Gone Fishing

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“Gone Fishing” Painting by Diane Nicholls

Dear Readers and Friends,

Between the mist and fog on the West Coast, the heat and humidity in the Midwest, with vacations afar (Ireland and Haiti), not-so-far (Michigan and Ventura) and stay-cations nearby (Yosemite and Minneapolis) — it’s a busy month for the crew at Fifty is the New….

Taking a page from the French playbook, where August means just one thing: les vacances! — we’re taking the rest of the month off. C’est magnifique, n’est ce pas?

Here’s hoping you are having a wonderful summer filled with frolic and fun, good weather, frosty adult beverages, and quality time spent with loved ones — plus lots of r & r.

We’ll see you in September!

What We’re Groovin’ On

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The Chama River

Hot fun! With summer just around the corner, here’s what we’re groovin’ on.

Melissa
Having spent much of a very long winter holed up with a cast on my arm, I am reveling in the out of doors. I just returned from a 3-day trip on the Chama River in Georgia O’Keefe country and plan more river time in the next month. This week I am going to hike to a mountain lake high in the Sangre de Cristo mountains.

Walking, weeding, outdoor concerts and visits to the Farmer’s Market make up my chief summer grooves. Also outdoor dining, morning coffee under the apple tree, Martha’s homemade goat cheese and the most special of all, the return of the hummingbirds!

Prudence
In two words, “rediscovering classics.” Believe me, they’re better the second time around! Jane Eyre, The House of Mirth and The Picture of Dorian Gray read by acclaimed actors and downloaded to my iPod, transport me far away from mundane, everyday tasks that miraculously get done as I hang with Jane, Lily and Dorian. And the best part—these books are online and free to download at Netlibrary.com, as well as many other free book collections available through your local library! Read more

Fifty is the New is Two!

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Join Cathy Fischer and her Terpsichorean muses in a special anniversary dance

On April 22, 2008, in “Entering the Blogosphere”, the very first Fifty is the New blog post, I wrote, “Will I have something to say as I am catapulted into the world of commentary, citizen journalism and navel-gazing? I continued with this pretty clever strategy, “For backup, I have enlisted the help of some articulate, powerful, funny, sexy and smart voices. Other women, friends of a ‘certain age,’ whose reflections make me sit up and take notice, wonder aloud, laugh, get enraged and engaged in life—mid-life.” Yes, quite clever, enlisting those women, if I say so myself…

Since that first post two years ago, a lot has changed. There were few blogs written by middle aged women back then, and now there are many. Baby boomers on Facebook? Not in 2008, when it was still an online campus, a collection of pimple-faced college kids and a few early adopters. In these past two years, we’ve put a new president in office, brought ecology back, and now there are more women over 50 smiling from the cover of magazines. (Hey Ellen! Lookin’ good)!
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Spring Musings

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Back by popular demand… Spring springs eternal.

The contributors at Fifty is the New were asked to ponder the question, What does Spring mean to you? Find their odes to the season (in 30 words or less), and add your own definition of Spring below:

What does Spring mean to you?

Christie Healey
Spring means the ancient part of my heart will soar again, overjoyed at the end of another winter and exultant at the promise of what is to come.

Prudence Baird
Gone but not forgotten: “Easter” vacation; white gloves in church; church; pastel dresses; rustling petticoats; thin, white bobby socks with lace edges; silly little purses with gold-tone snap closings.

Cathy Fischer
Time to start anew. Raindrops on pavement, flowers in bloom; farmer’s market asparagus; the hibernation of winter clothes; Passover, Easter, and the symbol of rebirth: eggs. Read more

Get Up Offa That Thing

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Get up, warm up and get funky with Connie Stetson’s choice for post-holiday cheer.

Urghhh…It’s after Christmas. I feel fat like a stuffed Christmas goose. I need to feel the funk…. So, let’s “Get Up Offa That Thing” and dance so we can feel better in 2010. 2010???? I feel so space-age.

Much love and luck to all in the coming year. 


Thinking Outside the Box: Holiday Gift Ideas

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Last year, Fifty is the New contributors and readers submitted unusual ideas for holiday giving. Because they’re wonderful and timeless, lean and green, we’ve republished them, and we invite you to share more of your own.

Prudence Baird

Two incredibly useful gifts for the holidays…these are great as reciprocals, too. You give one to me and I’ll match yours!

Your Girl Friday (or Saturday). On a day that works for both of us, I’ll show up at 9:00 a.m. at your home with your choice of caffeinated or decaf latte. You provide rubber gloves and I’ll provide my discerning judgment, unbiased reasoning and brute strength as we clean out your closets and organize your junk drawer(s). At the end of eight hours, I solemnly swear never to reveal what we did that day or what we found under your bed.

A Make-Up Spree. Make a date to have your friend’s make-up done—for free at the cosmetics counter of a posh department store or boutique vendor. When it’s all over, buy her the lipstick of her choice and surprise her with one of those little retractable brushes that will allow her to get the most out of her new gift when it’s down to the nub. Bring your camera for before-and-after snaps and celebrate afterwards at a hip espresso bar because she looks so fabulous.

Christie Healey

Teaching someone to read is a very special gift, check out Literacy Partners for more information on how to get involved.

Offer to take care of a friend’s pet during vacation because we all worry about our little furry pals and want to know that someone we love and trust is taking care of them when we go away.

Cathy Fischer

Send a subscription to an unusual magazine, one that the receiver would be interested in, but may not know about. I like these uncommon publications: The Week (international weekly news, bite-sized), Cooks Illustrated (for the food chemist, kitchen gadget guru and/or chef of the house) and Modernism (for 20th century design divas). Read more

One Loyal Friend is Worth Ten Thousand Relatives


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Connie Stetson muses on friends and relations, relatively speaking.

Not to speak ill of relatives, of course, but Euripedes got that right. I’m grateful that my sister and have become good friends, and I’m glad I only have one sister to work my shit out with, but we never had a choice. It’s the combo-pack with family. For good or ill, with deeper issues to work out, old wounds to mend; we’re all so invested in the story we made up about when we were kids that it’s nearly impossible to show up as changed, or better, or over that, ya know?

Ah, but our friends… To be able to say to someone, “I absolutely support your change and growth, but you never have to change for me to love you.” Knowing that there are a select few out there who hear your truth and your inconsistencies, and you theirs, is a mighty, mighty force indeed. To allow a dear friend, in all loving honesty to say, “your ass looks like a giant bag of potatoes in those pants, take them off now!” To stand with a friend as she walks through loss, illness, change and all of the boundless joyful stuff too—well, this is what helps keeps me anchored. Read more

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