Get Your Other Vaccines Too

Photo: Shot of Prevention

Luckily I had a great primary care doctor a few years ago who was proactive and started me on the road of proactiveness! He retired and was replaced by another good doctor, a female this time, who I now see. I go for an annual physical, which you should not forget to do despite our fears and heightened focus on COVID-19. 

Of course you get your vitals taken and your blood drawn, but equally important, I receive excellent preventative care. One year my old doctor gave me a tetanus shot, which I had no idea I had to continue getting as an adult. The next year, he said his new target was childhood disease antibodies, and I'm sending your blood to the lab to see which ones you've had. Sure enough the report showed I had never had the mumps, so off I went to get vaccinated against it. Mumps ... if your listening, you're wasting your time as I've got the mumps' antibodies in my system now that will annihilate you without ever having been sick!

Photo: uhc.com

Several middle aged people I know who had chickenpox as a child, got shingles as adults, also called herpes zoster, an acute and painful inflammation of the nerve ganglia, with a skin eruption of blisters. It is caused by the same virus as chickenpox and lives in your body until it decides to rear its ugly self to make you sick again!

Eckkk! It's such a creepy-looking illness, you should google it. I can't bring myself to upload the image here. And more seriously, getting shingles has the possibility of leaving a few lingering aftereffects. If the rash breaks out close to your eye, it has the ability to blind you. Some people report ongoing sensitive or painful nerves in their bodies after the rash, itself, is gone.

If COVID is doing anything positive, it reminds us of the wonder and importance of science. How lucky are we to have available vaccines to avoid many infectious diseases that in earlier times killed many people, including children, and left others with lingering complications. Who the hell needs it???

Photo: cdc.gov

Go get your vaccines people if you haven't already. First for COVID and while waiting for the necessary time period to pass for its optimal effectiveness, make an appointment with your primary care doctor, so together you can determine what other preventitive vaccines to get next. Know what lies ahead of you so you're on top of your health. Invest the time in your health, dear readers! It's cheaper and a smart way of insuring a good quality of life! Nobody wants to get sick when they don't have too! 

Also, if you don't have a trusted primary care doctor, find one! Start by checking with your health insurance (online perhaps?) to bring up a list of providers who accept your policy. We all need gentle nudges to stay aware and healthy.

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Here Comes The Sun ... 10 Sunscreen Mistake

The Inkey List Skincare

 

Photo: lookfantastic

THE SAVVY SHOPPER features another effective skincare line based on science you can afford to use daily. Choice galore and deals are a consumer's best friends to keep our wallets happy! The Inkey List offers a wide array of products containing potent ingredients that are normally 3 - 4 times more expensive.

The following are your 3 basic essentials, yet at such budget-friendly prices averaging under $10 a bottle (and a few multi-ingredient formulas running about $15) you could add an item to treat a special skin care concern of yours if you wish. 

Here are the bare-bone elixirs I think you need in your skincare regiment:

1) The Inkey List Retinol serum

Contains: 

• 1% stabilized retinol (derived from Vitamin A, which the skin converts to retinoic acid, speeding up skin cell turnover. Enhances collagen production, evens skin tone and lightens age spots.) 
• 0.5 granactive retinoid
• Squalane (for hydration and smoothing).

Directions: Use a pea size amount at night to prevent or treat lines and wrinkles, the visible signs of aging.

2) The Inkey List Vitamin C 30% serum

 Contains: 

• 30% pure, stable, L-ascorbic Acid. This serum targets the signs of aging by brightening the skin. It also fights free radicals and pollution. 

Directions: This is your daytime serum, apply it in the morning.

3) The Inkey SPF Daily 30 Sunscreen

Contains: 

• 22% non-nano zinc oxide (offering both UVA and UVB protection against the sun).
• 1% Pollustop® (Shields the skin from pollutants and premature aging.) 
• 2% Shea Butter complex (moisturizes and calms the skin). 

Directions: Use during the day all-year-round as the last step after a moisturizer. 

Sure you could buy gentle baby sunscreen at your local drugstore for less, but if you want a $15 splurge for the extra anti-aging ingredients, you can at least afford it at these low prices.

Now where can you buy them? Available on the Inkey List website; Sephora; Ebay; and Amazon, the brand is never tested on animals.

