Goodwill haul

And this is my new cat shirt. Now that it's getting nice out Eugene and I will be taking many more road trips. And when yard and garage sales start popping up goodness only knows what treasures we'll find!

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Goodwill haul

These are the Squishmallows Eugene and I found for my collection. Totally adorable!!!

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New clothes

These are the micro miniskirts I bought Saturday at the UMaine Small Business Fair. They fit purrrfectly. Now I have to get cute tops to go with. I bet I can find them at clean sweep. 

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The New Rules of Women's Health (Adult nonfiction)

     According to my mother lying was one of the worst things one could do. So I was shocked when she wrote the date of my first period on a medical form. It hadn't happened. When I reminded her she said she didn't want people to think there was something wrong with me, implying there was. It was years later that I learned that I was well within the normal range.

     And there was my pesky not being girly enough. Beginning with junior high she worried that I was not taking enough interest in makeup and hair styles and growing out of my tomboy stage. I never did. I was 63 when I finally learned that I was legit nonbinary. 

     Let me tell you about my high school girls only sex ed class. We spent some very confusing weeks memorizing charts of chemical levels because we'd have to know them for a test. The last day of the unit we got Kotex filled product bags. One girl asked if what we'd been learning had to do with periods. Can you believe that, Fam, teaching about menstruation without mentioning the word?

     So when I got my hands on Meghan Rabbitt's The New Rules of Women's Health: Your Guide toThriving at EveryAge (2026) I was torn--thinking Damn, why didn't they have this when I needed it and thank God it's here for my daughters. If I can afford to I'll give each a copy for Christmas. That's the highest praise I can give a book. 

     I like it's comprehensiveness. It doesn't just hit on the dramatic transitions of the female body. As Rabbitt says, "Women's health begins at birth, and it spans puberty, pregnancy, motherhood, menopause, and beyond." It beautifully delineates the relationship between the reproductive organs and the others such as the brain and digestive system. It addresses  physical, emotional, and cognitive aspects of women's health. 

     I like that it doesn't avoid hot or awkward topics or stuff many people are squeamish about. It frankly discusses the wide range of gender identity terms, symptoms of and treatments for sexually transmitted infections, why many women are far from Hallmark radient following childbirth...

     I like that Rabbitt hits the discourse sweet spot--neither condescending to readers nor frustrating us with excessive jargon. In her words, "You can think of this book as a user's manual for your female body--an easy-to-understand primer about how it works, what can go wrong, and the newest research on disease prevention, as well as how to heal and recover from health setbacks. The insights you'll find in these pages have been culled from more than a hundred interviews with women's health researchers and clinicians who've made it their life's work to understand women's bodies and help you understand yours. Their mission--and mine--is to leave you feeling like you have what you need to take ownership of your health at every stage of life and restore the sense of wonder, awe, and admiration your body so deeply deserves."

     Changing the female body from object of shame and fear to subject deserving wonder, awe, and admiration is evolution we all can celebrate. 

On a purrrsonal note, I had a great but challenging weekend. The great was gorgeous weather and going out both days. Saturday Bailey, Clea, and I were tabling on campus at the Small Business Fair. It was a lot of fun beingwithsuchgoodfriends. I was sure I wouldn't buy any of the merch. There wouldn't be anything I couldn't live without. Except there was: 2 adorable micro miniskirts. I tried them on and Bailey and Clea said YES!!! So I did. I do look good in them. Sunday Eugene and I went on a road trip. We stopped at Goodwill. I got myself 3 little Squishmallows and a cat shirt. Eugene got me a big Squishmallow. Challenge: time. I'd decided to read the whole book I reviewed today in 2 days around the fun and work (cooking, dishes, laundry...) stuff. It was like finals week in college. We're talking 614 pages. But I finished the review Sunday night and managed to pack for today and only forget one thing. Now I'm on campus photographing a pancake 🥞 breakfast. 

Buzzkill: I just learned that artificial sweeteners up the risk of cognitive decline. WTF!!! Is anything sweet safe. Of course I'll cut them out. The only two words that scare me more than cognitive decline are Donald Trump. 

A great big shout out goes out to you for reading this unusually long review through to the end. Hope you have a great day. 

Jules Hathaway 

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Lady T

In front of her wide screen cat TV with the 24 hour neighborhood channel. It's her favorite spot for bird 🐦 watching. It's also her balcony from which she is courted by a very smitten tuxedo cat I've nicknamed Romeo.

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The beautiful Tobago aka Lady T

Very much enjoying signs of spring--especially the increasing number of 🐦s she can see through the window. BTW if you have cats PLEASE keep them inside. Each year outdoors 🐈 😻 🐈‍⬛️ 🐱s kill 1.8 billion birds. They're wired to be predators. Also indoor 🐈 😻 🐈‍⬛️ s live longer, healthier lives.

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Amber

I was delighted to see my author daughter, Amber, at Take Back The Night. She's a very strong feminist.

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