HAPPY NEW YEAR

Hi dear friends,

I've been neglecting you because of the holidays, but I'll be back soon. Next Year in fact. I have many new stories and suggestions for you including the romance of finding good health, good cheer, and for some of you, a new romance. I will also tell you the secret to a good relationship.

My romance, Harry, is driving up for New Year's eve so will plan to spend time with him. I would love to hear from you with your stories or your questions. In the meantime, enjoy Harry's cartoons and think positively.

Until then HAPPY NEW YEAR.

GLORIA

Is Romantic Travel In Your Future? Astrology Forecast!

As I have mentioned previously, Harry Borgman, a well-known artist, and I met on the internet. He emailed me several times a day until I decided to send him my phone number as I just couldn't keep up with him. At the same time, Harry emailed me his phone number. After many, many conversations we met halfway at a restaurant as I suggest in my book, "50 Ways to Find Romance after 50". As we became better acquainted, we discovered our mutual love of travel. We also found that we liked the same city in Mexico...... Puerto Vallarta. I had a client there for a couple years so I had traveled there frequently. Harry and his late wife had enjoyed this fun and charming city too. Not only did we like the same romantic destination, we had both stayed in the same hotel, the Fiesta Americana, which at that time was owned by my client.

This is a beautiful area. We love walking the beach in front of many of the big hotels, watching the big cruise ships come into the harbor from our balcony, and dining in the most romantic restaurants in the world. We traveled there after we had known each other only six weeks. However, in that time I had met his friends; he had met many of mine. One of his daughters did wonder about his going to Mexico with a strange woman, but it worked out very well.



I'll write at further length about Puerto Vallarta in a future blog as well as several other places we have explored together. Originally I wrote about our travels in a newsletter called "The Glorious Adventure" which had many subscribers. Unfortunately it became terribly expensive to produce a print letter and so I will bring you all our fun trips on this blog. Stay tuned, as they say. Anyway, we have gone there every year since we met in 2004. We now have several friends in PV who have condos. I also get a chance to go horseback riding with my dear friend Pamela Aguirre at her place, Rancho Charro, just outside PV. She has horses trained by the Mexican Army and she always plans interesting trips for the horse lover. (See "links" under my profile for her website.) Thanks to the stock market I'm not sure when we're going back. Maybe next year. Of course I'll be blogging all our adventures wherever we go. In the meantime, think about taking a trip to somewhere romantic to enhance your relationship or just to relax and have a good time with a friend.

Well, it's time a look at what's happening in the astrological world with my friend Sheila.

The full moon is Friday, the 12th of December, and it is in the sign of Gemini. This is an excellent time to seek inspiration, divination, and brainstorming! You can do all three by using bibliomancy. You take a book of your choice about a subject you would like to delve into. Then randomly open the book and read the first sentence that you see. Or you can put your finger on a sentence and read the info to which you pointed. You can even use different books. Meditate on the messages you receive. Be creative! This could be a great time for some love poems or a book such as "The Prophet".

ARIES: Be flexible at this time. You may be meeting an unusual type for a friendship or romantic interlude.
TAURUS: Restlessness could be a part of a problem for you this holiday season. Keep healthy during this time so you will feel good. After the full moon, you may not come across to others as well as you think.
GEMINI: Don't get too aggressive during this time. It is better for you to take a time out if you didn't take the action required of you last year. Great time to set up plans for the future.
CANCER: You may feel left out of the opportunity pool as you contemplate the last few months, but some exciting adventures lie ahead with a chance to expand your education or experience. Perhaps with a love interest!
LEO: This time of the month could keep you hanging around the earthy types such as Taurus, Virgo and Capricorn, and paying them more attention than usual. You have a renewed optimistic view of life, particularly if you are willing to view things in a more ethereal way.
VIRGO: Security wins the day for Virgo and the rest of the year should be safe. You may need to watch out for that feeling of bewilderment from lovers and there may be an increase in responsibility.
LIBRA: Venus is helping you with plans and improvements with lovers and friends. You'll have more patience and there could be some serious responsibilities that go along with any relationship you have going.
SCORPIO: Simplicity wins the day for any holiday gatherings, dates or plans with lovers. Make some time for inspiring future transitions this coming February/March.
SAGITTARIUS: Having fun ? If not, you should be. Mars continues through your sign so expect a hectic holiday with lots of travel. A possible permanent move with a loved one is looking good this month. Big decisions are the main focus until Mars moves on.
CAPRICORN: Mars is also a prominent player for the sign Capricorn through February 4! This is a second chance to take the opportunities being handed to you. Social gatherings are a must so say "yes" to a new beginning or to a new love!
AQUARIUS: Fire sign people are on your side and the eath signs need some persuading from you. At any rate, people look to you for some joviality and excitement in the activities this season.
PISCES: Here's a risk-taker if there ever was one! You can't say no to a dynamic individual that introduces you to new opportunities. And, you'll have a great time.