Splurge and save simultaneously: What's on your Inkey List?

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

💟Extra tips: 

[1] If you buy the baby sunscreen from your local drugstore and your 2 serums from The Inkey List, your entire costs for your daily anti-aging skin routine is under $25 for all the products you need. Adding the splurge Inkey List sunscreen brings the costs to under $35.

 [2] Anti-aging routines begin by eating a healthy diet, which gets easier and cheaper in the spring and summer months. Here's what I bought from my fabulous Manhattan fruit street vendor on my way home ... every bite as beneficial to the skin as the potions you put on it:

I like to wash all my fruit before putting much of it in the refrigerator. Oh yes, with refrigeration you lose some of the deliciousness, but again, costs and convenience win. I leave a few unrefrigerated pieces out, but do refrigerate the rest. I have fresh blueberries, strawberries, apricots, plums, pears and mangos. Not in the photo, avocados from another day! 

BTW: I also wash my potatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, eggplant and asparagus (Asparagus steams are yuk, yet nutritious.) before putting them away, a repetitive job I hate doing! But when I cook, I like dropping clean-ready produce into a pot. I'd rather not have a job (cleaning) before I do a job (cooking). Unless buying a meal kit, you have to do the undesirable yourself. It's worth getting more for less. I'm a mean, clean machine!😎

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Where To Buy Spices Online

Photo: Spice Jungle

As luck would have it, my local Key Food supermarket carries a nice selection of common spices like dried garlic, onion powder, celery seed, oregano or parsley in big jars. Spices I use daily to season meat, vegetables and whole grains. I don't like to run low and need to run back to the grocery store for them too frequently.

What's more, I also buy seasonings online (1) when not available at my supermarket; or (2) offered at better prices; or (3) of superior quality. Sometimes I split hairs between convenience, price and excellence -- something a foodie would rarely do. IMHO, a foodie applies to people who are very into food, going to great lengths or out to restaurants and spending big bucks to eat it. I cook and enjoy learning and trying new recipes, yet I'm not a foodie. I can stop at eating good, basic, real food. I don't require fancy, or elaborate, or expensive. In short, a foodie lives to eat. Someone like me eats to live ... and often price or convenience wins!

Speaking of price, quality and convenience, here are 3 unmatched spice companies whose seasonings you might consider that are all available for online ordering: 

1) Spice Jungle - Has a wide selection of single seasonings that are also carried in different sizes. I just ordered a pound of ground bay leaves for $15 because I couldn't find the right amount of whole bay leaves at the supermarket for a reasonable price. I refuse to pay $4 for a jar of 10 bay leaves that wouldn't last a month! Spice Jungle's ground bay leaves smell and taste sensational! I use 1/2 teaspoon of ground in place of a whole bay leaf in savory dishes. In addition to spices, the online retailer has specialty salt; dried mushrooms; dried seeds and berries; and dried tea and tisane. A tip: To save shipping costs on tiny orders of one or two spices, order Spice Jungle seasonings on Walmart's website, which conveniently carries them!

2) Zatarain's - I buy many of Zatarain's Creole and Cajun spice blends, as well as, food items -- as I love this authentic Louisiana based food company😍 (which is now a subsidiary of the McCormick spice company). The Creole seasoning and Pure Ground Gumbo File are pantry staples. Very reasonably priced and available at supermarkets, Walmart online and Amazon. I use Creole seasoning in meat, vegetables, rice, soups, stews and salads, you name it!

3) Special Shit - I didn't name this spice company, but it got your attention, didn't it? You'll find tasty special spice blends made to season beef, chicken, fish, vegetables and barbecued dishes, plus extras like condiment gift sets for foodie friends and home cooks alike.

So whether you live to eat or eat to live, here are 3 brands of seasonings at affordable prices you can count on ... perhaps offering something missing from your supermarket shelf that you can order for delivery straight to your door ... and yet, you pay the same amount of money, not more!

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My Window Shopping Spree

Yesterday was a bright, sunny day in Manhattan (a high of 76 degrees F) so in a pink dress with a motif of flowers, I took a walk. It was playtime! I stepped into stores I forever pass on the outside, rarely going inside. 

