Bonni Brodnick Blog

  10 Helpful Tips Before You Keel Over Making it EZ-PZ for those you leave behind Painting by Alegorija Ferdo Kovačević It was an uneventful Thursday until my best friend called to say her mother had died unexpectedly. My friend and her brothers were in shock and totally in the dark about what to do. Their mother, who had divorced years ago, left no instructions, plan, or direction for her final wishes. What kind of funeral did she want, and where did she want to be buried? What do they do with the house and the cars? At this time of great grief, my friend and her brothers were overwhelmed with the next steps. There’s a takeaway for all of us:  Think ahead.  Following are a few tips that will help make things easier for our children at a time when they need our guidance and direction most. 1.  Make your wishes known. Deciding on one’s eternal resting place is a big decision. Don’t leave it up to someone else to decide whether and where you want to be buried or cremat...

Squirrel Appreciation Day An Annual Celebration of Those Annoying Critters On January 21 — every year — it’s a big celebration in our house. It’s National Squirrel Appreciation Day! I’m thankful for many things, and my list runneth over, but I never thought squirrels would hover at the top. Christy Hargrove, a wildlife rehabilitator in North Carolina, founded National Squirrel Appreciation Day to make us aware that food sources were scarce for them in mid-winter. And be they shades of gray, pale orange; deep reddish-brown or black; Ground, Tree, or Flying squirrels, on this particular day, we’ve got Hargrove’s blessing to honor them and make them feel as if they matter. For background, these creatures are at it 24/7. As pure opportunists, squirrels will break into your attic any time. They’ll leave cracked acorns on your lawn when they think it looks too neat. Have overflowing bird feeder problems? Need an attic pilfered? Count on these ubiquitous rodents to show you a thing or two....

While most kids were beginning after-school sports, I was picked up for a different sort of “athletic” endeavor: eye training. In a continued effort to strengthen my eye muscles, I went to a recommended specialist. Beyond his florescent-lit office, there was a dark inner sanctum surrounded by stations. It was like walking from day to night. I sat hunched over a dark station, and watched a spirograph spinning in front of me. This geometric roulette of curves tested my ability to focus. Photo by  Glen Carrie  on  Unsplash I then moved to the next station of moving images. Task: Watch the  red fox  jump over the  white fence . Then it would flip: watch the  white fox   jump over a  red fence . Photo by  Gary Bendig  on  Unsplash Then they took away the foxes and the fences, and there was nothing. Blank. Black. In this space, my brain was supposed to remember what it saw and replay the red fox jumping a white fence. Or was it the w...