Have a great day.
Gloria

Romance and a Great Cookie Recipe

Well, the baby shower for my daughter-in-law was successful. Of course it was the worst snow day we have had so far this year. Still, most everyone came. I had a cheery fire going and plenty of snacks at hand. My daughter did the games and made a yummy trifle. The big hit for me was my Imperial Margarine Cookies which I hadn't made for at least 20 years.

Unfortunately Harry, my one and only, couldn't get to the party because of the snow storm which kept all the out of town guests away. However he can't wait to taste these cookies and I have promised my friend Sally that I would put the recipe on this blog. There is nothing like a tasty cookie to keep a romance warm.

Imperial Cookies

2 sticks Imperial (I have discovered that it is not called margarine anymore.)
3/4 cup white sugar
1/2 tsp each of baking soda, vinegar (cidar or wine) , vanilla
Beat a full 15 minutes if you want crisp cookies
Then add 1 and 1/2 cups of flour. Mix well. (Add another 1/4 cup if needed. Mine did.)
Add 1/2 cup chopped nuts if you choose

Put small dabs about the size of a quarter on a cookies sheet. Bake 300 degrees for 20 minutes or until lightly brown. Move immediately onto waxed or parchment paper to cool as the longer the cookies stay on the sheet the more difficult to get them off.

Now I am sure that many of you are aghast that I would mention cooking and romance in the same breath. Many women are sick of cooking or don't like it. The man might also be the cook in the relationship. Great! Take advantage of it. To me creating wholesome, attractive, tasty dishes can be relaxing . Harry treats me by taking me out to dinner. That works for me.

In days gone by we used to have dinner parties which lasted well into the night. I am lucky to have china and silver which makes a table attractive. But you don't need these things anymore and none of my children even want such stuff. Particularly when you have to hand wash most of it. But romance does take effort. Maybe if we keep that in mind and not assume that we can be as sloppy or as careless of another's feelings as we want, romance would last longer and go more smoothly. A friend of mine thought I would have to change my ways while dating Harry as she thought he was a clean freak. I had given him a birthday party at his house and of course had it all cleaned up. What she didn't know was that he is just as guilty as I am about leaving books and magazines all around. Whew! What a relief. We are both great readers and tend to get caught up in what we are doing. Nor does he always see all the cat hair about. These days rather than fussing about that I see that he calls in a cleaning woman before I drive down to his house. One of these days we'll figure out how to merge our lives. Maybe we should look at our horoscopes. This is the month for Sagittarians by the way. (Nov 23 - Dec 21) so we have a message from Sheila.

This is the time of Sagittarius, the sign of the archer. Sagittarians are freedom lovers, travelers, philosophers, and physicists. They enjoy exotic places, are truth seekers, and are always aware of the bigger picture. So, be sure to pay attention to the Sagittarian's lectures. How they love to discuss the world's problems! And they are brutallly honest. If they love you, they'll surely let you know. They are totally blunt about how they feel; not to hurt your feelings but to be honest. If they are blunt with you, it's only because it's their truth. Once they get it out, it's over. Nothing much is held back. Sagittarians love the cultural differences in people and places. They may live in a different country and may marry into another culture. They enjoy experiencing space and freedom.

If you have a horoscope question, leave a comment and Sheila will answer it for you.