My first stop was Graff jewelry on Madison Avenue. Only expecting to look in the showcases, I was delighted when a friendly sales associate encouraged me to try something on! Why yes, I'd love too!!😍

The White Diamond collection is spectacular -- flawless, colorless, certainly expertly cut. Big rocks! Red carpet worthy!

The necklace with a teardrop pendent to the right is the most gorgeous piece I've ever had around my neck! Lucky me, they brought it inside -- usually it's what I admire in a window glass box on the outside, the many times I stroll past Graff on my way downtown. The pendent is removable and a customer can purchase the diamond necklace without the teardrop pendent ... but why would she? Make no mistake, it's MY necklace, but surely somebody else will walk into the shop one day to buy it, and what a sad day it will be!

As an unapologetic matchy-matchy gal, I tried on a flawless White Diamond Collection $3 million ring (above left image) also. Obviously, I was born in the wrong class of society! You can't go wrong at Graff for a stunning pair of jewels!

Next stop was Tiffany & Co. where I admire, but did not ask to try on a lovely pair of large teardrop, clean, clean, clean, blue-green emerald earrings -- sooo perfect in color, translucency and free of inclusions, there is no need for diamonds to add sparkle! Moreover, there are brilliant emerald rings in the Tiffany showcases to match the earrings ... but you already know that don't you? Of course you do!

On to SAKS Fifth Avenue, a department store where I've actually bought merchandise occasionally! I'm much more familiar with department store shopping.😁 

But upon my arrival it was missing. Jeepers! Somebody finally bought my double-stone, sapphire and emerald, 18K gold ring that usually lies inside a showcase in SAKS' jewelry department. It was purchased in March, Dan, my favorite sales associate tells me. Rats!!! Who'd sneak in here with deep pockets while I'm at home riding out a pandemic? Who???

So I moved on to Saks' purse department. I'm mad (no, not angry ... mad is the right word!) at Chanel for hiking up their prices several times a year into the stratosphere, and therefore won't even look at Chanel's bag inventory for a while, if ever!😉 

My new loves are 2 Saint Laurent handbags, by far a greater value-for-the-money luxury brand -- with better craftsmanship at much lower price points that ordinary people with jobs can at least save up to buy without mortgaging their homes. My favorites at this time are the Envelope Medium Matelasse Leather Shoulder bag, as well as, the Manhattan Smooth Leather Shoulder bag. If I were to only buy one color, I'd choose black with gold hardware for its versatility. Golly, I could be happy with either style, but for me the Envelope bag (above image) has a slight edge. Its elegance and size make it suitable as both a daytime and evening bag.

Ahh, I enjoy my walk on such a splendent spring day filled with delightful eye candy. I have fun, touching and trying on stuff. Meet some lovely sales associates too! 

While the trip on foot doesn't set me back a dime, I also never bump into my fairly godmother (surely she's lost!!!), so return home empty handed. Nonetheless, it's a priceless and pleasant window shopping spree. An education and wonderful walk home!

Enjoy your weekend.🌷

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Hooray For Mom And Pop Shops

Photo: Brothers Guitar Shop on Instagram

Mom and Pop shops add so much character and charm to a neighborhood ... in New York City and elsewhere. They make an area a neighborhood, giving a block its uniqueness. When I first arrived in Manhattan, I spent my weekends mainly downtown to get to know the East and West Village, Soho and Tribeca. Unsurprisingly, each area had its own feel, its own food, its own soul. I wonder what's become of an East Village street vendor, The Sockman, a sandy-haired fellow on St. Mark's Place, who for years always greeted me with a sweet hug and kiss on the cheek. 

As opportunities presented themselves, I ventured into Little Italy, Chinatown and also traveled to the Upper West Side and further up to Arthur's Avenue in the Bronx. (Thank you, friend with a car!) Columbia University friends occasionally invited me up for dinner, as well as, amusements like the summer Jazz Festival (held in August). And, I explored parts of Harlem with my friend, a young energetic gay man from Atlanta, who was also my theatre and brunch buddy. [He took me to a Sunday service at The Abyssinian Baptist Church, where I met his paster, Calvin Butts III and afterwards treated me to brunch at Miss Mamie's Spoonbread Too on West 110th Street.] 

