19 In Fabulous over Fifty/ Health Lifestyle Choices

Happy 2022

It’s gotta get better, doesn’t it????

I know so many people including family members that have suffered the effects of the dreaded CoVid disease. When will it ever end? We are watching a show right now called ‘The Morning Show’ with Jennifer Anniston and Reese Witherspoon…it is excellent and definitely binge-worthy….anyways the timing in the show right now is the beginning of the pandemic and they are showing actual footage from newscasts around the world….the numbers were in the hundreds….who knew it would turn into this???

Having said that we have a lot to be proud of and thankful for don’t we? Weddings have taken place, babies were born and my husband survived a brain tumour!!! Life goes on. 

This year is my third actual New Years’ post. I am excited to get this year going. I have aspirations for some savvy growth this year. There is definitely lots to write about! 

I want to celebrate with you ladies over 50 whether you are living a snowbird lifestyle or not. I really feel the pendulum is swinging back in our favour. Natural is in. Living an authentic life is in. We are being recognized for who we are as opposed to what we look like, what we wear or where we live.  We are finally getting the attention we deserve. In the USA there are over 50 million women that are over 50! We are no longer being ignored in the media and we have a lot to say about that! Yay!!!

I am feeling energized and inspired by the women that I know personally and also about women from the past. I have been reading a lot of stories about women and their accomplishments…There are so many now and have been many in our past, that are seriously savvy, strong and smart!

Given that it’s New Year’s day and many of us drank champagne last night…to name a few – Veuve Clicquot, Laurent-Perrier, Bollinger and Pommery…

Did you know that we owe our thanks to some very savvy ladies!!! Indeed! 

Dom Perignon gets the credit for developing the method behind a bottle of bubbly but it is the ‘merry widows’ that we should be thanking. In the 1800 and early 1900s Unwed women relied on fathers and brothers to support them. Married women relied on their husbands for support…but widows? Widows had only themselves to rely on and because of that, they were allowed to own property, run a business and control their own finances.  Vueves is the french word for widows.

Madame Clicquot is the mother of all champagnes. She is the woman who started this revolution in champagne by transforming her husband’s failing wine business and becoming one of the first international businesswomen in the world!

Jeanne Alexandrine Louise Meline married into a prominent textile family. At 38 she was pregnant with her second child (17 years after the first). Her recently retired husband had tried his hand in the wine market. Less than a year into his venture he passed away leaving the widowed Louise with a new baby and a business to grow. Her first order of business? The transition from wine to Champagne.

Mathilde Emilie Perrier inherited the business upon the death of her husband Eugene Laurent. Mathilde immediately set out to make changes to ensure the champagne she produced lived up to her own high expectations and then renamed it after herself…and why not!


At the height of WWII Lily lost her husband and became head of the house at 42 years of age. She was famously quoted in The Daily Mail in 1961 “I drink champagne when I’m happy and when I’m sad. Sometimes I drink it when I’m alone. When I have company I consider it obligatory. I trifle with it if I’m not hungry and drink it when I am. Otherwise, I never touch the stuff. – unless I’m thirsty” She sounds like an incredibly bright lady!

So the next time you pop a bottle of bubbly remember to give the founding mothers of champagne a nod and thank them from the bottom of our hearts and our flutes for having the courage to continue their husbands business in the champagne houses for they turned bottles of bubbly into world-famous celebratory sips!

Spotlight – Strong Women

Meet Ellen 

Meet my friend Ellen. She and I go way back…grade 7 to be exact…..so 1975….eesh 47 years lol! That is insane. Ellen is probably one of the funniest human beings that I know. She is also smart, kind and very wise. Ellen was one of my go-to ladies this past summer….sort of my emotional health insurance policy. She sent me flowers, listened to me cry without judgement and she celebrated all our little milestones with daily virtual hugs! Ellen, you are definitely a C-ster that makes my world a better place. The photo above is from Ellens wedding dancing with her dad…our dad.  Not actually MY dad, but he had a huge influence on my life and was adored by Ellen. 