And that's it for now. I have to find some more MonaVie, my energy drink. Then there is my Holiday Letter to write and send from Harry and me. He writes his from both of us, too. Obviously this is not a simple relationship. Oh, well.

See you soon. Gloria

Keeping Romance Hot

The holiday season is here! I was just down visiting Harry, my honey, in Sawyer where we had a very nice Thanksgiving. We drove with one daughter and her family who live in Indiana to a suburb of Chicago where another daughter and her family hosted a lovely dinner. We didn't arrive home until 1 a.m. I didn't get dressed until 4 p.m. the next day.

I'm always exhausted driving down to Harry's any way as it is 100 miles from door to door. I told Harry that if he lived another 10 miles away this romance might well be over. I've already explained why we can't seem to get our act together in previous posts and nothing has changed. On the other hand while I can't claim that absence makes the heart grow fonder, it does tend to keep the romance alive. And Harry does work at making our relationship romantic.

We frequently, go out to lunch and dinner to really good restaurants in Sawyer and the surrounding area. I was surprised that there are so many good eating establishements there. The only problem in the winter months is keeping track of when each restaurant is open or closed. There are many different kinds of offerings and we enjoy them all.

I've got to take my two cats down to get acquainted with his three one of these days soon. That should be a trip! I guess I've been putting it off. I have had Schnickelfritz down but not Blackjack. Cats do not make friends easily. If anyone has any suggestions about integrating our furry friends, please let me know. One of the women featured in my romance book raised cats and she suggested that I take a towel and rub it on mine (one each) and then rub down his cats with the towels so that the scents merge. I did that when I first took Schnickelfritz there and I think it did help. At least there have been no major battles yet.

Of course keeping the romance alive is not just Harry's responsibility, but mine as well. He likes to take me out which I really enjoy and always compliments me on what I'm wearing or just in general. He's also pleased that I've made many new friends in his area. Well, there's a lot of nice people there. My friends in Grand Rapids like him too!

I, in turn, am supportive of his art as he is of my writing and I truly enjoy being with him, which I let him know. He spends many hours on his computer writing his blog or designing a logo or a poster for a client. This bothers me not at all. It gives me plenty of time to rest as I am constantly struggling with low energy.

Incidentally, remember that old adage about the way to a man's heart is through his stomach? Well, it's still true. Harry likes homemake goodies which I try to make for him as often as I can. Fortunately I like cooking and feel that creating good and tasty treats in the kitchen is just as creative as writing or photography.(I'll share some of my photos with you on a later blog as well as some of Harry's wonderful posters. You can see a lot of his art on his website or blog. Just search for Harry Borgman) One of the things I made a couple days ago for him was a hot chocolate sauce which was a secret recipe for many years. It's really quite simple although it takes a little patience as you must simmer it slowly.

I would like to point out, before I give you the recipe, that neither of us really try to change each other. Harry is not perfect and neither am I. We clash on politics and finally have learned not to discuss a political subject with any seriousness, for instance. Basically we have similar life styles and work independently. Of course, this can be a problem because we each need time and space to work. I ride horseback; he doesn't. Well, you get the idea. I know of dear people who think they can change their partner in major ways. Not going to happen. And there goes that romance and they wonder why!


Now, I'll get off my soap box and give you "Bernie's Hot Chocolate Sauce" recipe:
1 can evaporated milk
3 Tbs real cocoa
3/4 C sugar (white or brown)
2 Tbs butter

Mix well. Cook over a medium heat stirring constantly and bring to a boil. Be careful not to burn. Then turn the heat down and simmer, stirring often, until you have the consistency you want - thin or thick. It's great over peppermint stick ice cream. Refrigerate when storing.

Note: I made two batches the other day. One following the above recipe with heaping tablespoons of cocoa which makes it more chocolate and for the other I used only the minimum amount of cocoa and then I added another tablespoon of butter. This will make it taste more like a chocolate caramel sauce.

OK my friends. That's it for now. The next few days I am getting ready to give my daughter-in-law a baby shower with about 25 people coming. I'll get back to you soon with more stories of romance, great recipes guaranteed to please the opposite sex, and photos of people and places. Cheerio!

Gloria