My grandparents were minimalists long before the term was invented and popular.  They lived through the Great Depression, so they were very mindful of spending, and fiercely practical.  
 
As a kid, their lifestyle seemed kind of boring.  They didn't vacation often, my Grandfather worked a lot, and on Christmas my grandmother decorated with a solitary, red poinsettia plant.
 
"Ma, where is your Christmas tree?" we would ask every December.
 
"Right over there," she would point to the poinsettia wrapped in colorful tinfoil.  "That is my Christmas tree."
 
It can be a festive experience to select a tree, decorate it with lights and holiday ornaments.  As I have become older, however, the task of putting all the decorations away seems to tarnish the fun.  Now that we no longer have young kids in the family, seeing the joy through their eyes is gone as well.
 
I imagine my grandmother, Ann, laughing up in Heaven as she now watches me cut some greens from the yard, arrange them in a vase and wrap one strand of lights around them.  I add a few amaryllis bulbs around the house, which I will plant in the garden, come spring.  Watching these plants bloom brings joy to the season in a more practical way than cutting down a healthy tree.  I'm grateful for the example she set and the opportunity to conserve my energy after a hectic year.  It is a present I am giving to myself.
 
What holiday lessons have you learned from your cool grannies?

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Delving into a good book is one of life's simple pleasures.  Having this escape route during a Pandemic makes the experience all the more pleasurable. Here is a list of my three favorite literary escapes this year.  What I found to be the best books of 2020.
 
Alicia Keys- More Myself:  A Journey
 
For those of us who have long been fans, and in awe of the all around musical talent of Alicia Keys, we may assume that she was raised in a privileged environment that cultivated her gifts.  To say I was surprised that wasn't the case would be an understatement.  Being a native New Yorker, I remember what the neighborhoods were like where Alicia was raised.  I found them scary and intimidating just to drive through, I can't imagine what it was truly like being raised there, by a single parent, no less.
 
Alicia takes us on a journey through her past with unbelievable grace.  It is evident that she has done a lot of healing, but is no victim.  Her story is not only inspirational, it showcases that each of us is born with gifts that we must cultivate no matter where we are raised.  
 
I listened to this book in the audible version while taking a long drive.  It was as if Alicia was sitting in the passenger seat, like a friend, sharing her story.  I could have driven all day. I was enthralled.
 
This read will serve as a motivating launch to be our authentic selves in 2021.
 
Sue Monk Kidd- The Book of Longings
 
When a favorite author has a book release coming, it is like waiting to go on a much-anticipated vacation.  Sue's latest novel, featuring a young woman, Ana, fiercely trying to be her authentic self in an oppressive, male dominated era is an eye opening reminder of how far women have come, and yet, how much more we have to go to experience true equality.  Even being married to Jesus, we all know who he is, didn't elevate her status or make her journey that much easier.  Her devoted Aunt Yaltha, however, shows us how powerful female mentors can be in our lives.
 
The historical detail of this well-researched novel left me feeling as if I were there in the first century, dusty, with limited color.  I feel compelled to share with you that the first part of the story may not be an easy read.  In fact, if you are triggered by abuse, please be forewarned.  At one point, I put the book down, thinking that maybe this isn't what I wanted to read during an already stressful Pandemic.  However, after listening to some podcast interviews with the author about the book, and trusting that Sue would not leave her readers feeling traumatized, I picked it back up and continued on Ana's quest.  I'm glad that I did and I think you will too.
 
Barbara O'Neal:  When We Believed in Mermaids: A Novel
 
This book was by far one of the greatest surprise reads of the year for me.  I stumbled upon it while flicking through reviews of women's fiction books on Amazon.  It was actually published in later 2019, but I discovered it in 2020 so I am including it on my list. With over 19,000 four and a half reviews, I was intrigued.
 
Part suspense, part family drama, this story featuring two sisters, whose lives became drastically separated in a profound way, will hook you from the beginning.  Untangling their complicated past, while experiencing the pain and healing along the way, left me with a satisfied feeling that love can heal all wounds.
 
Learn more and order these books if you like.  What were your favorite reads this year?

Note: These are affiliate links which may provide a small compensation to, me,  Susan Allison-Dean, to help support her writing, but will not increase the price to you.  I also fully support your decision to purchase books from your local independent bookstores.

Susan Allison-Dean is the author of three women's fiction novellas, I Know You're There & By The Sound of The Crow, a two series set.  Her third, #CoolGrannies, a story of sassy women later in life, the Golden Girls version of Thelma & Louise, minus the cliff.

The Coronavirus Pandemic swept in and disrupted our lives.  Many of our norms were ripped away and we were left to figure out how to adapt and cope on our own. This level of disease hasn't wreaked havoc, like this, since the Spanish Flu of 1918.
 
