Judy Gruen

8 Ways to Boost Your Happiness, and Make Others Happier, Too

Tue, 23 Oct 2012 16:44:00 -0400

These tips have been pasted to a bathroom mirror in my house for years, and it’s time they...

My Little Garden

Fri, 19 Oct 2012 12:37:39 -0400

This photo, taken with my iPhone, doesn’t do justice to my little garden. It’s funny...

Queen of Comedy Phyllis Diller, RIP

Wed, 22 Aug 2012 19:11:01 -0400

Have you ever noticed how often great comedians live very long lives? Phyllis Diller, who passed...

Chocolate Is Good For You -- Again

Wed, 18 Jul 2012 20:56:00 -0400

The good news about chocolate just keeps melting in. This week, the august European Food Safety...

Shut Up and Parent

Wed, 11 Jul 2012 23:07:00 -0400

Shut Up and Parent: My new column on MommaSaid.net, posted July 10 — enjoy!

Queen for a Day

Mon, 25 Jun 2012 20:39:46 -0400

I was blessed with some wonderful birthday presents the other day, including three orchids (those...

Memo to Kids at Camp: I Love You, Now Stop Calling

Thu, 21 Jun 2012 11:16:23 -0400

In most ways I’m a classic Jewish mother. If I’m cold, I tell my kids to put on sweaters. I make...

I Think, Therefore I'm Happy?

Tue, 19 Jun 2012 20:09:59 -0400

Here’s a powerful idea from Jewish tradition that I first heard many months ago from Rabbi...

Writing as Responsibility

Mon, 18 Jun 2012 18:06:36 -0400

I’ve cracked open my box of personalized note cards, the ones I usually enjoy using so much...

My dog Ken is not satisfied with resting on the couches of his...

Mon, 11 Jun 2012 15:55:16 -0400

I'm cooking; Ken's chilling.

Not exactly "downward facing dog"

My dog Ken is not satisfied with resting on the couches of his choice, or the beds made available to him, to maximize his doggy repose during the course of the day. As these photos show, even my new kitchen mat, which is supposed to save my lower back from aching after logging many hours of cooking duty, is something he thinks is his. And as the other photo shows, Ken’s idea of the “downward dog” position in yoga is not quite according to perfect form, and I have had to share my mat with him while doing my routines.

Like other canines, Ken believes that possession is 9/10ths of the law!

At Least It's Not Fruitcake

Tue, 29 May 2012 13:35:32 -0400

No matter the occasion, from births to bar mitzvahs to deaths, we Jews always rush forward with...

Yesterday my husband and I went to one of our favorite local...

Mon, 07 May 2012 13:45:00 -0400

With Apologies to Monet

Yesterday my husband and I went to one of our favorite local spots: The Huntington Library and Gardens. They had just completed a $6.8 renovation of their famed Japanese Garden, and were hosting a juried art show as well. The gardens in May are in full bloom, the air sweet and succulent. We sat in the shade taking in the glory of the white camellias, strolled through the rose garden, the cactus garden, the conservatory and other gardens, and watched families of ducks as the mother kept a close eye on her chicks.

This time we didn’t even make it inside to enjoy the fabulous art work (Gainsborough’s “Blue Boy” is the most famous among its paintings) or to look at the literary gems, including a manuscript of Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, a copy of the Gutenberg Bible on vellum, and an unsurpassed collection of the early editions of Shakespeare’s works.

Instead, we just enjoyed each other’s company on a gorgeous spring day, finishing our “detox” from the work of the previous week and refreshing and recharging our energies for the week to come.

Irony alert: Nutty Pete Stark spokesperson for National Day of Reason

Thu, 03 May 2012 21:14:30 -0400

Truth is blissfully more entertaining than fiction. Today’s Exhibit A is that “Stark...

Occupy May Day!

Tue, 01 May 2012 15:53:41 -0400

So if May 1 is about workers’ rights, why are people claiming to celebrate it clogging the...

Breaking News from 2011!

Tue, 01 May 2012 15:10:33 -0400

Headline seen earlier today on MSN TV: “Breaking News: Osama Bin Laden captured one year ago...

"We used to march. Now we occupy."

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 19:39:07 -0400

Comic Jimmy Kimmel hit the podium running with laugh lines that mostly found their mark during the...

Why humor now?

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 10:37:23 -0400

Next Sunday, May 6, is World Laughter Day, so in preparation, here’s a lovely...