Cinderella - 4/26/22

I think I figured out my movie: Cinderella 

Given my love of children’s books it’s perfect.  What I’ve always loved about her is that she just worked and worked, found solace in nature and never seemed to hold a grudge. All so me. Oh and there is the part about the prince - I just haven’t gotten to the end of my story. When I googled to see what others said about the movie - this list totally resonated:

• Pure kindness and love triumph over evil.
• The love you're not looking for is perhaps the best love.
• Never stop dreaming.
• You have to work for those dreams!
• Always have mice and birds make your clothing.

And I didn't have a fairy godmother. I had a LOT of fairy godmothers, fairy godfathers, fairy godsisters and fairy godbrothers. A lot of people have been so very kind to me - whether it was giving me an ear or an opportunity.

XOX

Dear Mom



Some texts back and forth with Mom:

6/22/26

I called her 4:54pm and she was still in bed.

LWS

She answered. Still in bed. Doesn’t feel well. Sound familiar? Told her again that we really need to move her to the assisted side. She has not eaten anything. She has not taken her pills. And then she hung up on me. 

Mom - we are being irresponsible if we don’t move you. I’ll be contacting the office tomorrow to start the process. We can NOT watch you do this and do nothing.

So either you pull yourself together - set your alarm and get up and eat and take your pills before noon or we move you. 

Your choice. 

FW

I’m just trying to get her on phone so we can talk to mutual one and get her $65k from them into Fido.  And she doesn’t make her left available til after banks are all closed.

LWS

Mom - you are being irresponsible and showing that you are not capable of taking care of yourself .

And don’t be mad at us. Look at yourself in the mirror. It’s our responsibility to make sure someone is taking care of you - because  you are not. 

I can’t bring back anything that you want from Natick unless you tell me. 

I can’t believe how incredibly selfish you are being. Beyond. 

And - at this rate you will end up in some hospital where they keep you until your body is back on track with food and sleep. And then you really will have no freedom - no smoking no drinks no wine. Just you and a hospital bed. That’s coming if you continue this - and then you’d move to assisted living. 

FW

This is all just mind blowing, the way she has acted.  Makes no sense.

Mom 9:27

Do you think I like feeling this way, day after day? Hell NO!  You have to realize that the way I am feeling is not what I like to. Feel! It makes me miserable!

For the last hour I have been looking for my measuring tape! I have not been able to find it! 

Tomorrow AM I have to to downstairs to borrow if I can! I need a loving touch, not being yelled at! I know you are trying your best, but it is not helping me right now! Be patient with me!

FW 

Mom, we have Been patient for 6 years now.

You haven’t seemed to do anything different over this time to help yourself.

That’s frustrating for us

LWS

Your measuring tape is in the far right drawer in the kitchen.

And sorry. But you aren’t doing anything to help yourself feel better. You don’t want our help. You yell at us. You hang up on us. We see no efforts from you to want to make any changes. You have the power.

6 years is a long time. And you’re now in a place where you have virtually no responsibilities. 

You have no idea how lucky and loved you are.

So frustrating for us watch you ignore and push away the love and support and show no gratitude.

Instead you want us to be patient for 6 years and just watch you sleep away your days and starve yourself and not give your body the meds it needs.

Imagine if Omi was like this.

Mom:

I found it, thank you for remembering! It slid way in the back, that is why I didn’t see!! Great find, it drove me crazy! Thank you again! 

I was kinder and more gentle with my mother! We had no disagreements! I did what she wanted, and when that didn’t work we tried my way! Worked out fine! 

I always kept her. Informed! 

LWS

There are no comparisons to the situations. Actually hilarious. You lived an ocean away and she actually took care of herself. 

But - Ok I’ll do want you want. You’re on you’re on your own. We’ll leave you alone and let you sleep all day and not eat. 