Feeling a bit panicky and overwhelmed early on, I thought to myself, "Who can I reach out to that would offer some guidance that I could trust?" 
 
It didn't take long before, Maretta, the real Maretta, who I drew off of for the protagonist in my novel, #CoolGrannies, came to mind.  I gave her a call.
 
Always up to something, she shared with me that she had just adopted two old cats, Ben and Jerry. 
 
"They are brothers, one is ten pounds the other one is eighteen pounds," she said with a tone that told me this irked her in some way.  "Now I know why. Jerry eats all the food before Ben.  So I have to coordinate their meals. I didn't really want two cats, but they were brothers and had to go together.  My daughter called and begged me to adopt them because they were going to be euthanized."  
 
I laughed, knowing these were the two luckiest cats on the planet.
 
"Maretta, I am calling because I wanted to get your perspective on this pandemic situation, how to deal with it.  I wanted to hear from someone that I trust has ridden through tough times in a productive way."  I shared.
 
"Hmm", Maretta paused as gave some thought to my question.  It didn't take long.  Then in her dry, truthful, matter-of-fact way, she shared these two bits of wisdom.
 
"Well, first of all people don't like their routines disrupted.  If someone eats ice cream every night before bed, and now they can't have ice cream, they’re not going to like it."
 
Maretta paused again.
 
"When things like this happen, you just have to go through it.  When President Kennedy was shot, the country was in chaos.  We didn't know what was going to happen.  But, eventually things settle down and new norms are established and life goes on."
 
She made it sound simple and doable.  I immediately felt better.  
 
Thank goodness for the Cool Grannies in our lives!
 
Are you a cool granny with some wisdom to share? Or maybe you have a cool granny in your life that has imparted wisdom that has helped you?  Reach out and share your #CoolGrannies wisdom. If we share it on the #CoolGrannies platform, we'll send you a free copy of #CoolGrannies.

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Did you know that what you eat can help save the planet?  According to #RacingExtinction, if each American went meatless for just one day, it would be the equivalent of 7.6 million cars off the road for 24 hours.  Changing our diet is considered one of the fastest ways to curb our carbon emissions which affect climate change.  

Eliminating meat from your diet will also be good for you.  According to the World Health Association there is a link between eating processed meats and cancer.  Red meat also probably increases the risk of cancer.

Meatless meals can be delicious! Ready to start? Prepare the meal pictured above in just minutes. The recipe is on my Pinterest page or choose from one of the other pinned meals. Let me know what you think.

#MeatlessMonday #RacingExtinction #StartWith1Thing #Vegetarian #ClimateChange

​Is your perfect day at the beach one where you are lying on a chaise lounge, sipping a pina colada under an umbrella made of palm tree fronds? Eighty-degree trade winds whispering sweet nothings in your ears, a good book in your hands that pushes away every worry, an afternoon nap so deep that you wake up wondering where you are as you wipe away the drool that leaked down the side of your face?  Me too. But, that’s not always possible.  Alas, the beach can be great, even off-season. Here are 6 reasons why:

​​One: You get it all to yourself! Well, almost. You may have to share it with a solitary jogger or some old guy sweeping the sand with a metal detector hoping to find treasure. You probably won’t be hit in the head with a beach ball, however, or have to listen to a boom box playing your least favorite song.

​Two: No Bathing Suit required. Phew! Tired of trying to squish those extra pounds into a bathing suit that feels more like sausage casing?  Hit the beach off-season in some warm, cozy wear. You don’t even have to do your hair, throw on a warm hat or a worn baseball cap; you’ll be in style.

​Three: You can bring Rover. Many beaches allow dogs off-season.  Dogs love to romp on the sand and toy with the waves.

Four: Wildlife watching.  Wildlife behaves wild in the off-season when us humans around invading their turf.  If you're lucky you'll see dolphins teaching their young how to surf the waves close to the beach, whales migrating to and from the south to mate and bear their young, and seagulls fetching their own dinner when they don’t have your potato chip bag to raid. Why we even spotted a pig one winter on the beach hanging with his volleyball playing beach friends.

​Five: Save money.  Waterfront hotels offer low rates. No beach pass required.

Six: Good night sleep. The beach offers that salty taste and the lulling rhythm of the waves to tune down your internal chatter all year.
​

Susan's novels feature escapes to the Caribbean. Learn more on her website www.susanallisondean.com 

​#beach #relax #books #reading 

#Nursing #Healthcare 

For those of us who love animals and understand the immense threat facing wildlife today, it has been a difficult few days. Trying to wrap our heads around why an American dentist would travel to Africa to kill an African lion is mindboggling and emotionally draining.  Below I share a few articles that have stood out about this tragic event.  Have you read any that you would like to add? Please feel free to add them in the comments and any thoughts you would like to share.

