On Second Thought...

1.    Welcome to Wild Kingdom – or at least that is what it feels like here these days. When I moved to this Active Adult Community 10 years ago, I knew there would be deer around. This area was once full of forests, and who in New Jersey hasn’t lived among the deer for years? They don’t even flinch when they see cars or pedestrians approaching. But lately, my neighbors have been reporting sightings of everything from foxes to wolves to coyotes. Last week I had to slow down the car to allow a bunch of turkeys (or possibly turkey buzzards) to pass. One person in our residents’ Google email group posted a picture of a coyote feasting on one of those birds. So now I only open my garage door and inside door when I pull the car out. Otherwise, who knows what is going to run in? Marlon Perkins, where are you?
2.    After a beautiful July 4, who would have guessed that the hazardous air quality from Canadian fires would make going outside nearly impossible just two weeks later? And no one could have predicted that ice cream and cake would be health foods compared to bacteria-laden lettuce and other vegetables that have caused explosive diarrhea. Oreos would never do that to us. Bad time for salad bars.
3.    The summer FLIES by. It is barely Memorial Day and then July 4th comes before you can blink. Then all the Back-to-School stuff appears on the shelves everywhere, bathing suits are replaced by jackets and coats, Labor Day sales start and so does school. The buses will be back on the road before you know it and ice cream season will be over (we can disagree on that, but I have my rules). If Costco doesn’t have its Christmas merchandise up by now, at least I know I can buy a Halloween costume and plenty of candy. I just wish winter would pass by this quickly.
4.    I was buying cold medicine the other day and the nice, young cashier smiled at me and said, “I need to see your ID.” She knew how ludicrous it was to check the license of a 75-year-old woman, but she was just doing her job. I asked her what the age restriction was, and she wasn’t sure if it required the buyer to be 18 or 21. In either case, I was qualified.
5.    I think I have finally reached the stage of life where I no longer own any clothing originally purchased at Korvettes or Caldor. Kohl’s is another story.
6.    I wish I could remember the important things as well as I can remember the lyrics to every Motown song. Wait – Those ARE the important things!
7.    This sounds like a pretty lame excuse for not paying something, but for the first time in my life, I ran out of checks. Out. Completely. And I discovered this fact when I wrote out a check for a local event and realized that not only were there no checks remaining in that checkbook, but there were no more checkbooks in the drawer. How could that happen, you ask? I so rarely write checks anymore that if I got that notice on the most recent pack, it would have been 2 years ago. I started the last batch in 2024! So now I ordered more and am hoping I don’t need to pay by check for a service call or to reimburse a friend until they arrive. This next batch should last me for the rest of my life at this rate! Meanwhile, I will pay online and use Venmo as I have been doing. PS – Rest easy; the new checks arrived in Saturday’s mail.
8.    Why am I seeing Dubai chocolate being touted in the supermarket these days? Chocolate from Hershey, PA, wasn’t good enough?
9.    I saw a guy in the airport with his shoe untied. The laces were long and thick and kept flopping around behind and in front of him. It took all my restraint not to flag him down and say, “Dude, how can you not see that your shoe is untied? Tie it or you will trip over it!”
10.    Also in the airport, the guy in front of me in the line for Boarding group 2, standing under the big green sign that said, “Boarding Group 2,” turned around and asked, “Where is Boarding Group 2?” You can’t make this stuff up!
11.    As we get older, we experience many new sensations – new aches and pains, and limitations on what we can and cannot do. But here’s a new one: A friend told me she sneezed so hard that she lost her train of thought. Mine is often among the missing, too, but I don’t think I sneezed it away!
12.    Sometimes I cough and someone thinks I sneezed and they bless me for the sneeze, and then I have to explain it wasn’t a sneeze but a cough, which for some reason, has no status as bless-worthy. But why? I’ll take all the blessings I can get!
13.    Recently I saw a TV commercial for Planters Peanuts, and it reminded me of the old Planters Peanuts store that was located on Route 22 for many years. There was someone dressed as Mr. Peanut who had to stand outside the door gyrating to draw customers inside. Not only did they sell all kinds of nuts, but there was plenty of nut-related merchandise, like Mr. Peanut mugs, glasses and cute kitchen accessories. Maybe they dropped that live promo because no one was nuts enough to flail around outside in a Mr. Peanut outfit all year long. 
14.    I don’t mind going to doctors who don’t take your blood pressure or make you get on the scale. Like my Retina specialist. No scale or BP for him. He just sticks a needle in my eye. Yuck, right?
15.    After having had my left knee replaced in 2025, I am now a graduate of the Joint Replacement Surgical unit at my local hospital where the surgery took place. I recently received an invitation to a dinner for fellow joint replacement patients where we can compare notes and experiences – and I can even bring a guest. Why would I want to compare scars with other knee patients? Would we discuss learning to use a walker? A high toilet seat? How much pain and swelling we had? I don’t want to relive that experience! The staff wants to feed us and then pump us for information on our experiences. What will they serve? Leg of lamb? I’ll pass.
16.    This isn’t mine but it is too good not to share – I wonder if my recorded call was ever used for quality or training purposes as they tell you when your customer service call is answered. They also tell you to listen carefully because some of the options may have changed. I’d like them to know that I didn’t memorize the last set of options so I have to listen carefully to know what button to press.
17.    I signed up to get alerts about local road conditions and weather issues in my area, so now I know when random streets that I have never heard of in my town or the rest of the county are closed. And I’m informed about traffic snarls in neighboring towns that I never drive to. I could turn off the alerts, but every one in every 100 messages might just be one I need to see.
 

