst of bad dreams that always seem to rear their ugly face this time of August: " ... So there I was. My hands were weighed down with books... and not the light, fluffy stuff I like to read at the beach. Rather, these were books about algebra, science, quantum mechanics and world history. I was trying to run down the hall to put my books away so that I could get to gym class on time, but I couldn't find my locker. I suddenly remembered that it was five flights up and down a long hallway. When I finally got to my locker, I b...

There is nothing more sublime than spending a summer afternoon at Rye Beach with a great friend. Give yourself a spray of #55, layout the blanket on the hot sand ... and enjoy the view/moment.

Dictionary.com gives the spotlight today on one of my favorite words:   MONDEGREEN It is one of my all-time faves because mondegreens can be mindbenders. Astute individuals such as readers of Bonni's Blog have been found recoiled under elf bridges, too ashamed to show their faces as they ran from ridicule and misinterpretation after chanting completely wrong lyrics to songs everyone should know. (Shame, shame if you still don't know " Bye Bye, Miss American Pie .") For more on mondegreen, click link below for my post: A Mondegreen: You Make Me Feel Like a Manchurian Woman  And always remember, " The Ants Are Your Friends, They're Blowing in the Wind. "

In straightening up my daughter's room post her departure to Grenada to start a post-bac pre-med program, I found this small canvas she painted.  It is inspiration for us all. Take a pause. Move your hands away from the keyboard and place them on your lap. Close your eyes. Count slowly to 5, breath deeply through your nose, t hen ponder . . .  "Am I living  my  dream ? ? ? ?? ? ?? ?? ? ? ?? "  

Gorilla as seen by daughter at Bronx Zoo this afternoon.  (Perhaps he is seeking an audition for the Madonna "Vogue"  (Strike a Pose) reshoot.)   According to Wikipedia, the  DNA  of gorillas is highly similar to  that of humans , from 95–99% depending on what is counted, and they are the next closest living relatives to  humans  after the  chimpanzees  and  bonobos . In any event, this gorilla makes a very handsome male model .