Italian Connections Influencing My Worldview

I posted on this blog yesterday that a reader from Europe asked two questions. I answered one of them here. The second question was,

Does [your connection with Europe/Italy] make you look different to things happening in the States or the world? Or doesn’t it make that big a difference?

That is a great question! And yes, my European connections have influenced how I look at things that happen in the USA.
Continue reading

Italian Influences

The topic of this post was suggested by a reader from Europe who responded to my request for blog ideas that I made in a recent post. The reader wrote:

I read that you are from Italian descent and still have a connection with ‘la bella Italia’. I was wondering if this European/Italian connection influences your daily life. Does it make you look different to things happening in the States or the world? Or doesn’t it make that big a difference?

This thought was intriguing to me. Here is what I think….
Continue reading

Autumn Riding

Rideautumncopright2013Of the four seasons, autumn is my favorite. Crisp, sunny, dry days of cooler “leather weather.” Yep, I have broken out the leather jeans and my regular biker gear and am wearing them every day — even when I am not riding my Harley. Nothin’ like the cool, comfortable feel of leather … shirts, pants, jackets, and boots (of course!)

My Harley required repair last week, but it was fixed quickly and I returned to riding on Friday. And Saturday. And Sunday. And Monday… And…
Continue reading

Let Me Tell You About My Friend

Yesterday was typically busy. I began the day by taking a brisk walk with a sr. friend who takes twice as many steps as I do in a stride, but covers twice the ground. Man, she’s a fast walker! We got in four miles before 8am!

Then I prepared a home-made waffle for my spouse made from ingredients compatible with his diet which is still restricted due to his long-term illness. While it takes an hour for the whole process, it seems like minutes. My spouse sits at the kitchen table and reads the newspaper to me and we talk about current events.

After that, I took several senior pals grocery shopping. Then after the thrill of chasing four little old ladies around a grocery store wore off, I returned home, put on my biker leathers, revved up the Harley, and…
Continue reading

DC Outing to See Someone Famous

Ronstadt1My spouse and I have always enjoyed the singing from this talented musical artist (the one on the right with the microphone) whose career has spanned more than 40 years. Her music is among the most vibrant and diverse from all singers — both from today and yesteryear.

This singer just completed writing her own memoir, and came to Washington DC’s national book festival to talk about her life and music, as well as to sign her book. There she…
Continue reading

Fundamentally Worlds Apart

I have a large family and a very wide circle of friends from all over the world. I admit, I use a certain social media platform to (try to) keep up on what they are doing, their interests, and their concerns.

My “friends” on that social media network have a wide range of religious and political beliefs. I respect that each person is entitled to his or her opinions. I have often wondered though, since we live on the same planet and my family comes from the same gene pool, how can some of us be fundamentally worlds apart when it comes to certain matters, like the fact that I was born gay and when it became legal in my state, I was legally married in a civil court to my one-and-only man.

There are some fundamental opinions that…
Continue reading