July 2026 Movies and More

The 15 shows I watched in July included several sports movies or series, a few that celebrated female friendship, and some made from books that were probably better than the movies produced from them. All programs are rated from 1-5 cans, with 5 being the top rating. Shows I had not seen previously are marked with an asterisk. Numbering picks up from previous months.

71. Lorne* (2026, Peacock) – In 1975, a new late-night program debuted on NBC led by producer Lorne Michaels. 50 years later, Saturday Night Live is still on the air, helmed for most of that time by Michaels. Lorne is the boss, determining what and who is funny on a program as well celebrated for its legions of writers and actors as for its longevity. Lorne is the unquestioned leader, with the knack for finding talent and laughs and bringing talent such as Eddie Murphy, Tina Fey, John Belushi, Chevy Chase, Dan Ackroyd and Gilda Radner into our homes. Producing this show isn’t easy but Lorne has done it for almost the entire run. 3½ cans.
72. The Oranges* (2011, Peacock) – Two families living in suburban West Orange, NJ, are the best of friends. But when the father of one family (Hugh Laurie) begins an affair with the daughter of the other family (Leighton Meister), both families are thrown way off. Good cast (Allison Janney, Oliver Platt, Catherine Keener, Adam Broady) but overall, not worth watching. 2 cans.
73. Aces: The ATP No. 1 Club* (2026, Prime Video) – In the history of rankings for men’s tennis, only 29 players have reached the # 1 ranking, as determined by computer standings. Getting to that spot and staying there requires plenty of success, skill, determination and immense talent. This 4-part documentary features interviews with each of the men who made it to the top, all with different styles and different results. The intense rivalries between Connors and McEnroe, Agassi and Sampras, and the Big Three of Federer, Nadal and Djokovic are highlighted here. It seems that just as a rivalry has about run its course, along comes the next pair – today it is Carlos Alcaraz and Jannick Sinner – to continue the excitement and superb play. If you are a long-time tennis fan, don’t miss this fun look back. 4 cans.
74. Sullivan’s Crossing, Season 4* (2026, Netflix) – They’re back – minus Sullivan himself, Scott Patterson, who experienced “creative differences” – for another season of small-town drama. A new character joins the party this year as Maggie’s previously-unknown husband Liam shows up. She thought their marriage was annulled -- but not so fast. Now there is a rivalry between good guy Cal (Chad Michael Murray) and possible bad guy Liam. There are plenty of entanglements this season, but one that involves a teenaged boy and his ill sister, Ben and Tracy, who have been abandoned by their mother (I smell a new character coming next season) and they occupy an inordinate amount of time with the Sullivan’s Crossing folks. No one at the Crossing seems entirely satisfied with their lives, including every one of the main characters except the Native American couple. Somehow, this show seems to keep me coming back, despite its shortcomings. 3½ cans.
75. Imperfect Women* (2026, Apple TV) – Eleanor, Nancy and Mary (Kerry Washington, Kate Mara and Elisabeth Moss) are soulmates who met in college and have remained close friends years later. However, they have shared a little more than they have admitted to in this psychological thriller. And when one dies early in the 8-part series, the others are determined to peel back the layers and figure out whodunit. This series is the equivalent of a “page turner” book, where you want to devour the plot and get to the payoff. To say more would give away the plot, so I’ll just recommend you watch it for yourself. It is not the best series I have seen, but I sure got hooked! 3½ cans.
76. Five-Star Weekend* (2026, Peacock) – Author Elin Hilderbrand turns out this interesting story of 5 women, led by food influencer Hollis (Jennifer Garner), who gather in Nantucket to help Hollis recover from the sudden loss of her husband a few months earlier. She invites women from various phases of her life, plans activities and food with the precision of Martha Stewart and generally wants to forget her troubles with pajama dance parties and Saturday shopping sprees. But as in the above series, there are layers of betrayal and resentment that bubble up as the ladies try to deal with new realities and their changed lives. 3½ cans.
77. Shipwrecked: Nightmare at Sea* (2026, Netflix) – If you are trying to decide whether you should take a cruise, don’t watch this documentary. In 2012, the Costa Concordia hit a big rock and eventually sank, costing the lives of 32 passengers and crew because the ship was neither ready to handle such a disaster nor truthful with the passengers. This documentary uses the accounts of actual passengers and crew members to describe the terror of the event and how poorly the ship’s captain dealt with it. Footage from the evening and transcripts of communications between the captain, the crew, the passengers and the ship line itself paint a picture of criminal ineptitude. Scary, but fascinating. 3½ cans.
