Balding heads, holding on to ponytails?

Okay, it is obvious to me that I live in Florida.

I say that to say this, I am old enough, been around and witnessed the days when White dudes wore ponytail and mullet hairstyles everywhere, and Black men (and women) sported afros of all sizes; that was fine back then; after all, they were all the rage back in the day. They were in vogue. I even wore my cute little ‘fro for a number of years—say it loud, I’m Black and proud, as the Godfather of Soul, James Brown, used to say. Lol! Yes, I am dating myself.

News flash! That was over thirty years ago! It is now 2011, a new millennium, dudes; and there have been many other hairstyles introduced since the sixties. So I submit to you there is no good reason for anyone to be still sporting any of those hairdos today (unless, of course, you are taking part in a play or movie) read: retro.

Recently, as I waited my turn in a jury selection box, I had to use all the will power in me to suppress the giggles as laughter threatened to escape me and possibly get me in trouble. Obviously, I had plenty of time on my hands, otherwise I would not have noticed the three--count them: one, two, three balding men still sporting their sixties ponytails! What are the odds? There were only about twenty five people in the courtroom, that’s got to be some kind of freaky statistic!

Anyway, I can see trying to hold on to our youth; heck, those were fun days and it was fun to be a hippie, or flower girl, or burn our bras and all that stuff. But guess what? Those days are over and they are never coming back, just like our hair! Let’s face it, we are now (Gasp!) our parents. We are the establishment, OMG! We grew up—or should have, to have our own jobs and children and homes. And now, we are quickly becoming our grandparents. Where did all that time go?

Anyway, I am ranting. But as we go into the sunset, let’s do it with the same gusto we displayed when we were younger, and please let’s find a hairstyle now that speaks to our new station in life. After all, our grandchildren are looking, and I think, they might be saying:

“No, I can’t like it” to our continued use of outdated hairstyles.

And that’s what I am talking about!

Marcia C

My Neck of the Woods

Port Charlotte? Punta Gorda? Where is that? It does not sound like there will be much to do there. This is usually how a conversation goes after the standard brief introductions with almost anyone that comes through this small town of ours. The explanation usually goes something like this: we are located on the Gulf Coast of Florida, right between Fort Myers (to the south) and Sarasota (to the north) and suddenly, recognition, an--Aha! Moment, as Oprah often says. I know where that is, my grandma has a house over there. Lol!

These days, when I listen to the weather reports, and hear about places up north being dumped on by many feet of snow, and enduring all kinds of minus -0 degree weather, I’ve been having my own “Aha Moments”! Don’t get me wrong, I will complain just like everyone else about the weather, at the right time, it all depends on weather conditions (hurricane season comes to mind).

But last night and the night before, I was very glad to be living in “my neck of the woods” (Thanks, Al). It was around six in the evening when I felt a smile begin to form within me, there it was again as I crossed the bridge--another SW Florida present, a beautiful mix of clouds and sun that is very hard to describe. A beautiful sunset, and I did not have my camera with me this time, plus I was driving. Ughhhh!

Sunsets are a spectacular sight in our area. I lived in Brooklyn, NY for many years before moving south and can honestly say I never paid as much attention to the skies there, as I do in Florida. Maybe that’s because most of the year, I was running in or out of subways or ducking people bump-ins in between high risers in Manhattan. Or maybe I was just too busy and frazzled, going about my business to stop and appreciate nature; even as I appreciated and explored everything else NYC had to offer; to this day, it is one of my favorite cities.

Funny thing is there are, more than enough things to do in Port Charlotte and its surrounding areas; it boasts some of the best beaches (Boca Grande, Manasota) you can find anywhere along the Gulf Coast of Florida. Sunsets are beautiful and plentiful, except of course when the skies open up and let out their fair share of rain, thunder and lightning. There are many festivals, music, arts, and lots of fishing and boating to keep the most discriminating soul busy for days on end. Totally worth the experience. So come on down!

That's what I'm Talking About!

Marcia C

No, I can't Like it!

This was our granddaughter’s way of letting everyone know, during a recent holiday visit, whether or not she was planning to accept whatever it was that was being offered to her; be it food, a change of clothes, diapers, or whatever, you name it. If she had previously been enjoying a bowl of cereal and all of a sudden did not feel like having any more of it, she would adamantly state: “No, I can’t like it!” to let you know she was having no more of it. We, of course, almost fell to the ground with laughter the first time we heard her come up with that one. (Still do)

Do you remember? During the late nineties, there was a show on TV hosted by Bill Cosby called “Kids Say the Darndest Things”? It was hilarious. It focused on young children and the things they innocently say and do; it shed a light on the little things we all take for granted when raising our children, and the effect it can have on the grown-ups around them too.

Out of nowhere comes a statement like that. What do you answer to that? Have you ever tried to have a logical conversation with a two-year old? Please note, I said: logical.

