39 and Holding Club

Saturday, May 9, 2020

Happy UN-Birthday 39ers MAY 2020

Tag, You’re IT! MAY We Bring You a Month of Smiles

Celebrating MAY UN-birthdays is easy to do … at least for the women … when there are flowers, candy, balloons, and gifts galore online and in stores. You’ll need to stretch a tad for the guys, but May rolls us into summer with BBQ and outdoor guy-stuff, too. Let’s see what other reasons and ways to revel in the last month of spring …

Celebrate MAY 39er UN-Birthdays ~ And for More Fun

For pure, unadulterated retail advertising, you can’t beat a company that gives itself a “holiday” to celebrate with its customers. It’s MAYtag Month! The venerable large appliance maker has been around since long before even the oldest of us were in diapers (1893)—and then they washed them. Yes, some of us were not born in the era of Pampers. And somewhere along the way, their iconic “Maytag Man” (introduced in 1967) went from dependable but lonely, to strong and sexy!

Another reason to grin with a giggle … MAY is National Smile Month. Well, for some reason, it runs May 18-June 18 … whatever works … smiles never really go out of style.

This “holiday” is founded on dental health concepts, but I embrace the idea for simply … smiling. This MAY more than any other in recent history, we need to seek reasons to smile. Or … do we really need a reason? I’ve always loved the old adage, “Smile. It makes everyone else wonder what you’ve been up to.” And then I smile even wider, with the thought. Try it!

While we celebrate Moms, we don’t always think of her squarely in the present day. It’s natural to think of Mom and other parts-‘n’-pieces of family, relative to our existence in past and future. That brings us to Personal History Month!

Although many writers offer services to help you write your autobiography, you may not want someone else peeking into your life, or to make it so “formal.” That’s OK. It can also be a DIY project, and start with simply recording snippets of memories. (Always add an approximate date and/or age for easy reference.)

With the Internet (and our “extra” time at home right now), it’s easy to create a place for family-only members to congregate thoughts and notes. What better month and way to begin your own Living Legacy^TM?

Fun Days in May

10^th ~ Mother's Day

15^th ~ Straw Hat Day

25^th ~ National Wine Day

25^th ~ Memorial Day (Since we’re at home, perfect time to celebrate with wine!)

For 39ers who Follow the Stars …

May flowers for Moms! Whether you’re deliberate and steadfast Taurus guys and gals (April 20-May 20) based in earthy complexity —or party-hearty Geminis (May 21-June 20) eager for a full moon gala, Mom isn’t far from your thoughts.

Taurus 39ers mirror the charming, multi-faceted cuts of this month’s fine emerald birthstone. Much like Mom, its depth goes beyond the surface and roots calmly in its many mindful crevices.

Also like Mom, the emerald’s twinkle shimmers brightly over quick-witted and chatty Geminis too. Just try to leave them out of a MAY celebration! You’ll struggle to keep up with the energetic twin-sign as they rush through the month, adding their seemingly magic touch to every moment.

Aging with ATT-i-tude Platitude

Meaning of Aging with ATTitude? Never having to see a gray day. That’s what hair color is for! ~ L. Rochelle

Don’t wait, start now! Cheers to your Happy UN-Birthday MAY 39ers

This one’s for you, kids – Craig, Susie, Pauline, Vicki, and Judith!

Club 39 Nifty Gifts

Join the 39 & Holding Club!

Chat on Twitter: @39HoldingClub

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Are you a 39er this month? Feel free to share your UN-birthday comments below (click on Comments or if it says No Comments, click that to be the first) and tell us how you really feel about your age and aging. Keep the stories coming!

LinDee Rochelle is a writer and editor by trade, and author by way of Rock & Roll. She has published two books (of three) in her Blast from Your Past series, available on Amazon (eBook and print): Book 1 – Rock & Roll Radio DJs: The First Five Years 1954-1959; and Book 2 – Rock & Roll Radio DJs: The Swinging Sixties. Coming soon … The Psychedelic Seventies!

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Monday, April 6, 2020

Happy UN-Birthday 39ers APRIL 2020

Exciting 39AHC News 04/15/20: Did you miss your "39 and Holding" UN-birthday party? Great news! We're already looking forward to 2021 fun days, with the new "39 and Holding DAY" on everybody's favorite Love & Laughter day ~ February 14th!
Join us on Valentine's Day 2021 with (or without a honey), to celebrate 39ers, virtually (and hopefully in-person), in parties around the world. As I brainstorm and create ways to celebrate, a page will appear here for "39AHC Events." Keep coming back--you never know what I'll come up with to keep us Forever Young!