78. I Will Find You* (2026, Netflix) – This 8-part series is based on a novel by mystery writer Harlan Cobren about a man serving a term in prison for the death of his little boy. He swears he didn’t kill the child, but he feels so guilty for not being able to protect the toddler that he wants to rot in prison and be left alone. But he gets word that his son might not be dead after all, and the “bad guys” have plotted against him for reasons that are at once sinister and unknown. Sam Worthington is David Burroughs, the prisoner who suddenly gets help from his sister-in-law Rachel (Britt Mills) and her wealthy friend Hayden (Milo Ventimiglia). Gripping story, but you have to overlook David’s abilities to outfox and police and the bad guys to make this credible. 3½ cans.
79. Reminders of Him* (2026, Peacock) – Kenna is released from prison after serving time for the death of her boyfriend Scotty in a car accident. She has no money, no job, no car, no phone – and worse, she knows the 5-year-old daughter she gave birth to in prison is living with her late boyfriend’s parents, who want nothing to do with her. She strikes up a friendship with Laughlin, her late boyfriend’s best friend, who lives across the street from the little girl and her grandparents and treats the little girl like his own. Will Kenna get to meet the toddler and show that she wants to be a responsible mother? Not hard to figure out. This is based on a novel by Colleen Hoover that I did not read, but I hope it was better than the movie. 2½ cans. 
80. Quarterback, Season 3* (2026, Netflix) – Once a year we are treated to a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at four NFL quarterbacks, their ups and downs, their successes and failures, their families and their toughest challenges. This year focuses on 2025 Titan rookie Cam Ward, second-year QB Jayden Daniels of the Washington Commanders; veteran Baker Mayfield of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and old pro Joe Flacco, a 40-year old finding a last-minute spot with Cincinnati. Being a QB is a tough job, as these men have to know their plays, know their teammates’ skills and know how to go down on the ground without getting hurt – which was not the case this season. The only thing I don’t like about this series is that we have to wait for a whole year before it comes back with new players, as the episodes are recorded throughout one NFL season. I loved it. 4 cans.
81. Scorsese* (2026, Apple TV) – This 5-part documentary on director Martin Scorsese is a comprehensive look at his work turning out such masterpieces as “Raging Bull,” “Goodfellas,” “Taxi Driver” “Mean Streets” and countless collaborations with actors Robert DeNiro and Leonardo DiCaprio. Scorsese was brought up in the mean streets of New York and knew many of the characters upon which his movies are based. If you’re going to spend this much time learning about the man, you’d be better off watching some of his movies. 4 cans.
82. Dutton Ranch, Season 1* (2026, Paramount+) – There hasn’t been a strong woman like this on a TV series since Olivia Pope was running Washington in “Scandal.” Beth Dutton (Kelly Reilly), raised by her now late father John, has left Montana to start over in Texas with her loving but taciturn husband Rip (Cole Hauser) and the young man they have taken in in this sequel to “Yellowstone.” Texas has a whole new set of challenges, with a neighboring ranch headed by Beulah Jackson, played by the unlikely choice of Annette Bening. There is a long list of cowboys and ranch hands here, many of whom looked alike to me. I watched the 9-part season but doubt I will be back next time to see people shooting at and killing each other with an overflow of testosterone. One key part of the plot isn’t revealed until late in the season and seemed preposterous to me, but what do I know about herding cattle? 3½ cans.
83. Life in the W* (2026, ESPN) – This six-part series is clearly not for everyone, but since I love anything behind-the-scenes and because I am a basketball junkie, it was perfect for me. Like the Netflix series “Quarterback” about NFL players, here we are treated to a look at the home and work lives of three outstanding WNBA stars – four-time MVP Aja Wilson, rising superstar Napheesa Collier and 38-year old DeWanna Bonner – as they play throughout the 2025 season. All have significant others and two of the three are mothers. Balancing the demands of the life of a professional athlete with children, working out, managing injuries, hoping to take their teams to the championship are the goals they share. This life as a pro athlete is difficult, and they are always asking themselves if they are doing it right. They are. 4 cans.
84. Friday Night Lights, Season 1 (2006, Prime Video) – I decided to rewatch this wonderful series about life – and high school football – in a tiny Texas town. The first season brings the drama of the star quarterback taking a devastating hit and becoming paraplegic in the very first episode. The people in the town of Dillon, Texas, live for the Dillon Panthers, led by first year head coach Eric Taylor (Kyle Chandler). He and his wife Tammy (Connie Britton) have one of the best marriages ever depicted on the small screen. This series, which runs five seasons, is about so much more than football. It is about growing up and living in a small town, defining the qualities of life that will determine the future for these people, their loves and break-ups, their mistakes and growth… I could go on, but I suggest watching it if you have not already or rewatching it if you have. 4½ cans.

