The Earth Is a Magical Place

I wait for it all year long! The first day of summer known as the summer solstice. It’s the start of my favorite season: Summer!!! I especially love summers in New York City. It’s so easy to get out and about, enjoying Happy Hours with good friends, good bar food, and good wine. Outside dinners under a canopy or sitting under the fountain at Lincoln Center before the ballet, or open air concerts and theater. 

How wondrous is the above image showing us the position of the Earth when the Western Hemisphere enters the summer solstice. 

Photo: Indian Times - go here

According to NASA the 2025 summer solstice falls on Friday, June 20th, at 10:42 p.m. ET. It marks the longest day of the year in the northern hemisphere when the Earth’s tilt is closest to the Sun. Imagine if you were spacewalking gazing at the tilted Earth and the Sun from space yet at a safe distance!

Did you know the Earth’s axis is always tilted -- 23.5 degrees relative to its orbital plane around the sun? The tilt causes different hemispheres to get varying hits of direct sunlight throughout the year. The tilt is called obliquity and without it, there would be no seasons as we know them. When a hemisphere is tilted towards the Sun it experiences summer, while the opposite hemisphere experiences winter.

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Have you heard of Pangaea? About 300 million years ago the Earth assembled into one supercontinent, Pangaea (from the Greek word pan meaning all, whole, or entire and gaea (meaning land, Earth, or Mother Earth). As Pangaea formed it became surrounded by a single gigantic ocean called Panthalassa, which means all the sea in Greek. While Panthalassa was the only ocean there was a smaller sea called the Tethys Ocean, an embayment within the coastline of Pangaea.

 

Photo: earth how - go here

Tectonic plate movement caused Pangaea to form, break up and is the reason continents continue to shift positions today. As the plates move, they cause landmasses to inch together, break apart, and transform. The plates are massive slabs of solid rock that are always moving and glide over the Earth’s mantle (the rocky middle layer above the Earth’s core). Fault lines are fractures or cracks within those plates or at their boundaries. Fault lines can exist on one plate or over two plates.

Animation here

Some 200 million years ago Pangaea the supercontinent comprising all the continental crust of the earth broke into pieces named Laurasia and Gondwana. 

There were 3 major phases in the breakup of Pangaea: 1) The opening of the Central Atlantic Ocean caused by the rifting (a major fault separating blocks of the earth's surface) between North America and northwestern Africa. 2) The breakup of Gondwana into Africa, South America, India, Antarctica, and Australia. 3) The opening of the Norwegian Sea. Australia and Antarctica broke up. Laurasia split into North America and Eurasia.

Evidence for the existence of Pangaea remains with us today: The eastern coast of South America closely fits the western coast of Africa. One of Australia’s coastlines fits a coastline of Antarctica, and certain coastlines of North and South America match up with certain coastlines of Europe and Africa. The Appalachian Mountain chain extends from the southeastern United States to the Scandinavian Caledonides of Europe. They are believed to have formed a single chain, the Central Pangaea Mountains. Moreover, fossils of identical species are present on continents that are now very far apart.

Today we have 7 continents. Isn’t it fascinating? What if when humans came along, geology had not separated us?

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At Land’s End The Classics Are Trending

Wow! Such winning style and comfort at Lands’ End. My picks for the summer are the silky soft Supima© cotton polos and shorts that are the perfect length to be classy and versatile. 

The breezy linen barrel leg trousers and linen peplum tops are a polished outfit for a summer evening out. Many people still spruce up a bit to go out to a restaurant or a shopping area. These would work very well!

The super cute boucle Johnny collar textured sweater with ribbed cuffs is 100% soft cotton. Great for breezy summer evenings in San Francisco and on beaches, and it will take you into the early fall. Pair the textured sweater with so many things, from skirts to jeans to longer shorts. 

Uh-Oh, I’ve done it again! My bias for 100% natural fabrics is showing. In summer clothes, cotton and linen rock. Lands’ End makes cotton and linen pieces that are machine washable. Usually I’d line dry the garments, but in a pinch you can toss them into the dryer too. Frequent machine drying tends to wear clothing out faster. So if there’s time, I machine wash then hang cotton and linen garments on a hanger to dry in the bathroom.

At Land’s End the classics are trending! Not only are they well made and well-priced but you can wear them for years to come.