LWS 10:55pm

You can make every excuse in the book - but the reality is you are one of the luckiest moms in the world. No one I know has done for their mom what we have done for you. From calling you every day at 6pm for 5+ years, to proactively moving you to a safe place near one of us, to dealing with your house and all of your medical needs and making sure your bills are paid on time to making sure you see your grandchildren etc etc etc. I don’t know any parent of any friend of mine that gets the special treatment you do. But all you see and feel is that we aren’t kind or understanding. It’s impossible for us to understand your point of view given all we do for you and all the time we spend dealing with and for you. And what do we get? Nothing. Nothing but an ungrateful mother who thinks we need to be patient and more understanding. Would 10 years of patience and understanding be enough? You are so lucky. Most people I know would have g completely cut off all ties with their parent if they had been treated the way you treat us. But - we love you and won’t give up. But you also have to try - show a little gratitude and understanding for all you are putting us through. The more you fight us and push us away the harder it is to help you - and you need help. I hope you can actually take some time - which is probably hard since you sleep all day - to process and really think about your choices, your behavior and all we are doing for you. It’s really sad - you haven’t lifted a finger in this entire move that has basically saved your life yet you are still so angry at us and REFUSE to show any gratitude or understanding for what we have done for you. You have no idea how frustrating this is for us.

One this is for sure - you have shown us how we never want to be for our children. We will take care of all of our things - sort through our houses- make plans for our futures - make sure our wills and trusts are all in order - make sure everyone knows what we want when we get older and when we die. I will make sure my children will never have yo go through what we are going through with you.

I love you so much. I would never be doing all this for you if I didn’t. I wouldn’t be spending my time at 10:50 at night telling you how I feel and how incredible difficult this is for us. If I didn’t love you so much I’d just leave you alone and let you figure it all out by yourself.

But I can’t, I love you.

Apparently Vermont's most iconic landmark

"The Bennington Battle Monument chronicles the Battle of Bennington, a pivotal Revolutionary War battle fought on August 16, 1777, resulting in a decisive victory for the Revolutionary militia. Ground was broken for the monument on the 100th anniversary of the battle, and the giant obelisk at its center was dedicated in 1891. The obelisk measures 306 feet tall and weighs approximately 19 million pounds."

never seen it.

https://dailypassport.com/most-iconic-landmark-every-state 

Math Blasters!

A Blast from the past!

6 Weird Sandwiches People Used To Eat

Love this!

Oyster Sandwich

Yeast Sandwich

Pickle Sandwich

Popcorn Sandwich

Toast Sandwich

Mashed Potato Sandwich

and the USPS wonders why they are struggling?

Anna

2017 - SIMBA news

lol I'm in the photo

https://www.uvm.edu/business/news/impact-investing-shark-tank

March 24, 2017

Artists quotes

I love these. They were on the wall walking into the Delta lounge in Atlanta. Was there on my home from skiing with Dad on Monday March 23, 2026 - the very day ICE agents were sent to airports around the country (incl ATL) to help out TSA agents.

amazong photos

Winners of the 2026 World Nature Photography Awards

On Clutter

This is so good:

Declutter as You Go
Is the thought of a major decluttering project every season too intense? Instead of dreading doing a big whole-house declutter every season—simply declutter regularly. You can schedule according to what makes sense for you. Do your garage on the first rainy day of every month. Spend fifteen minutes going through your pantry every third Saturday. When your bathroom cabinets start to look a little messy, spend ten minutes getting rid of old and expired products. Or simply commit to decluttering as shelves and drawers start to fill up.



Spend 10 Minutes Tidying Every Day
Life can get busy, but we all have ten minutes a day to tackle messes. Set a timer on your phone and pick an area that needs the most attention. No matter what space you choose, things can stay neat if you devote just a little bit of time every day.

I do more than that every day.  

Edit Your Closet Seasonally
Commit to editing your closet quarterly. Try to get rid of things that no longer fit, are worn out, or you simply will never wear again (like those trendy jeans you bought 10 years ago). This can also save you money, because by taking inventory, you won't end up buying yet another white button-down shirt.

NEED TO DO!

