Words From a Former Addict — My name is Bonni. I am a recovered gel nail manicure addict. After several years of falling into this beauty trap, my fingernails sent me a message, loud and clear: They wanted to breathe. No doubt, the durability of the gel nail procedure is remarkable. With it, you can confidently use your nails and not feel worried about scraping the crud from the bottom of dirty pots or even slamming your nails when you reach for the car door too fast. …

A History of My Hair — It was the time of month when my gray roots began to show. Plus, I had to go to the dentist and could imagine what he would think when he looked down at the top of my head, which was practically in his face. “This babe really needs to get…

Use this one,” said my dear friend Lisl Steiner as we were selecting photos for an article we were working on. “I look old here. I like it when I look old.” Lisl was the only person, let alone woman, I knew who upped her age. …

(And an Eye Patch) — While most kids were beginning after-school sports, I was picked up for a different sort of “athletic” endeavor: eye training. In a continued effort to strengthen my eye muscles, I went to a recommended specialist. Beyond his florescent-lit office, there was a dark inner sanctum surrounded by stations. …

When my good friend Wanda Urbanska was writing Fruit Orchard Cookbook, she asked me for a favorite recipe. As the intro, I wrote, “The summery perfume of peach kuchen baking in my mother’s kitchen is one of my fondest July and August memories. The cozy morning aroma of Mom cooking…

Coronavirus Loomed — It’s impossible not to think back to March 2020, when we were at the beginning of an international pandemic. The world was scared. Unknowing. On my daily walk, I passed an empty hotel. Red tulips were in bloom at the entrance. …

My husband and I went out for dinner last week. During the conversation, I reached across the table, held his hand, and told him how grateful I was that he was in my life. Andrew sat there so handsome and responsible. He told me he understood what a “broken heart”…

A social code to live by — Lip-flapping, idle prattle, muck-raking, and tittle-tattle. In other words, gossip. It’s the kind of discourse that creates small-mindedness, and it touches all ages — from children’s whispers in the playground to grown-ups looking askance when you pass them in the supermarket and you thought they were your friend. I’m still…

Making it easy-peasy for those you leave behind — It was an uneventful Thursday until my best friend called to say her mother had died unexpectedly. My friend and her brothers were in shock and totally in the dark about what to do. Their mother, who had divorced years ago, left no instructions, plan, or direction for her final…