39 and Holding Club

Monday, April 6, 2020

Happy UN-Birthday 39ers APRIL 2020

Exciting 39AHC News 04/15/20: Did you miss your "39 and Holding" UN-birthday party? Great news! We're already looking forward to 2021 fun days, with the new "39 and Holding DAY" on everybody's favorite Love & Laughter day ~ February 14th!
Join us on Valentine's Day 2021 with (or without a honey), to celebrate 39ers, virtually (and hopefully in-person), in parties around the world. As I brainstorm and create ways to celebrate, a page will appear here for "39AHC Events." Keep coming back--you never know what I'll come up with to keep us Forever Young!

April 2020 ~ Busting the Boredom-at-Home Balloon

Need some home-bound fun and inspiration APRIL 39ers? Visit Brownielocks.com calendar … the most fun you’ll have all month! (And no, I don’t get paid for saying that; I simply love her site.)

Are you bored? “Early retirement” (as I like to call the COVID-19 self-quarantining movement), isn’t all you thought retirement would be, is it? For those of you who haven’t seen enough 39 and Holding birthdays to reach retirement age, don’t get used to it … hopefully, it’s temporary!

Wow—great—you can finally get all the projects done that you’ve belly-ached about for years, if you just “had the time.” Now you’ve got it—but the enthusiasm is lacking! Maybe you just need a little push … alright, shove …

Celebrate APRIL 39er UN-Birthdays ~ And for More Fun

Rustic art

Okay, m’friends, buck-up and suck it up—look around you. Aren’t you just itching to redecorate? April is your month to do it for National Decorating Month! As FramedArt.com reminds us, “The show must go on!” They have some terrific indoor design ideas, whether your style is modern, minimalist, or mid-century.

And America’s favorite Better Homes & Gardens says, “See how you can take ordinary items and work them into your decor with a few easy tricks, updates, and simple supplies.” (Need something new? So far, online orders are still available with many retailers.) But if the “great outdoors” is calling you …

Since many of us are stuck inside and/or don’t have a “yard” National Garden Month may not be of much interest. But consider another way to celebrate Spring other than a stroll in public gardens or planting your own peonies or peppers out in the back yard … create a small indoor garden!

Photo by Kerry Michaels

Communing with nature and the satisfying feeling of earth in your hands can happen inside your kitchen, den, or living room. Even a small terrarium is soothing and fun. How about an herb garden to spice up your confined cooking? And DIY mini-gardens are great for cultivating with your kids or grandkids (if you’re all together).

Want to clean up your indoor air? Let’s face it, with everyone home all the time, it could get a little “stale.” NASA recommends eight beautiful, natural “air fresheners.” Think green to celebrate Spring and look ahead for happier times.

And for 39AHC writers, if digging in the dirt isn’t your April choice of pastime, I have something right up your wordsmith alley … National Poetry Month! From PublishersWeekly.com: “On March 20, the academy launched the #ShelterInPoems initiative, which invites readers to select a poem from the Poets.org website and post on social media why they find the poem inspiring.”

I began as a young idealist writing simple poems. The last day of April (30^th) is just for poets—wannabe, polished or faking it for fun. Yes!

Poem in Your Pocket Day – Although life has changed and this page of the Poets.org website has not yet caught up to pandemic days, we can follow their lead on their primary page, and still cherish and share our inner poet.

Rather than a shirt or pants pocket, carry your favorite poem with you everywhere you go online today and all month, with #PocketPoem! Share snippets of a published poem or create your own poem to help others smile, dream, or simply ponder life.

No Matter Where You Are

Easter is as Easter does

with chocolate chicks

and bunny fuzz

My Easter wish just for you …

stay safe, be well, think love

with big hugs too!

~ L.Rochelle

For 39ers who Follow the Stars …

Aries (March 21^st–April 19^th) and Taurus (April 20^th–April 20^th) share April’s Spring hopefulness, as do we all this year. Aries the Ram may be a tad stubborn, but they thrive on free-thinking ideas—perfect for creating special ways to shelter in place. Look for profit-building, but do it because you enjoy it, not because you must.

And I like to think that it’s no accident we celebrate Earth Day (April 22^nd) in the sign of the realism-based Taurus. The bull is practical, making this an ideal sign to carry forth Aries’ lofty ideas and mold them into reality. Mind your health, Taurus, while you explore long-term financial opportunities.

Have you ever noticed that both Sun Signs feature horns? Hmmmm … Neither are afraid to speak their mind, so have all your ducks in a row before you pick an argument with one of them.

Shopping for birthday gifts? Red flows dominantly through the Aries psyche, whether they know it or not; and of course, Earth green with tinges of golden brown falls into Taurus’s healthy spectrum. But it’s the clarity of the lustrous diamond that will capture the attention of both, as April’s glittering gemstone.