Gather Items You Reach for Often
"Lounging on the couch? Gather your craft project, nail file, charger, and fave snack. Tidy them up in a cute basket for quick grabs and zero chaos," says Amy Cha, professional organizer and founder of Everyday Organized. When the must-haves you reach for every single day are all in one spot, they will never go missing and you'll save time on searching.

Manage Your Mail
Do you have piles of mail everywhere? Hate looking at those stacks of paper? Cha recommends setting time aside to open mail only when you're truly ready to go through each item. "Sort and open just a couple days weekly. No more home-hogging piles or missed to-dos."

I go through my mail every day - I can't stand having it around in piles.

Get a Handle on Those Reusable Bags
Do you have so many reusable bags you could open up a store? Start by limiting your stash to ten. "Carry reusable bags in your wheels to curb the bag barrage inside your home. Five's the charm per car," Cha says.

I have my bags all folded up in a basket downstairs or in my car. I haven't bought a new one for years.

Limit Seasonal Decor
Do you have boxes of Christmas, Halloween, and Easter decor? This can make your closet or garage a mess. Cha suggests capping your decor to one bin per season (exceptions for your favorite festivity). "Sort by season, not holiday. Transition from Halloween to Thanksgiving with ease by keeping the current season's bin open and accessible while stowing the rest in deep storage."

Um not happening - I love my Christmas, Valentines and Easter decorations!

Refuse Things You Don't Want
We all get things we don't want sometimes. Whether it's from that friend who brings over a stack of books, free reusable bags, gifts with purchase, and other things we never asked for—if you don't want it in your house, don't take it in the first place.
Well I do try and go to Goodwill every Saturday.

from here.

But I have books and creative projects.

And then there is this which is what I think happened to Mom. Her house and her clutter are what sent her into a depression and brought on all of her anxiety. It's so frustrating that she can't see that.

Letting Clutter Pile Up
Visual clutter doesn't just crowd your space, it crowds your mind, too. Whether you're stressing about it, avoiding it, or strategizing how to tackle it, it all adds to the mental load. "Often, clutter starts small and builds over time to a point that it becomes extremely anxiety-provoking, which leads to avoidance, which leads to shame, and the cycle just repeats itself," says Dr. Madison White, PsyD, licensed clinical psychologist and founder and owner of MSW Psychological Associates.

Break the cycle by starting small. Once you get going, it often feels much easier to keep going. "Pair a difficult task, like decluttering for 30 minutes, with a small indulgence," suggests Dr. White. "For example, allow yourself a treat, favorite drink, or episode of a show only while doing, or after completing, the 30 minutes." That way, your brain gets a reward and you're more likely to stick with it.

KBK photo shoot - May 2025

too funny!

Anna’s 9th Birthday- 1/20/26

Found at Mom's

Shadow Box for Jack & Issy 1/25/26

Breitloostrasse 48

they put in a pool!

Interesting VC stats

Some of California's most prominent venture capitalists have a proclivity for slamming their state, arguing that fiscal mismanagement and high taxes will cause startups to form elsewhere.

So far that doesn't seem to be happening.
For the record, I live in Massachusetts and my mother worked on Route 128 back when that meant something.

I've got no dog in this fight, but I do have data.
California startups raised a whopping 62% of all U.S. venture capital dollars in 2025, per the PitchBook-NVCA Venture Monitor.

That's above either 2024 (54.2%) or 2023 (46.9%), and even the decade-earlier mark of 47.2%.
Yes, a big part of that is skewed by giant raises for AI giants like OpenAI, Anthropic, and DataBricks.

So I also looked at the number of startups funded — regardless of round size — and California still easily retains its lead.
The state is home to 31.5% of U.S. VC deals last year, compared to 31.7% in 2024 and 29.1% in 2023. In 2015, California's market share was 32.5%.
For context, the runner-up in 2025 was New York with 13.3%. Massachusetts was next, just ahead of Texas — both below 6%.
The bottom line: California's crown may be tarnished on social media. On spreadsheets, however, it still sparkles.

more here

2026 Hahnenkamm Kitzbühel