By Nanette Wiser
WORDS OF JOY Recently, both our publisher and art director lost their beloved fur-babies. I asked local artist Pamela Joy Trow if she had a notecard I could send, and of course, she designed the purr-fect sentimental missive. “The unconditional love and joy our four-legged babies bring us can never be understated…nor can the pain of their loss. These images are projections of my heart and the hug embracing all those who receive it,” says Trow, who knows first-hand about losing a beloved pet. Find her cards and more at pamelajoytrow.com. SPCA Tampa Bay also has a tribute program to help honor the loss of a pet. Depending on the amount of the donation, your pet can be commemorated by a personalized card, an engraved brick tribute, a butterfly garden seed packet and card or hand-crafted garden stakes that are placed in the SPCA Butterfly Garden or among your flowers. SPCATampaBay.org/tribute
REINVENTING YOU Next! The Power of Reinvention in Life and Work by Joanne Lipman helps you map out how to get started with the next steps of your life. She conducted hundreds of personal interviews, reviewed the latest scientific research and takes us inside successful career reinventions (ad executive to bestselling novelist; stay-at-home mom to CEO) and astonishing business transformations. If you liked What Color is Your Parachute, you’ll love this book.
FARM FRESH STORAGE How can you keep your treasures fresh in the fridge? To keep berries plump and mold-free, store them in an airtight container in the fridge and rinse when ready to eat. Sweeten stone fruits (peaches!) in a brown paper bag on the counter, not the fridge. To extend the life of herbs, keep basil at room temperature in a glass of water, wrap rosemary or thyme in a damp paper towel and store them in the crisper and ditto for cilantro. Green bags are perfect for arugula and spinach in a crisper drawer, while tomatoes should be stored side down on a cloth-lined plate away from sunlight.
MONEYWISE Consumer beware is a hot topic, from AI’s ability to dupe your grandkid’s voice and scam you to car dealer data breaches (Nissan and Experian). How do you know about unsafe products and recalls? Register your produce, sign up for alerts like recalls.gov or checktoprotect.organd report problems onsaferproducts.gov or foodsafety.gov.