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I’ll also review a linen tunic from the brand Bodhi that was promoted on The Today Show as a product deal. Here goes: I can’t imagine wearing yards of material in the summer. In hot boiling July or August, yikes! The sleeves have enough fabric to fit a monkey -- too bulky and long for human arms. The tunic's body shallows up the wearer. There’s no front zipper to step into the dress, so you have to ball it up to pull it over your head. High side slits can be problematic requiring an underneath layer. It’s also baggy and not versatile enough to step off a beach to have drinks or dinner with friends. IMHO, this one would be a regret purchase that you’d find too limiting to wear after you buy it even at its advertised bargain price. The linen fabric is spectacular, if only the cut of the tunic flattered a woman's silhouette. Contrast this frumpy tunic with Lands’ End's many stylish summer offerings at much better starting price points. Cute and bouncy routs baggy every time!

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5 of the Most Gorgeous Sapphires In the World

Photo: loupiosity: The Bell of Asia Sapphire

Top sapphires (rubies and emeralds) cost more than diamonds. The reason: Colored gemstones are rarer in nature than diamonds. A combination of characteristics set their value including their beauty, rarity and durability. Carat weight, cut, clarity and country of origin can also drive their prices up. Vibrant blue sapphires are the most sought after in jewelry. Heat treated sapphires are accepted as long as the seller discloses it, and the price should also reflect the treatment. Without heat treatment, there would be few gemstone quality sapphires on the market to buy. Beautiful, natural, unheated sapphires are more expensive than heated, or lab grown sapphires due to their rarity and demand. Go here to learn more about sapphires.

Today let’s look at 5 of the most gorgeous sapphires in the world. It’s such fun seeing top of the line! All except for one (which is a smaller wearable size) sold for multi-millions of dollars. Don’t we, ordinary people, wish we could afford the grade of sapphires just like them?

1) In 2021, an 11.9 carat Kashmir Sapphire sold at auction at Fellows in Birmingham, England for £175,980 (or $238,184) after a bidding war. It is a rich, natural, velvety blue untreated sapphire of spectacular clarity. While large indeed, the next 4 sapphires are huge gemstone-quality-sapphires raising their value to more zeros!

2) The Belle of Asia Sapphire is a cushion cut 392.52 carat sapphire pendent, surrounded by diamonds as a necklace. It was discovered in Sir Lanka in 1926. Lord Nuffield, the founder of Morris Motors, bought it in 1937. Sapphires of its size, color, and clarity are extremely rare. The Bell of Asia Sapphire disappeared into private hands for the next 40+ years, then surfaced in 2014 to be sold at Christie’s for $ 17.7 million to an anonymous buyer who most likely lives in the Middle East.

3. The 35.09 carat antique cushion-shaped  Regent Kashmir Sapphire ring is the world’s most expensive sapphire per carat. It broke the record for price in 2025 at Christie’s in Hong Kong. The cost was $12.1 million. As you may have guessed, it’s a natural, unheated, rare, vivid blue sapphire from the storied Kashmir mines. It is set in platinum flanked by round diamonds.

4) The Richelieu Sapphire Earrings, a pair of cushion-cut natural Kasmir earrings weigh 26.66 and 20.88 carats respectively. Owned by Odile de Richelieu (1879 - 1974), they were sold in Geneva at Sothebys for $8.4 million in 2013. The earrings are suspended by a star of cushion and pear shaped diamonds. According to the Swiss Gemological Institute, the pair of sapphires match perfectly in size and shape. The hue is velvety blue and the clarity excellent "with only microscopic inclusions. A matching pair of natural sapphires from Kashmir of this size and quality is very rare and exceptional.”

5) The Logan Sapphire is the most accessible to us common folk, as it resides in the Smithsonian Institution. It was donated by Rebecca Pollard Guggenheim Logan in 1960. The Sri Lanka gemstone, at 422.98 carats, which is the size of a large chicken egg, is one of the largest velvety blue sapphires in the world. The mixed cushion cut sapphire is set in gold and silver as a brooch and surrounded by 20 round brilliant cut diamonds. Multiple sources list its value as $2.5 million.

With colored gemstones (sapphires, rubies and emeralds), color is the most important of the 4 “Cs” (color, cut, carat and clarity) in determining their value. Seeing Kashmir and Sir Lanka sapphires always makes a jewelry lover want one, doesn’t it? Commercial grade sapphires are never as velvety blue. Today the Kashmir and Sir Lanka mines are closed, making these sapphires all the more rare and valuable!💰💸🤑

Which of the 5 is your favorite?

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How To Make A Senior Feel At Home

Drive Medical accessories. We own all this stuff.

My senior Mom was an independent woman while my Dad was alive and I lived at home. Living alone in her senior years, she really held out for a very long time before she and I realized she needed my help to care for her. Up until 4 years ago, she cooked, cleaned, paid her own bills, and went out daily. She was a mover, a worker, an ever-ready bunny. She went somewhere every single day even if it was just to shop for groceries, or stock up on toiletries, or take mail to the post office. Then for her, it changed.