Ellen may not have invented a champagne brand but she did start a FB page called T-Fal Actifry & Airfryer Recipes This page has grown to have over 23,000 members!!! (And I’m excited about my thousand-ish followers!) lol. Ellen’s favourite recipes are the stir-fries. “I love the convenience of the paddle. Put shit in, and walk away. No need to stop the machine and stir stuff because the paddle does that” 🙂 🙂 🙂 (sounds like my kind of cooking!!) The recipes on her page are tried, tested by her followers! Ideas, questions and recipes are shared on a daily basis. You can find Ellen’s favourite Airfryer HERE Check her page out if you’re on FB.

 

“Don’t prioritize your looks, my friend,
they won’t last the journey.
Your sense of humour though will only get better.
Your intuition will grow and expand like a majestic cloak of wisdom.
Your ability to choose your battles will be fine-tuned to perfection.
Your capacity for stillness, for living in the moment, will blossom.
And your desire to live each and every moment will transcend all other wants.
Your instinct for knowing what (and who) is worth your time, will grow and flourish like ivy on a castle wall.
Don’t prioritize your looks, my friend,
they will change forevermore,
that pursuit is one of much sadness and disappointment.
Prioritize the uniqueness that makes you you, and the invisible magnet that draws in other like-minded souls to dance in your orbit.
These are the things which will only get better.”
Donna Ashworth
Image: Phillipe Vogelenzang

Here’s to all the savvy women in my life and to you lovely, savvy women that continue to follow along when I actually do post a blog!! LOL….they were few and far between last year…May your year be filled with plenty of laughter and fun. Healthy and happiness to all.

 

 

 

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19 Comments

  • Reply
    Ellen
    January 2, 2022 at 11:10 AM

    Marion….I’m literally all teary-eyed here as I read this out loud to Terry! Thanks for featuring me in your blog, and for mentioning our Dad!! He absolutely adored you! I’ll always be there for you, in good times and bad, as I know you would too. C-ters always. Happy New Year to, Steve and all the kids. Xo!

    • Reply
      Marion
      January 2, 2022 at 12:07 PM

      I only tell it like it is Ellie! Love you to the moon and back. xo

  • Reply
    Marion
    January 2, 2022 at 11:25 AM

    Hi M
    It’s always a delightful moment for me to open my phone and see your blog..love it.
    These champagne and aging pearls are the perfect way to start off the New Year. Congrats on the positive outcomes at your house. Thanks for the positive start, and yes, this pandemic will end. You make it easier to enjoy a day.

    • Reply
      Marion
      January 2, 2022 at 12:10 PM

      You, Marion, are my other angel!! ! In those first 48 hours and beyond you were a lifeline for sure. I really don’t know what I would have done without you. I will never, ever forget your kindness and the strength that you gave me to face it all head-on!

  • Reply
    Mary Peterson
    January 2, 2022 at 9:19 PM

    Beautiful post Mare!! We women need to keep lifting up one another!! I say to my newly one year old granddaughter “Who rules the world? GIRLS!!”❤️❤️
    PS-champagne is my all time favorite beverage!!🥂

    • Reply
      Marion
      January 2, 2022 at 10:41 PM

      That’s awesome Mary!! Teach them young. LOL
      I had no idea champagne was your thing…I thought you were a beer girl through and through!
      Meet you at the club for some bubbly! xo

  • Reply
    Mary Lynn
    January 3, 2022 at 6:54 AM

    Wow I did not know all the interesting facts about champagne, I will enjoy my next glass even more. Yes it has been a tough year for you and actually a few people out there have suffered.
    Glad you get to spend the winter in Florida, nothing beats sunshine every day.
    Look forward to sharing some champagne with you soon. ML xo