A message from Jane Goodall 
Link

Cecil the lion's death wakes up the planet! (Video)
Link

What makes rich men want to hunt beautiful animals? 
Link

Of Lions and Men: Mourning Samuel DuBose and Cecil the Lion  
Link

Why Cecil the Lion Was So Popular With People
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Here's why Walter Palmer keeps saying he "took" Cecil the Lion 
Link

Photo note: The image above was displayed last night on the Empire State Building honoring Cecil.  Multiple images were displayed by the Oceanic Preservation Society. Search #RacingExtinction to learn more or visit their website: www.racingextinction.com

Once again, a lone animal has taken center stage in the global arena.  This time it is a lion.  By now you have most likely heard that a beloved lion named Cecil, who lived in a protected national park in Zimbabwe, was lured off his safety zone and killed by an American trophy hunter.  The story has gone beyond viral-instantly trending on social media and continuing to do so as I write this.   He is not the first to reach international fame.

Pre-social media, there was Keiko, an orca who lived in a decrepit, cramped pool in Mexico City.  His story became the hit movie, Free Willy.  As the public became aware of Keiko’s plight, global momentum built until he was finally freed.  Years later, the documentary, Blackfish, highlighted the plight of a collection of orcas who live, and continue to live, at Seaworld.  Does the trauma of capitivty lead these orcas to live enslaved, anxiety-ridden lives to the point that they will kill humans?  Watch the documentary and judge for yourself.  Millions across the world have already voted ‘yes’ with their dollars by banning visits to Seaworld and other captive animal entertainment venues.

The ‘Blackfish Effect’ as this global movement is now called, went into overdrive when another animal freedom ambassador, Angel, was captured.  Angel, was part of a dolphin super pod brutally trapped in the cove of Taiji, Japan in 2014.  The juvenile dolphin was plucked from the pod immediately because of her all white skin.  Albino dolphins are rare.  The Japanese fisherman saw dollar signs.  The world watched as activist organizations; The Dolphin Project and Sea Shepard’s Cove Guardians, reported live with images of the abductions and slaughter of the rest of the pod.

Just a month later in 2014 the dark side of zoos came to light as video and images from a zoo in Copenhagen, Denmark shot a young giraffe, Marius, in the head then carved it into pieces for the zoo lions to eat.   All of this happened in front of a live audience including children.  Yes, lions may prey on giraffes in the wild, but to slaughter a healthy giraffe because it doesn’t fit into the zoos breeding program is another manmade dilemma.  Zoos lost their innocence that day for many who thought bringing their family there for the day was a delightful thing to do.  Once again, campaigns, petitions, calls to lawmakers ensued.

The global outrage at inhumane treatment of animals clearly shows that despite the gut wrenching, atrocious acts some humans are capable of, there are millions of humans with kind, compassionate hearts.  The synergy this latter group creates with the aid of social media now allows them to roar louder, and potentially create change faster. Within hours of Cecils death, a campaign for the White House reached over 100,000 signatures triggering a response from the White House.  Within days, Botswana banned sports hunting and   U.S. Senators introduced the “Cecil Act” to prevent the import of hunting trophies. 

Nearly half of the world’s wildlife has been eliminated in the last forty years. If we are going to halt this decent, we will need more active wildlife advocates, leaders who act proactively and humans who will let them be wild.

Hey, it’s Shark Week, that time of year everyone gathers around their TVs to watch great white sharks fly through the air!  So then it’s probably a good time to read IN DEEP, my contemporary romance novel which champions sharks, isn’t it? “No,” I can hear you say, “they’re horrible man-eaters.”

Not so fast, shark-hater. These ancient predators, which predate dinosaurs, are essential to ocean health, keeping coral reefs clean as well as balancing populations of other marine animals.  If they go extinct (a possibility with certain species!), there will be ripples throughout the food chain that will affect every single one of us.

Surprised?  Yup, it’s true.  These are the facts you learn when you’re fascinated with sharks, as I have been since I was a young girl.  I cannot explain why exactly other than I find them transfixing. What I can tell you is that my passion to protect them is fueled by the “who cares” attitude of the general public when the world has slaughtered 90% of shark populations.  Think about that.  Ninety percent! It’s staggering.  That this ever occurred and that the media/entertainment industries still insist on demonizing them and sensationalizing each encounter with humans is crazy.

With that, I ask you to please enjoy Shark Week with a newfound respect and appreciation for sharks.