1. The April/May issue of AARP has a list of novels with older characters. They include The Thursday Murder Club (which is also on Netflix), Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt (2022), The of Golden by Allen Levi (2025), The Midnight Train by Matt Haig, Take Me with You by Steven Rowley, and Mad Mabel by Sally Hepworth.
2. Do you ever have problems with spring flowers like tulips and daffodils flopping over in vases. March/April 2026 Good Housekeeping has a clever solution. Stack two, different height vases inside each other. Fill each vase with cold water and arrange your flowers.
3. The May issue of Ideal Home has a number of fun ideas. I don't think I ever read this magazine before. I love up cycled projects. Here they have taken plant pots and made them into food covers. We often eat on our covered patio. This idea keeps bugs, and my 3 dogs out of the food I have put on the table. Super easy - choose pots wide enough to cover plates, wash them out, paint outside and inside, slip a rope through drainage hole and tie a big knot on the inside.
4. Hydrangeas are one of my favorite flowers to grow in the yard. I have always had blue or purple. I discovered these deep burgundy hydrangeas in the Spring 2026 issue of Magnolia. They are called Centennial Ruby Hydrangeas. Definitely going to see if my local nursery can get them.
5. The April/May issue of Reader's Digest has an interesting article about eating more mangoes. I live in Mexico. They practically drop on my head as I walk down the street. They are abundant and juicy. Reader's digest reports that there was a study at the University of California, Davis that found two servings of mangoes a day can help postmenopausal women keep their hearts healthy by lowering blood pressure and cholesterol levels. The study included overweight women age 50-70. I love mangoes so that is an easy one for me.
6. I was a Creative Trainer at Apple and have always been partial to Apple products since I bought my first computer - the Apple II. The biggest complaint non Apple people have is the price point. The Macs have always been more expensive than PCs. Well now Apple has released what it is calling its mean machine for $599 - the Mac Book Neo.
It has 256GB of storage and is the cheapest MacBook ever. You have a choice of four colors. It has a 13 inch Liquid Retina display. Apple claims it is still faster for everyday taks than the bestselling PC. You can read about it in the Spring 2026 issue of MacLife.
7. One issue I have with American decorating magazines is how neutral the colors always are. Since moving to Mexico I have an all new relationship to color. I like colors saturated. I was pleased to see in this month's Living Etc, that Burgundy is an "in" decorating shade. They have it paired with powder blue.
Ideal Home's current issue is also featuring Burgundy and gives you 6 suggested colors.
8. Woman & Home is another magazine I am learning about for the first time. It's got a bit of everything - fashion, makeup, food, decorating, travel and all kinds of interesting articles. I love magazine features that show an expensive version and a cheaper version of a piece of furniture. Woman & Home has 6 "Splurge and Deal" pages. I would buy this magazine for those pages alone.
9. Another new magazine I just discovered on Zinio (the app where you can buy magazines) is Bella Grace: Book of Lists. It's a Stampington & Co magazine and is full of lifts of things that will uplift your life. It is a treasure. Some of my favorites are...
The Ultimate Slow Summer Bucket List
Safe Places to Leave Your Heart
A Quilt on the Couch and Other Comforting Things
Permission Granted
Not so Random Acts of Kindness
10. I have been wanting to paint by bedroom. I saw an article in the recent Real Simple magazine called The 12 Best Paint Colors for a Serene Room. Oh but they were boring... beige, grey, cream. Then I came across Salty Dog by Sherwin Williams. I think it is a restful color for my bedroom while still being intense and interesting