Chickie's Blog

A Writer Looks at Growing Old and Growing Up

Welcome

Welcome to my blog. I call it “Old Dogs, New Tricks” because I’m an old dog always hoping to learn a new trick, and I imagine that many of you feel the same. My blog is anonymous - I realize it’s quite pretentious to write anonymously. It assumes someone cares. Other than me, that is; I want to remain nameless for now because I have a real career (yes, I am a writer), real family and friends, and the topics are very personal. I’m not big on sharing (except anonymously I guess).

Like many artists and writers, we want to communicate; we long to send our creations out there, but we don’t always want to discuss it afterward. So, I'm happy you are joining me. Please subscribe and comment as we grow bOLD together.

Hand-Me-Downs: Or Is It Hand-Me-Ups

I never had an older sister (this is not a complaint; I am unpressed by the general nature of that relationship), but I did have an older cousin, M. I didn’t get a ton of clothes from her, but it was pretty damn exciting when I did. It’s all in how you think about it, right? I never thought of the wide skirt or assorted blouses as ‘worn’. To me they were vetted – they had been stamped with the seal of approval from my cool cousin, so I was thrilled. This makes me believe more

ledelstein2

2 days ago2 min read

My Year in Review: Lawn Decor

Everybody is doing it – reviewing 2025 as if it wasn’t our annus horribilis with three more horribilises to come. I noticed that the music and film journalists said that 2025 was just an okay year, not stellar. An understatement. Okay, I can pretend to be normal. However, I do agree with the experts that it was just okay for Lawn Decor. For a number of years, especially during the pandemic, lawn embellishments were on a sharp upswing with audacious designs, balloons and ligh

ledelstein2

Dec 30, 20252 min read

Holiday Earworm Antidotes

Maddy takes a turn...... In this season of relentless, non-inclusive, “holiday” music, I am regularly afflicted by Earworms: those annoying tunes that you cannot get out of your head, sometimes for hours. “Up on the Rooftop” and “White Christmas” are at the top of my list for public banishment. When afflicted by these, I long for what I’ve come to think of as my Legacy Music—now-historic melodies that put me right back in a specific era or place in my life. Just a faint re

drckerr

Dec 23, 20251 min read

Tis The Season?

Friday, on the plane to visit friends, I worked on a pretty funny post about holiday lawn ornaments. The next day, we heard about the shooting at Brown. Then the massacre at Bondi beach, a true antisemitic killing spree. On the way home, when I read about the death of Rob Reiner at the hands of his terribly disturbed son, I gave up the idea of any post this week – until I saw T%?#p’s vile rant. So, when I got home I took down my childhood menorah (that's the real thing in the

ledelstein2

Dec 16, 20251 min read

The Pleasures of Owning an Encyclopedia

My mother purchased an entire set of World Book Encyclopedias from my math teacher, Mr. Donofrio, who peddled books as his summer job. I was shocked that she went ahead without consulting my father. It was a bold move in my house – not that my father would have forbidden it, but that my mother, who was terribly anxious, would have made that type of monetary commitment. Well, it turned out to be the equivalent of buying me a new best friend (HRBL, you were never in danger). I

ledelstein2

Dec 2, 20252 min read

The Shrinking of Sizes

I think I have adapted reasonably well to the realities of aging UNTIL I have to shop online for an article of clothing and choose “my” size. Remember when menopause was referred to as The Change? The change from monthly ambiguity about managing menstruation was not unwelcome for me and I was braced for ways, as my dad used to quip, “With age, your upholstery slips.” While gravity and time have definitely changed my topography—my essential volume has not changed like Sizes

drckerr

Nov 25, 20252 min read

Planning Thanksgiving

I like Thanksgiving. Once you get past slaughtering the Native Americans, it’s a great holiday, particularly because it doesn’t include religion or gifts. That alone makes it a superb day. Add delicious food and it makes me want to go out and colonize other places and people so we can bring this marvelous holiday to them. It feels very American. When I was a kid, my father’s family would come over for the entire day. He cooked – at least 2 main courses in addition to turkey

ledelstein2

Nov 18, 20253 min read

Hang or Fold?

Relax, this isn't a post about capital punishment. Once again, I am here to make your life more enjoyable. Today we will do a ‘deep dive’ (one of my least favorite phrases in the entire world) into the question that you have all been discussing with your therapists, clergy and the two saleswomen left at the local department store. That list may not be complete; I’ll bet there is chat room or forum devoted to this topic. Let's g o. Today we join the essential discussion of……

ledelstein2

Nov 11, 20252 min read

The Practice of Tactical Whimsey

It's Maddy's turn...... Growing up in Montana winters, then living in Chicago and later in Minnesota, I became quite accustomed to living with ice. Recently, I was in Portland, staying three blocks from a new and different form of ICE and observed a key strategy for these times, regardless of your political stance: Apply Tactical Whimsey While this is not a good strategy for all situations in modern times, if you are any age, you need a repertoire of responses. For tense

ledelstein2

Nov 4, 20252 min read

Halloween is Redundant this Year

A Trumpkin AI says: If something is redundant, it is unnecessary because it is repetitive, no longer needed, or has been made obsolete by other elements . I always liked Halloween and spent a crazy amount of time making costumes for my kids – I think the bunch of grapes was one of the best, but she had trouble sitting in class because the purple balloons presented a problem. And my kids complained that I ate too much of their candy. Oh well, nothing’s perfect. That was then.

ledelstein2

Oct 28, 20251 min read

5 Lessons from Protest Participation

This isn’t going to be political, so all sides can continue reading peacefully. This morning's post is an entirely sociological observation. When you show up at a protest, yes, you believe in the cause, but it’s better if you heed the following, so: 1. Bring a sign. Homemade is best. People stop and take your picture. You will feel clever. Maybe you will make a friend or find your picture in the local paper. 2. The noise is chaotic. Relax, it isn’t just aging – no one

ledelstein2

Oct 21, 20251 min read

Who Had It Worse?

I understand that AI is changing the world, that rap is music, snowboarding is an Olympic sport, and I am already so far behind in my 2 factor authentication that 'scam likely' might be my new best friend, BUT I still find myself favorably comparing my youth to today’s young people. Therefore, thus, and hitherto, I pose a few questions for your consideration in the category of Who Had It Worse: Our generation or today’s? Which is Worse? 1. A brick of Velveeta (even the nam

ledelstein2

Oct 14, 20251 min read