But alas, like so many other towns in the USA, beloved mom and pop shops are fast disappearing here in New York City unable to pay sky high rents or compete with big box stores, and what a tremendous loss of culture this is! City halls of America, can't both types of businesses succeed with your ingenuity and tax incentives?

Today I am featuring a fun, spirited mom and pop shop which opened during our pandemic in November, 2020 on the Upper East Side called Brothers Guitar Shop NYC (located at 316 East 84th Street). Meanwhile several big box stores such as Bed, Bath and Beyond, Williams Sonoma, the Container Store, GAP, Banana Republic and American Eagle shut their doors permanently during the pandemic.

I do not play guitar, yet am still drawn into the accessible and friendly Brothers Guitar Shop. I'm impressed with how lovely and creatively the proprietors display their inventory making the best use of their narrow, railroad-car-shaped space. There are tons of guitars and accessories prominently hanging off walls throughout the place without erecting a messy, claustrophobic feel. Instead, you are surrounded by heart and charm! These shopkeepers love music and talking shop! The employees buy, sell, repair and maintain guitars, and will teach novice or experienced guitar players chords and licks. Chances are you'll hear a jam session while in the store.

As the weather heats up and permits are obtained, the owners plan several exciting musical events. Check their website for updates, or to order merchandize online. Better yet! Come to the neighborhood to support small businesses including these enterprising brothers. Let's experience the milieu of Yorkville, a real residential neighborhood in-person ... and step foot into a special neighborhood music shop!

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Radiant Tsavorite Garnet

Photo: Geology In

An emerald is the birthstone of May babies. The gorgeous green beryl is rarer and more expensive per carat than diamonds, sapphires or rubies. Emeralds also have more inclusions than other precious or semi-precious gemstones. Unlike diamonds where clarity is prized, inclusions (in emeralds called Jardins) are accepted because natural emeralds are never clean.

If you long for a clean (free of inclusions) brilliant green stone, you might consider a radiant tsavorite garnet (Ca3Al2Si3O12) first discovered in 1967 by British gem geologist Campbell Bridges, which Tiffany and Co. began selling as jewelry in 1974. Usually when people think of garnets they visualize a cinnamon (dark red) color, which many garnets are. Yet garnets come in a variety of rarer colors. Garnets are composed of aluminum and calcium but when there are traces of 2 additional minerals, chromium and vanadium, the color is bright green and the semi-precious stone, rating a 6.5 - 7.5 on Moh's Scale of Hardness, is referred to as a tsavorite garnet. This stunning green stone, mined in Kenya (and less intense hues in Tanzania), is incredibly sparkly due to its high refractive index. 

Tsavorite is less likely to shatter than emerald because it is a stone without inclusions. Sans inclusions, tsavorite can be cut into more facets to reflect light more brilliantly than an emerald. And, tsavorite is translucent in nature without requiring treatments like heat or oil.

While emeralds are unmatched in their green-blue color, tsavorites have more brilliance or life than typical emeralds. Still both gems are undeniably gorgeous in their own right.

Finally, tsavorites are not as pricey as emeralds, so in general, you can get more value for the money, either paying less for similar sized stones, or perhaps getting a bigger tsavorite garnet for less money than what you will pay for an emerald. Definitely a radiant green stone ... a beauty of nature not to be overlooked!💚

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Slip On Lands' End Comfort Summer Shoes

As warm weather approaches sensible shoes with arch support and stable heels are a must! Recently I ordered the perfect spring/summer shoes: Lands' End Comfort Mary Janes. 

They have leather uppers with sneaker-comfort footbeds and durable rubber outsoles with sturdy traction. Taking them on a test drive, I walked from Manhattan's Upper Eastside to Midtown (a distance of several miles) to find they protect my feet from taking a harsh pounding on concrete. I love them! They're practical and cute!

Moreover on foot, the Lands' End Comfort Mary Janes don't look juvenile and are versatile to wear with pants, leggings, skirts and dresses. Another beneficial feature is their velcro-like strap closures, for easy slip on and off, as well as, hassle-free adjustments. 