I am quite sensitive to how difficult it is when an independently-minded person can’t engage in her normal activities due to her physical and mental limitations. It can be very frustrating despite the Ward’s awareness that it is no longer mind over matter, and she is slowing down because, well, she got old. It’s not easy to depend on someone else to do the things you at one time did so effortlessly. She gets bored.

I don’t try to solve all my Mom’s issues as I can’t reverse time, nor entertain her every minute of the day. My magic power is to focus on what I can do which is to keep her sqeaky clean, safe and well-fed. My friends are also very kind. They visit and spend time with us. As much as possible, we include my Mom when we have coffee, lunches or dinners. We sit around and chat, and she mostly listens, yet feels included.

When the weather is balmy we take her to a park, or for a drive. Sure she falls asleep, but she loves to go places to see people. It’s how she lived her life when she was young.

In Manhattan I wheel her to the Steuben Day celebrations where there are lots of people dressed in dirndls and lederhosen who bend down to speak German with her. This makes the Party Girl very happy. Sometimes we buy a bratwurst or pretzel. Frankly, I never went before I began caring for my German Mother.

Every so often I tell her, “We’re family, or it’s Mama and Debra” -- a phrase I parrot from her). She would hate living in a nursing home, and I think from time to time, it’s good she hears me say, "I don't mind taking care of you.” Lightheartedly, nothing dramatic

After Mom wakes in the mornings, I let her linger in bed until she’s ready to rise. This also gives me a chance to drink my coffee alone before we get busy with grooming, dressing and breakfast. She is a late breakfast eater, so I plan accordingly. It’s the benefit of living at home, and not in a senior facility.

So far, so good. If my Mother were in a nursing home, I’d dislike making trips to the nursing home as much as she’d hate living in one. The two choices have different challenges, and you will be involved either way. Fortunately she doesn’t need skilled nursing care at the present time. Old age is her only pre-existing condition. 

Caring for my Mother makes me think about old age. Certainly, the USA needs a healthcare system overhaul so more seniors who wish it, could live at home. It would benefit our country to establish more at home support for the elderly and caregivers before we -- who are headed in the same direction -- become seniors. Who would favor spending your last days in a facility if you had the resources to stay at home? Seniors on Social Security and Medicare should have the choice. Unless tragedy strives, the day will come when that senior is you!

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Korean Beauty: Meditherapy

I’m a big fan of Korean Beauty. Its skincare contains good clean ingredients based on science that works, and it's great value for the money. Generous sizes for less!

Meditherapy is a skincare brand to put on your radar. It’s potent anti-aging serums and creams are formulated to be moisturizing, quick absorbing, non-greasy, non-sticky, suitable for sensitive skin and most importantly, affordable. I mean what more do we want? 

If you only try one product, the top image Retinal Skin Booster Serum is it! (Before tariffs, it sold for $11!) So what makes it so good? The serum contains non-irritating retinaldehyde, which is a nonprescription derivative of retin-A. (Retin-A is the prescription strength.) Retinal is another name for Retinaldhyde. Another non-perscription strength of retinol-A is the more familiar retinol. All 3 strengths are highly effective, but the non-presciption strengths require conversions after their application on the skin to become retinoic acid (i.e. retin-A), often called the holy grail in anti-aging serums. 

2 Conversions: Retinol --> Retinaldehyde --> Retinoic Acid 

As you can see the Meditherapy Retinal Skin Booster only needs one conversion to become retinoic acid, not retinol’s two. But remember all 3 strengths are excellent anti-aging ingredients as all 3 work. Think of it like eating carrots to get your vitamin A. Carrots contain beta carotene which you body converts to vitamin A.

If you have the budget to try more products in the Meditheraphy line, below are a few others worth considering:

Collagen Peptide Boosting Serum - Fights wrinkles and fine lines by boosting collagen production. It hydrates the skin and helps with elasticity and firming the skin.

Yuja Vitamin C 20 Glow Serum - Contains 20% pure vitamin C and yuca oil to soften and hydrate the skin. Vitamin C also brightens the skin. Vitamin B5 and E are added to calm the skin.

Cactus Mucin Hyaluronic Serum - Hyaluronic acid is the main ingredient. It's used to deeply moisturize the face. Like the excellent drugstore brand CeraVe, it has ceramides (a family of waxy lipids found in cells in high concentrations) to strengthen the skin barrier.