    • Reply
      Marion
      January 3, 2022 at 10:21 AM

      I am so happy to hear that I am not the only person that did not know about the Merry Widows! Bless those women!! lol
      Imagine though having no rights to property, financials or anything else we take for granted just because we are women! My how things have changed and are continuing to change!
      Cheers ML..I definitely look forward to sharing a bottle of bubbly with you too! xo

  • Reply
    Brenda Loomans
    January 3, 2022 at 7:09 AM

    Marion what a great post. Cheers to the women of champagne. I had no idea! What a great start to the new year ! Always enjoy your blog xo

    • Reply
      Marion
      January 3, 2022 at 10:18 AM

      Thanks Brenda… I had NO IDEA what Veuve meant!!! Every time I go to the grocery store and see a bottle of bubbly I smile before I even pop the cork!!! Thanks for the kind words…I love to hear from my friends on my blog! xo

  • Reply
    Susan Sgro
    January 3, 2022 at 9:21 AM

    Happy New Year Marion…. Loved this blog !

    “Strong Women ….. May we know them , May we raise them , May we be them “( not my original but I love it !!)

    • Reply
      Marion
      January 3, 2022 at 10:16 AM

      I love that saying too, Susan!! I hope you all had a great Christmas…and I SERIOUSLY hope you are in Palm Springs this winter…all I hear about is what a gong show it is at home! Say hey, hey to Ralph and give him a smooch for me!! xo

  • Reply
    HELP
    January 3, 2022 at 9:23 AM

    HAPPY NEW YEAR MARION! IT’S COMFORTING TO KNOW I HAVE A FRIEND LIKE YOU, OUT THERE! THANKS FOR SHARING AND JUST “BEING YOU”. ALL THE REST OF US, I AM SURE, NEED AN UPLIFTING SPIRIT TO HELP KEEP US POSITIVE IN THESE DAYS OF OUR LIVES. GIVING OF ONE’S SELF BRINGS STRENGTH TO YOU TOO, MY DEAR! YOU DESERVE IT!
    JACKIE

  • Reply
    Mary
    January 3, 2022 at 9:26 AM

    Happy to meet you at the club!!❤️

  • Reply
    Jacqueline Wells
    January 3, 2022 at 9:43 AM

    HAPPY NEW YEAR MARION! IT’S COMFORTING TO KNOW I HAVE A FRIEND LIKE YOU, OUT THERE! THANKS FOR SHARING AND JUST “BEING YOU”. ALL THE REST OF US, I AM SURE, NEED AN UPLIFTING SPIRIT TO HELP KEEP US POSITIVE IN THESE DAYS OF OUR LIVES. GIVING OF ONE’S SELF BRINGS STRENGTH TO YOU TOO, MY DEAR! YOU DESERVE IT!
    JACKIE

    • Reply
      Marion
      January 3, 2022 at 10:14 AM

      Happy New Year Jacquie!! Thank you for such a lovely message. It always means so much to me to hear from you. ..Bonita Bay misses you! You would add a lot of spunk to our club!! lol, Keep sipping the bubbly and have a safe and happy winter season.

  • Reply
    Betty King
    January 3, 2022 at 10:42 PM

    MELD. Great blog and who knew that women were behind the celebratory champagne. Cheers to all of them. A great book to read about an amazing woman is The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict.
    Happy New Year to you and Steve.
    Let’s have a glass of bubbly in BB when we get back.

    • Reply
      Marion
      January 4, 2022 at 10:38 AM

      Hey Ma!!!!! Happy New Year to you xooxoxox…..I just downloaded the book on my Kindle. Thanks for the recommendation.
      I can’t wait for you and big daddy to bet back to BB for some bubbly! Miss you loads.

  • Reply
    DIY Fresh Herb Garden & Recipes – Savvy Snowbirds
    January 20, 2022 at 11:04 AM

    […] On a completely different subject while ‘Spotlighting’ strong women….if you missed my last Spotlight  on the ‘Merry Widows’ and my friend Ellen, you can check it all out HERE  […]

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