Iris Ruth Pastor

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Author: Iris Ruth Pastor

I Should Have Known

March 22, 2024March 22, 2024 Iris Ruth Pastor

I should have known it was a bad sign when I changed the filter on the Keurig a few days early.  I should have known it was a bad sign when I didn’t stop there but actually went on to descale the coffee machine too.  Here’s the link if you’re so inclined. Another bad sign: I Continue reading

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The Last Washing Machine I’ll Ever Buy

March 15, 2024March 22, 2024 Iris Ruth Pastor

When my husband retired, he took over the washing and drying of our clothes.  This was a good fit.  He doesn’t rush through mundane tasks – resentful of the time it takes to satisfactorily complete them – like I do. And he consistently demonstrates significant attention to details. Not something I ever do.  I noticed Continue reading

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Doodling Away in the Aftermath

March 8, 2024March 15, 2024 Iris Ruth Pastor

It was the tail end of my visit with my three married sons and their families. And it had been a magical ten days. Why? Because we just hung-out – together. I watched all eight of my grandchildren in their own element. Two had just gotten their driver’s licenses. Sitting beside them in the front Continue reading

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Finding Your Compass of Direction

March 1, 2024March 1, 2024 Iris Ruth Pastor

Ann Kearney-Cooke is a provocateur. She appeals to those of us who are shackled by circumstances and overruled by rationalizations. She tells this story:There was a small town that had a zoo and the people of the town wanted a polar bear so the directors of the zoo raised the money to acquire a polar Continue reading

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My Whole Blue Print for Being Over 75

February 23, 2024February 23, 2024 Iris Ruth Pastor

With age hopefully comes some privilege, some wisdom and a whole host of revelations and resolutions.  Here’s what I’ve picked up along the way…….. I’ve finally decided that now that I am over the age of 75, I AM NEVER GOING TO:     Chew gum after the flavor has gone out     Eat fat-free mayonnaise, no-fat Continue reading

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I Get By – With A Little Help From My Friends

February 16, 2024February 16, 2024 Iris Ruth Pastor

Remember the song “With A Little Help From My Friends” by The Beatles? That could be my tagline. How could I possibly get through life without the advice, guidance and ongoing suggestions from my buddies? They have proven not only highly helpful, but, in some cases, truly life altering. Because. . . Dealing with massive bags Continue reading

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The Intrusive Visitor

February 9, 2024February 9, 2024 Iris Ruth Pastor

Sometimes something appears in an unexpected place that I absolutely must pass along. The unexpected place was a posting on “next door.”Below is the unexpected copy. A strange old lady has moved into my house. I have no idea who she is, where she came from, or how she got in. I certainly did not Continue reading

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Why We Need Female Friends and What I Did About It

February 2, 2024February 2, 2024 Iris Ruth Pastor

There isn’t a woman I know who hasn’t had to navigate through some pretty tough terrain at various times in her life. My life has had joyous surprises, daunting challenges and lots of twists and turns in between. Ups and downs don’t have to define us – or stop us from living the life we Continue reading

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Meeting my Cousin Jack for the Very First Time

January 26, 2024January 26, 2024 Iris Ruth Pastor

The vehicle: Ancestry.comThe initiator: My second cousin JackThe recipient: MeThe outcome: When we realized we lived only four hours from each other, we arranged for an overnight visit.  Jack and I literally spent 12 hours talking non-stop from 2pm until 2am. Jack, like me, is VERY verbal.  I learned about his marriages and children (multiple).I learned Continue reading

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Tidbits of Minutiae

January 19, 2024January 19, 2024 Iris Ruth Pastor

Every week has 168 hours. Theoretically:      If you sleep away 56 of them     If you work 40 of them     That accounts for 96 of them This leaves 72 hours each week to do with them what you so desire.Meaning: If you really want to do something, you’ll find time to do it sometime within Continue reading

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Incidentally, Iris

For the past ten years, Iris’s “Incidentally Iris” column has appeared in The American Israelite, a weekly newspaper for Cincinnati’s Jewish community and the American Jewish community. Founded as The Israelite on July 15,1854, by Rabbi Isaac Mayer Wise, the paper today is the oldest English-Jewish weekly in America and the second oldest in the world. (The London Jewish Chronicle was founded in 1841.) Read Incidentally, Iris columns on The American Israelite