85. A Toxic Love Story* (2026, Netflix) – This true-life documentary revolves around a couple who are being harassed and threatened by what seems to be his former live-in girlfriend. They work with the police to get restraining orders to stop the behavior, but it continues to make their lives miserable. But not all is what it seems to be in this twisted tale, proving once again that truth is stranger than fiction. 3½ cans.
 

July 2026 Message from Tina - July Jewels

1.    Sometimes I think my hair has a mind of its own. And I am sure it grows faster in the summer. I think the last time my hair was as long as it is right now was during the quarantine in 2020, and at least it was thicker then.

2.    If you want to see what you really look like, walk in front of your RING camera. Mine shows an old, gray-haired woman with terrible posture on the front porch picking up packages delivered here. This is NOT how I want to picture myself!

3.    I think I spend half of my time trying to stay awake and the other half trying to fall asleep, and these things never happen at the right time. It is so easy to fall sleep watching TV or when I am at the movies. I have even dozed at a Broadway musical or two, despite the live orchestra playing loudly. But in the middle of the night, in my nice, dark, comfy, quiet bedroom, I am wide awake once I get up for the customary trip to the bathroom around 3 AM. Where’s that “can’t keep my eyes open” feeling then?

4.    Why do we feel obligated to make the bed every day? After all, we just get back into it in the evening. Nonetheless, I feel compelled to get up and make the bed almost immediately. I think it puts order into my day, and I know I need that feeling.

5.    As I have gotten older, I can’t help but notice the wide range of aches and pains experienced by me and my friends around my age. One has a bad ankle, another a bad hip. My shoulder that went through rotator cuff surgery 7 years ago has been acting up and I’m still exercising my new knee from last year. I never expected the children’s song, “Head, shoulders, knees and toes” to apply to us as senior citizens, but it sure fits!

6.   I recently bought a new smart watch. This one looks like a regular watch and is thinner than any smart-variety I have seen. It does the usual smart-watch tasks – count my steps, check my blood pressure and oxygen rate (I will never understand how that can happen), show my text messages and plenty of other things that I’ll never use. But, like the others I have owned, the steps you take don’t seem to count unless you are moving your arm. So, if you see some strange-looking person pushing her grocery cart with one hand while swinging her left arm, that’s me, trying to make every step count.

7.    Alexa likes to keep me updated on weather conditions. On a day when the heat hovers around 100 degrees, she wants me to know that it is really hot, that the air quality may be bad, and that it may rain. She switches from being a good little AI assistant to having mothering tendencies. Next, she will remind me to grab an umbrella when I leave the house!

8.    I threw out a perfectly good pair of sneakers the other day for one good reason – they were both for my left foot. Apparently, I bought a new pair when the right shoe wore out and kept the left one as an extra. Then that new right one wore out, too, so I was stuck with two left feet, which an apt description of me.