What I tried, went something like this: “What do you mean you can’t like it?” You liked it just fine a few minutes ago, what happened since then? She had been eating strawberries—which she actually asked for by name—and all of a sudden, she can’t like them? They are her favorite fruit of the moment, for God’s sake! But, she insisted, “No, I can’t like it” to which I then asked: So, what is it you want? You know what’s coming, right? She is a two-year old—I just told you that!

Strawberries, “No, I can’t like it!” Banana!

Banana? I said. You now want a banana? Yes, she said. Of course, I went for it; got her what she asked for and then… when she had had enough, guess what? Yep, you know it, “No, I can’t like it!”

I’ll tell you what Bill Cosby; they still do… Say the Darndest Things!!!

And that’s what I am talking about!

Marcia C

What can I do for you?


Ok, that was definitely not the question I thought I’d have to answer to as we entered this popular Italian dining spot on a holiday weekend Monday afternoon; it was 1:45 pm and my friend and I had just made up our minds to eat here after we discovered our first choice had recently closed its doors on our side of town, and moved itself across the bridge to a new location. Good thing my friend called earlier to make last minute plans, otherwise we would both arrive at the former location to find an empty place.

Ok, so now we are left trying to decide where to go for lunch; after the expected back and forth discussion, we easily settled on the Carrousel Plaza Mall location, just because there are at least five restaurants in there from which we could select from. We decided the Italian restaurant would do. Easy enough, right?

As we walked in, the hostess/waitress greeted us with “What can I do for you?” Huh? My friend and I both looked at each other with the same dumbfounded look as we wondered: “What kind of question was that? Is this not a restaurant? What did she think we could possibly want? Aren't  they supposed to be serving food here?

My response to her question? Huh, what about some food? To which she responded, “Come this way”,  We followed her to our seats. There were still a few people in there, in various stages of dining, so we settled in to have a nice dining experience. The meal was average, nothing to write home about, but the service or lack thereof was a different story. As it turned out, by the time we ordered our drinks there was only a ten minute window in which to order our food, the kitchen was closing at 2 pm, something our waitress failed to mention when she sat us down.

There is nothing more unnerving that being rushed through your meal, but then I would have nothing to talk about regarding this lunch date; if the hostess/waitress would have told us at the outset that we only had a few minutes in which to order our meal we would have left. We could have decided to patronize any one of the other four or five restaurants on the plaza. As it happened, we ordered, we ate and then kept looking over our shoulders—feeling as paying intruders in this restaurant.

Needless to say, that’s the last time they’ll see my Visa card at this establishment; the next time I feel like eating Italian food I'll cook it myself or pull out one of Mario's recipe books. But, I certainly would not visit the Plaza's Italian dining place or recommend it to anyone else.

That’s what I’m talking about!

Marcia C

A word about SW Florida winter getaways...

Some of us in SWFL absolutely, positively are not feeling this blast of arctic cold air coming through our beautiful Gulf coast; after all, this is the “Sunshine State” not Boston or New York; and we all smugly assumed we had left that cold stuff behind us when we moved south from places like Ohio, Brooklyn, and NYC.

Imagine my surprise this morning, when on my way to work and almost ten days after my last post, The Rose, (yes, the same one) was still in full bloom and seemed to be basking in the glory of the 30 degree weather we are experiencing. It looked like it was actually enjoying the chill in the air! All this while I was bundled up and cursing under my breath because I needed a heavier covering than what I was wearing (a sweater and scarf) and had to rush back into the house to pick-up a coat. A coat? WTH, I am not supposed to need one down here!!!

Anyway, I guess I am just ranting. I have no right to complain, there are 49 other states with snow somewhere on their grounds and we are still the “tropical weather” destination for our northern neighbors. I, for one, am not going anywhere near any body of water (except my own bathroom to take a shower) to take any kind of dips.


It is cold out there, people! You are not supposed to be wearing a bathing suit, pretending you do not feel the chill! I understand, you worked hard all year to come down to Florida to get your piece of the sunshine promise, but trust me you can still have a good time without catching pneumonia. And believe me; you are more likely to catch that, than the perfect suntan!

I speak from experience and with empathy; thankfully I never got pneumonia but I was once a “newbie” to the golden shores of the sunshine state, and believed that I too had earned the right to jump in a cold pool just because I could not do so whenever I wanted to when I lived in NY. But reality set in along with common sense, and now I actually wait for the other 9 months of the year when it is actually warm enough (or sometimes too warm) and when the beaches are in the best condition for me to enjoy; along with the drum circles, and other fun activities that make for a perfect day at the beach on a Saturday afternoon. Trust me; this is when you need to be in the water, when the temperature is a beautiful 80 degrees or more!

That’s what I am talking about!

Marcia C