Aging with ATT-i-tude Platitude

We were given rainbows for a reason … to light up the hope that will get us through the darkness. Aging brings us wisdom to follow the rainbow with our inner child. ~ L. Rochelle

Don’t wait, start now! Cheers to your Happy UN-Birthday APRIL 39ers

This one’s for you, kids – Varoujan (John), Les, and “Uncle Elvin”/Al!

Club 39 Nifty Gifts

Join the 39 & Holding Club!

Chat on Twitter: @39HoldingClub

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Are you a 39er this month? Feel free to share your UN-birthday comments below (click on Comments or if it says No Comments, click that to be the first) and tell us how you really feel about your age and aging. Keep the stories coming!

LinDee Rochelle is a writer and editor by trade, and author by way of Rock & Roll. She has published two books (of three) in her Blast from Your Past series, available on Amazon (eBook and print): Book 1 – Rock & Roll Radio DJs: The First Five Years 1954-1959; and Book 2 – Rock & Roll Radio DJs: The Swinging Sixties. Coming soon … The Psychedelic Seventies!

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Thursday, March 5, 2020

Happy UN-Birthday 39ers MARCH 2020

Color My World!

MARCH 39ers – Awaken to your inner child (who never ages past “39”!) and rediscover the fun and beauty of coloring your world.

How long has it been since you added accents in bright colors to your home décor or wardrobe? 2020 is a breakout year—notice nature around you and consider a bright new favorite color to symbolize a vibrant new you.

It’s MARCH – month of green for St. Paddy’s Day and a symbolic color for the First Day of Spring! (March 19^th) Maybe choose shades of green to refresh your soul and enjoy *As Young As You Feel Day …

Along with Your UN-Birthday ~ Happy MARCH Celebrations

It’s National Noodle Month – Let’s eat! But wait, before you

head out to celebrate at your local pasta place, what color outfit will you wear? Yes, this month, it’s important!

Many believe color is a way to uplift and change your life, swirling hand-in-hand with healing your body, mind, spirit and soul. Just ask the folks at Aura House who introduced National Color Therapy Month.

So far as I know, though, there are just two colors of the yummiest treat on earth … brown and white … I would be UN-American if I didn’t include this celebration of yumminess, American Chocolate Week, from the 15^th to the 21^s^t. Chocolate.org even pairs our two favorite tastes in the world … chocolate and potato chips! It’s in their Spring Collection. Mmmmmm!

March 17^th: Of course, we all know this is the favorite day of Irish Americans, but did you know we now have St.Patrick's Day TREES?! Yep … just like decorated Christmas firs, except all green and gold and … well, anything you like, and top it with an emerald green top hat, or a big glittering clover.

And think about it, your faux Christmas tree could become a permanent part of your indoor décor … decorating it for every Holiday! After St. Paddy’s Day, we have Easter … Memorial Day … 4^th of July … and ooh, just think about the fun possibilities for Halloween! Spooky …

March 21^st: International Colour Day – Although this is a viable special day and associated with the International Colour Association, there are no notably unique celebrations, except that which you might create! More than 30 countries represented in the ICA voted to establish this day in 2009, to celebrate all colors of the visual spectrum and black. Yes, you can wear all of the clothes in your closet at once!

March 22^nd: *As Young As You Feel Day! You would think this day was created specifically for 39 and Holding Club. Since it was established, no identifying link appears to claim it. Finders – keepers! Actually, I’m contacting Brownielocks (my fave Holiday & commemorative calendar) to see if we can claim it with our page link because …

Back in 2015 I found a fun film with the same name. Call it 39AHC’s symbol of happy longevity. If you’re a black-and-white movie buff, or simply love good ol’ movies from way back, As Young As You Feel is a pure delight, with a budding young actress who became a true “idol.” Read all about it here … and click the link to watch the movie on YouTube.

March 31^st: National Crayon Day – And to top off the month, who came up with fun ways to use color way back in 1903?? Crayola of course. So let’s enjoy the day with our inner child and color the world our way!

For 39ers who Follow the Stars …

Sensitive and compassionate Pisces (Feb 19-Mar 20) dances with the daring and fiery Aries (Mar 21-Apr 19) as March UN-birthday 39ers herald the seasonal change from winter doldrums to bright spring.

If you know a Pisces, you’ve likely experienced the watery emotions of the fish, deep and sometimes murky. Take heart … March is cosmic and energetic for Pisces and moods lighten up as the month progresses, urged along by great social connections.

As for Aries, well … look out. We know Aries is strong and capable, but this month they’re a business dynamo to be reckoned with. Excelling on a professional level for most of the month, they march straight through the Ides of March feelin’ the love, too. (Is it you?)

Pisces finds its light green Zodiac color peaceful and healing, and though passionate red is attributed to Aries, no doubt Kelly green would make a terrifically appropriate accent!