April 2020 ~ Busting the Boredom-at-Home Balloon

Need some home-bound fun and inspiration APRIL 39ers? Visit Brownielocks.com calendar … the most fun you’ll have all month! (And no, I don’t get paid for saying that; I simply love her site.)

Are you bored? “Early retirement” (as I like to call the COVID-19 self-quarantining movement), isn’t all you thought retirement would be, is it? For those of you who haven’t seen enough 39 and Holding birthdays to reach retirement age, don’t get used to it … hopefully, it’s temporary!

Wow—great—you can finally get all the projects done that you’ve belly-ached about for years, if you just “had the time.” Now you’ve got it—but the enthusiasm is lacking! Maybe you just need a little push … alright, shove …

Celebrate APRIL 39er UN-Birthdays ~ And for More Fun

Rustic art

Okay, m’friends, buck-up and suck it up—look around you. Aren’t you just itching to redecorate? April is your month to do it for National Decorating Month! As FramedArt.com reminds us, “The show must go on!” They have some terrific indoor design ideas, whether your style is modern, minimalist, or mid-century.

And America’s favorite Better Homes & Gardens says, “See how you can take ordinary items and work them into your decor with a few easy tricks, updates, and simple supplies.” (Need something new? So far, online orders are still available with many retailers.) But if the “great outdoors” is calling you …

Since many of us are stuck inside and/or don’t have a “yard” National Garden Month may not be of much interest. But consider another way to celebrate Spring other than a stroll in public gardens or planting your own peonies or peppers out in the back yard … create a small indoor garden!

Photo by Kerry Michaels

Communing with nature and the satisfying feeling of earth in your hands can happen inside your kitchen, den, or living room. Even a small terrarium is soothing and fun. How about an herb garden to spice up your confined cooking? And DIY mini-gardens are great for cultivating with your kids or grandkids (if you’re all together).

Want to clean up your indoor air? Let’s face it, with everyone home all the time, it could get a little “stale.” NASA recommends eight beautiful, natural “air fresheners.” Think green to celebrate Spring and look ahead for happier times.

And for 39AHC writers, if digging in the dirt isn’t your April choice of pastime, I have something right up your wordsmith alley … National Poetry Month! From PublishersWeekly.com: “On March 20, the academy launched the #ShelterInPoems initiative, which invites readers to select a poem from the Poets.org website and post on social media why they find the poem inspiring.”

I began as a young idealist writing simple poems. The last day of April (30^th) is just for poets—wannabe, polished or faking it for fun. Yes!

Poem in Your Pocket Day – Although life has changed and this page of the Poets.org website has not yet caught up to pandemic days, we can follow their lead on their primary page, and still cherish and share our inner poet.

Rather than a shirt or pants pocket, carry your favorite poem with you everywhere you go online today and all month, with #PocketPoem! Share snippets of a published poem or create your own poem to help others smile, dream, or simply ponder life.

No Matter Where You Are

Easter is as Easter does

with chocolate chicks

and bunny fuzz

My Easter wish just for you …

stay safe, be well, think love

with big hugs too!

~ L.Rochelle

For 39ers who Follow the Stars …

Aries (March 21^st–April 19^th) and Taurus (April 20^th–April 20^th) share April’s Spring hopefulness, as do we all this year. Aries the Ram may be a tad stubborn, but they thrive on free-thinking ideas—perfect for creating special ways to shelter in place. Look for profit-building, but do it because you enjoy it, not because you must.

And I like to think that it’s no accident we celebrate Earth Day (April 22^nd) in the sign of the realism-based Taurus. The bull is practical, making this an ideal sign to carry forth Aries’ lofty ideas and mold them into reality. Mind your health, Taurus, while you explore long-term financial opportunities.

Have you ever noticed that both Sun Signs feature horns? Hmmmm … Neither are afraid to speak their mind, so have all your ducks in a row before you pick an argument with one of them.

Shopping for birthday gifts? Red flows dominantly through the Aries psyche, whether they know it or not; and of course, Earth green with tinges of golden brown falls into Taurus’s healthy spectrum. But it’s the clarity of the lustrous diamond that will capture the attention of both, as April’s glittering gemstone.