Wild Rose Capsule Plumping Serum - This one is a splurge because you don’t need it if using the others. The Wild Rose Serum moisturizes and softens the skin to make your face feel nice! It has oasis rose oil (a hydrator) enriched with vitamin C to promote elasticity, smooth wrinkles and restore a youthful glow. Like all the serums in the line, it’s non-greasy and non-sticky and absorbs right into the skin.

There’s no way around the tariffs imposed on South Korea by you know who.🙂 Tariffs are taxes on foreign goods paid when the goods enter the USA and then get passed onto consumers. So now we are paying $2 - $4 more on each beauty item. Amazon scrapped its plan to list the additional cost for consumers created by the tariffs. Despite this tax, Korean Beauty remains good quality and quantity for the money, and when the tariffs are removed, Korean Beauty will return to costing even less.

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Shorts: Daily Habits That Will Change Your Life

These types of charts are circulating all over Facebook and Instagram, so much so, I don’t know who produced the one I’ve selected to share, and (look→) who should be credited?

I share the above as great, solid advice that is also sustainable to do. Some of the 9 activities are challenging (#1, #2, and #3) and do require committing to them, but others (#6, #7 and #9) are enjoyable. It’s a balanced list and what we should be doing to live a long healthy life! What an excellent reminder for you to check off daily! If you are wondering about #3: Tea is loaded with anti-oxidants. Studies support its health benefits.

I promised you a post this week on Korean Beauty, which I’ve written but will hold until next Monday. Instead, I'm ending the week with the above Savvy Shopper Short. Why? Because it’s end-of-the-week Friday and sunny. Start by sleeping those 8 hours tonight! 🛏

Enjoy your weekend my lovies!🏖🌞

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Marie Thèrese of France’s Emerald Tiara

Photo: Wikipedia Commons: I’d love to set this piece of history on my head! If this stunner could talk.

Today I’m featuring a beautiful tiara created for a member of the House of Bourbon who had a sad history. Marie Thèrese Charlotte of France (1778 - 1851) was the oldest and only surviving child of King Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antionette of France both guillotined when she was 12 years old. After France’s Reign of Terror she was isolated and held prisoner for another 5 years until her release was negotiated. She went to live in exile in Austria, her Habsburg-Lorraine mother’s native country. As France headed towards revolution, Queen Marie Antionette had sent some of her jewelry to Austria for safekeeping, and these pieces were returned to her daughter after she arrived in Vienna.

In 1799 Marie Thèrese was persuaded to enter a political marriage with her cousin, Louis Antoine, the Duke of Angouème so she became the Duchess of Angouème. The Emerald and Diamond Tiara of Marie Thèrese is sometimes called The Duchess of Angouème Emerald Tiara. It was made by jewelers Evrard and Frederic Bapst in 1819 - 1820 using stones from the French Crown Jewels. The tiara features a symmetrical scrolling design with 40 emeralds set in gold and 1,031 diamonds set in silver. Fourteen of the emeralds are large ones!

For a period of time the Bourbon monarchy was restored. Louis XVI’s two younger brothers sat on the throne with Marie Thèrese returning to France, but in 1830 she was forced into exile again. She made the crazy decision to leave her tiara behind. Later it was worn by Empress Eugènie whose husband, Napoleon III, ruled (1852 - 1870) sizing power as Emperor of the French. Eventually they too, were expelled. Empress Eugènie also left the tiara in France for the state.

 

Photo: Instagram

The Emerald and Diamond Tiara of Marie Thèrese along with other French Crown Jewels were then sold at auction in 1887 by France’s Third Republic. An unknown British buyer bought the tiara. It disappeared for awhile before being put on display as a loan in 1982 at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. 

In exile Marie Thèrese moved to Prague with her husband’s family, then to Goriza (part of Italy today) and after her husband's death to a Baroque castle just outside of Vienna where she spent her final years quietly (attending Mass, taking walks, reading and sewing). Empress Eugènie lived for the rest of her life in Great Britain as a guest of Queen Victoria. 

In 2002 the Louvre Museum purchased the tiara from its anonymous owner, returning it to France. The Angouème Emerald Tiara is now on display in Paris at the Louvre Museum. Home, Sweet Home!

We’re fortunate when royal jewels end up in a museum for us to see them up close.

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Old Navy’s Vintage Mini T-Shirt Dresses

Nowadays when my senior mom needs new clothes I make the selections for her. The thought makes me smile because I realize what it means ... she’s beginning to dress like me.😁 When she bought her own clothes she wore lots of long pants in summer. But I wear casual dresses as soon as the hot weather hits, and I don’t return to wearing pants until the first chill💨 of fall kisses my bare legs.