The Woman's Comfort Elastic Ballet Flats are trickier. The sizing is off so you have to order up from your regular shoe size. They are not for walking long distances on concrete pavement but for bouncing around your house, garden and neighborhood. Soft leather uppers have insoles that are foam cushioned. An elastic edge molds to your feet.

Lands' End Women's All Weather Closed Toe Sandals let some air in. They have soft suede uppers, shock-absorbing footbeds and sturdy rubber outsoles fit for hiking.

For hanging out at the swimming pool or boating dock, there are several styles of quick drying water shoes, water sandals and lightweight flat Comfort Slider Sandals in several colors.

The offerings are priced attractively before adding 40% off promotions and free shipping. This summer, let's get comfy in quality and style without going broke!

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How To Protect A Pinky Toe?

 

Sorry ... in no way will the following blog be sexy. It's about how aging changes your tootsies when once upon a time, they never gave you any problems.

Ouch! My feet are getting battered, and I don't know what to do about it. We walk everywhere in New York City on hard, unforgiving concrete.

But I'm on top of it! I always wear structured shoes (brands like Merrell and Vionic) with good arch support and stabilized heels. Round, roomy toe boxes, and my shoes seem to be the right size. Supportive flats, not high heels (except perhaps once a year), plus I'm not walking as much as I did before the pandemic. Yet my feet are taking a real beating, especially the inside of the pinky toe on my left foot! Short of wearing band-aids, what can I do to protect it?

Once in a while, I experience painful arches, or an ache in the front part of my foot also, but not often nor severe enough to worry yet. Not quite yet!! If such a pain in the front of of your foot is severe and frequent, then it's time to think about a condition called Morton's Neuroma, which 1 in 3 people have. Women can get it from wearing high heels or a narrow toe box which I have rarely done!

Of course the main reason to explain what is happening is, my feet are aging right along with the rest of me. Regardless of how sensible our footwear, our parts start to wear out! As we grow older (beginning around the age of 45 or so), we lose the fat padding on the bottoms of our feet that protects them from daily pounding, which is why we can't walk barefoot on hard floors anymore without foot pain. 

Years ago I also learned I must buy leather shoes (skipping manmade materials) to avoid many shoe, i.e., foot problems. So let's check that solution off.

What's more, nearly all of my shoes have insoles to provide extra padding. So gezz-Louise, what more do I have to do on a daily basis? After my little toe became so raw and inflamed it felt like it would fall off, I began wearing band-aids, as well as, protective gels to buffer it from my other toes. After years of peaceful living side-by-side, the 4 bigger toes no longer play nice with the little one!

You know, I'd like to walk out of my apartment without too much fanfare. Must I start wrapping my pinky toe every day now!?! 

I've stepped outside of science and am trying 15 minutes of yoga toes each day too in an effort to save the pinky toe! I'm out of ideas.

Do you have any ingenious products to help prevent foot problems? Help ...

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The Oscars 2021: Red Carpet Favorites

French Director Florian Zeller and his wife Marine Delterme

Yes, the Academy Awards is still in progress on television, but it never takes me long to pick my favorites. The telecast is subdued this year without a huge audience. Not much hype leading up to the awards either as nobody could go to the movies for over a year.

But the show must go on, and as you can see, I threw two stylish couples into the fashion mix -- French Bohemian chic 0n top and American elegance to close the blog.

Below are the dresses on my Oscars 2021 best list. There is nothing flashy or over-the-top this year. The attendees look classic and relatively comfortable. It reminds me of bygone days before stars hired stylists, and they wore their own clothes, although I'm fairly sure stylists and dressers were consulted. I'd call this year's outfits safe and lovely. 

As a non-celebrity, I never have a problem with safe, timeless fashion. If trading places, I'd go for pretty every time. We can't all be Cher or Billy Porter, nor should we try to be. Perhaps it would be one's only time before millions of viewers, and I'd want to look pretty, not like a Cher or Billy Porter wannabe. 

Director Lee Isaac Chung and wife Valerie Chung

Laura Dern is wearing Oscar de la Renta. Reese Witherspoon is in Christian Dior. Viola Davis is in an Alexander McQueen gown. Margot Robbie wears a floral Chanel dress. (All photos: British Vogue.)

So who did I miss? Do you have a favorite Oscar gown to either agree with or add?

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