Elaine Ambrose

Bestselling Author, Ventriloquist, & Humorist

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400 Blogs, One Daughter

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elaine emily cabo 2014

 

It’s only appropriate that I dedicate this blog to my daughter Emily Nielsen. It’s the 400th blog that I’ve published on this website, and it wouldn’t have happened without her loving guidance and encouragement.

“Get off your butt, Mom, and write something,” were her tender words of motivation. They echo as a gentle melody that meanders through my memories. She truly cared about me.

I was 56 and going through a second divorce. I felt like a total loser. All my career and parenting successes were negated by my monumental failures in marriage, and I plunged into the pathetic abyss of abandoning all hope. I moped. I chewed my fingernails to bloody stumps. I glumly took 15 items in the 10 items checkout lane. I ate chocolate and drank wine. Before noon.

It was 2008, and the domain name of www.elaineambrose.com was still available. My energetic and confident 30-year-old daughter showed me how to obtain the name and set up a website. Then she showed me the elementary instructions for writing a blog. With a background in journalism, I loved to write short feature articles between 500-1000 words. The challenge was exciting.

I decided to call the blog “Midlife Cabernet” and I wrote simple but humorous stories about life as a middle-aged clown. I included recommendations for wine and where to obtain the best bottles. The new activity gave me a purpose, and I boldly jumped into the blogosphere.

Today I’m in Nashville, Tennessee as a speaker at the premiere conference for BAM – Bloggers at Midlife. I belong to a growing sisterhood of women over age 45 who write and publish stories online. The blogs are varied and important.

* Several women write about the highs and lows of the “empty nest.”

* Some write about having children with special needs who always will live at home, so there won’t be an empty nest.

* Other write about food and share wonderful and creative recipes.

* We blog about grandchildren, marriage, divorce, fitness, travel, psychology, sex, and do-it-yourself projects.

* Of top importance, we blog because we’re not done yet. In a world of youth and changing technology, we refuse to become irrelevant.

*So, we blog.

So much has happened over the past seven years. I met a delightful man I call Studley, we married on the Greek island of Paros and moved into our forever home. Both of my children had children of their own, and his children embarked on collegiate and military careers. My mother passed away after an extended illness. Through all these adventures and experiences, I blogged. My topics ranged from the joys of eldercare to wondering why my body was morphing into a pile of dough. People read my blogs, and thanked me for the laughs and tears. I read theirs, and returned the thanks.

So, it’s with delicious appreciation that I finish the 400th blog and tie it with a virtual ribbon to say “Thank you” to Emily. Without her inspiration, I’d be wallowing down by the river sucking cheap wine from a paper bag. She helped save my life. I think I’ll blog about it.

 

 

Midlife Cabernet: Will Baby Boomers become Expatriates?

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Every month a local group of middle-aged women business owners, former corporate executives, and non-partisan taxpayers comes together to break bread and engage in civil discourse. Our only rules are to avoid bloodshed, lawsuits, and white zinfandel. This week’s conversation took a surprising turn when one woman said she had been researching other countries as potential places in which to retire. I almost choked on my American beef kabobs, Idaho potato cakes, and Walla Walla wine.

“I’ve researched Canada,” she said. “There also are huge expatriate communities in Mexico, Panama, and Ecuador. I know millions of immigrants want to enter our country, but statistics show that at least 3 million citizens are leaving every year.”

The ensuing conversation acknowledged an appreciation for our coming of age during the best of times. We had taken advantage of opportunities and had succeeded in careers, enjoyed loving relationships, raised our children, survived betrayal and pain, and donated time, talent, and money to several charities and political campaigns. Now we wanted to embrace the last third of life on our own terms. If that meant slurping sweet drinks with little umbrellas on the beach in Belize, so be it.

The national debt was one of the main reasons for considering expatriation. One colleague noted that the US government is almost $17 trillion in debt and that debt did not include unfunded liabilities for federal employee retirement benefits, obligations for Social Security payments, and Medicare expenses. Adding those programs to the National Debt would give a debt of $215,311 to every person living in the USA.

“A country or a business or a family cannot survive under massive debt,” said another woman, the owner of a multi-million-dollar company. “I don’t want to arbitrarily lift any debt ceiling. If I want to increase expenditures, I first need to make more revenue while reducing expenses. Incompetent government leaders don’t understand that basic business concept.”

Our more progressive companion countered with an opposing view. She offered facts from economists and political scientists that said the modern national debt wasn’t a cause for worry. The experts claimed a large growth in national debt promoted a more prosperous economy. For example, the national debt during World War 11 was twice the size of today’s debt. The spending helped the country get out of the Great Depression and enjoy sustained economic growth during the 50s and 60s, an era that produced wonderful opportunities and events – including our births.

We nodded while we munched on beet salad with toasted goat cheese made from local farm products and sipped Dunham Cabernet from Washington State. During a lull in the conversation, we glanced outside and noticed the splendid mosaic of red, yellow, and orange leaves dancing to the ground in a final farewell to life. We were aware that we’ve seen more summer days than we’ll see again. We don’t have the ability or energy to save our troubled country, and we’re weary of politicians who fiddle and fight as the country burns. Maybe it’s time to plan a vacation in the tropics and study the local real estate.

Today’s blog was fueled by a 2011 Prisoner red blend wine from Napa Valley. It’s ripe, hearty, and available at Crush Wine Bar in Eagle for about $30. And, I’m only kidding about leaving the USA. I love this country and the passionate freedoms it embraces. But, a temporary stay on a warm beach would be a lovely distraction from all the political crap.