I also switched my mom to soft, comfortable, easy to machine wash and dry fabrics. She was born in an era when women suffered for style, and many garments needed ironing and special handling. Let’s leave those practices in the past!

Another practice I think should be history is dressing the elderly in ugly clothes they’d never wear in their younger decades of life. No house dresses for her that resemble pajamas. In her old age she still likes fashion!

It’s going to hit 90 degrees F, and I’ve already received by mail what she’s wearing today. It’s the top image, Old Navy’s Mini T-Shirt Dress. You can dress it up or down. I have visions of her looking like a biker chick and may manage to pull the biker chick look off! Why, you may ask? I am her only child, but was never her favorite child. Ha, ha! Plus I think she’ll look adorable!😂😂😂

I ordered her several of the t-shirt dresses to carry her through the summer, all in the same teal color. If O.N. had other bright summer colors when I ordered them, I would have gotten other colors. Because the deals are so good, the dresses go very fast! 

Yesterday my mom wore the Short-Sleeve Vintage Mini-T-Shirt Dress in the pretty and bright pink color. I only ordered her one of that style since I think as soon as summer hits, she’ll be cooler in sleeveless cotton dresses.

For my readers who are interested in ordering the dresses too, they are now on sale. My mother is petite (about 5’1”) so regular in this mini style fits her perfectly. However if you normally order regular, you’ll have to order this style in tall for it to fall about an inch above your knee. Plan for some shrinkage.

The 100% cotton fabric is super soft and substantial for summer days. It’s not too thin.

Such a comfortable summer dress suitable for young or old! Right now the sale makes this t-shirt dress cheaper than the cost of a t-shirt. More fabric, more coverage for less. A fabulous value!

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Old Navy’s PowerSoft Trouser Pants

Longtime readers know I dislike sweat pants (as well as terrycloth lounge pants). I don’t wear or feature them. No, no, never, ever, uh, uh, uh! IMHO leggings are as comfortable yet can be dressed up or down, as opposed to, what looks like pajamas that should never leave the house. However I understand the cozy appeal of sweat paints. 
 
Old Navy has taken the comfort of sweat paints and turned it up a notch to create High-Waisted PowerSoft Trouser Pants. That’s right, light, smooth, and soft trousers! Like leggings, Old Navy's trouser pants are made of cozy sweat-wicking  compression fabric consisting of 77% polyester and 23% spandex. The pants fall under its activewear collection and yet, with the right top could be worn to the office. Sitting at the belly button, they are loose at the hip and wide at the leg. The result is casual smart style that is attractive and comfortable.

As you would expect from Old Navy, the PowerSoft Trouser Pants are so budget-friendly, you could buy more than one color. Usually black looks the dressiest, and the other shades more casual. Machine wash and dry, so you can wear them with abandon.

Adorable, cozy, and versatile style that looks like you make the effort to change out of your pajamas to leave home! 

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The Ordinary GF 15% Solution: An Anti-ager

The Ordinary was the first company to change the game of anti-aging skincare by making it affordable for most everyone. Once upon a time it cost a mint to buy products containing anti-aging ingredients that were based on science! 

Nowadays when buying effective skincare, you are the one who cho0ses to go broke, or not. Education is a must to know which ingredients based upon science to look for in targeting your skin issues.

The Ordinary keeps evolving because skincare keeps evolving as science evolves. I try to keep up with the science of skincare and enjoy trying new products. 

Here’s a new one from The Ordinary I’m curious to try. It's called GF 15% Solution, an age support serum to help minimize and repair the visible signs of aging, including skin damage. The key ingredients are IGF, EGF, and TGE, which are growth hormones and peptites to regenerate the skin, firming it up and restoring elasticity. GF 15% Solution softens fine lines and wrinkles on the forehead, around the eyes and mouth, and smooths rough skin along with brighting dull skin. Sounds desirable to me!

You apply a few drops after washing your face in the morning and at bedtime. GF 15% Solution doesn’t play nice when used with direct acids, direct vitamin C, or salicylic acid. On the other hand, it pairs well with hyaluronic acid, retinol, and heavier moisturizers. If you use retinol (at night) or bakuchiol (day or night), apply the GF 15% Solution 1st, then retinol or bakuchiol and followed by sunscreen or moisturizers.

I’m writing about GF 15% Solution without testing it first because the Ordinary has proven to be extraordinary skincare. Trying this new product will let me know if its right for my complexion.

At such an affordable price ($15.50, alas like everything else The Ordinary has increased its prices), I’m gung-ho to see if it makes my skin more radiate. I want glowing skin! How about you?

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