9.    Drake’s Cakes has been fooling around with the classic treat, Devil Dogs. The other day I found a salty caramel version and a mochaccino variety. I don’t buy Devil Dogs, because I could easily eat the entire box in a sitting or two, but I was surprised to find this variation on the classic. Has this been around for a while? Are there other versions I don’t know about? It’s probably best for me to steer clear of this whole food category.

10. I would like to know what goes on in my washing machine during a cycle that makes the clothes turn inside out. That must be one rough load!

11. Speaking of laundry, does anyone actually use the wide variety of settings on their dryer? Mine is kept on the same setting nearly 100% of the time. I’ll remember that the next time I need a new dryer: No point in getting all the bells and whistles if I don’t ever use them.

12. So are we really going to live solely on Daylight Savings Time now – assuming this new measure before Congress passes? I prefer longer evenings and don’t much care about light in the morning, unless I have to go somewhere and drive in the dark. Nothing is perfect right?

13. When the doorbell rings on a TV show, it reminds me of how my father would jump up from “resting his eyes” and tell us to answer the bell. We had to let him know the bell was on the TV. Now, I find myself doing the same thing. It must be a ‘70s thing!

14. I celebrated July 4, America’s 250^th, by taking a dinner cruise on the Hudson River with some friends. Aside from the fact that we ended up on the wrong boat (and we have the tickets showing that we were where we were supposed to be) and that we saw a man getting pulled out of the Hudson River (I think he fell from a nearby private boat; there may have been alcohol involved), it was a spectacular night. Just cruising up and down the Hudson, seeing the New York skyline and identifying the famous buildings, was thrilling. Luckily, that crazy couple who climbed to the top of the Empire State Building just a few days prior to the holiday weekend was gone! The TV coverage of Macy’s Fireworks doesn’t do justice to the enormity, color, sound and excitement of the live display. And just passing by the Statue of Liberty was enough to turn me into mush. I always think of the millions of people who came to this country via Ellis Island and were greeted by the Lady in the Harbor. It doesn’t get much more American than that! Now, only another 50 years until the 300^th! Frankly, I’m not going to make it.

15. There are plenty of sports I follow religiously, but soccer is not one of them. I did watch a little of the World Cup and what impressed me was the size and enthusiasm of the crowds. I watched the last two US games, one a huge victory and the other an agonizing defeat. That’s what I like about sports – most of the time, somebody wins. It’s just sad when it isn’t your team!

16. One sport I did watch was Wimbledon, both men’s and women’s tennis there. It seems to me that the players are stronger, more athletic and they hit harder than previous generations. It is amazing how they can return a ball that is traveling that fast and hit that hard and low. The courts at Mercer Street Park in Somerville could never have prepared me for today’s version of the sport I tried. I was used to playing on courts with cracks and graffiti, so unlike the hallowed grounds of Wimbledon. I also thought this year’s champions, 21-year old Linda Noskova and 24-year-old Jannick Sinner, were outstanding on and off the court. They were extremely gracious to their opponents, the fans, the ball boys and girls and the Wimbledon administration. I hope the US Open is equally good with such deserving winners.

 

Tina's June 2026 Movies & More

It is really hot out there right now, so why not stay inside and watch a movie? Here is what I watched in June. All shows are rated from 1-5 cans of tuna, with 5 as the top. Movies not watched previously are marked with an asterisk and numbering picks up from previous months. Enjoy!

56. Off-Campus* (2026, Prime Video) – OK, NOW I get what all the fuss is about with this show, why women are losing their minds. Hockey is having a moment these days (see "Heated Rivalry"), as the hunky college “boys” on the hockey team in this strictly hetero show truly dominate the screen. Hannah Wells (Ella Bright, looking like a young Brooke Shields) is a music major who falls for strapping Garrett Graham (Belmont Cameli), captain of the hockey team at Briar College. Focusing on a sports team means there are plenty of scenes in the shower, or with shirts off, sweating – but I digress. Not everyone is looking for a relationship in this 8-part series; sometimes casual sex is more the goal – or so they say. College kids were not like this when I was in college, or were they? Only start watching this addictive series when you have time; I was hooked and finished it in 24 hours. Juicy and delicious, even to a more “mature” woman like me. 4 cans.
57. The Trip to Bountiful (1985, Cable TV) – Elderly Carrie Watts (Geraldine Page), just wants to go home. Stuck living in a small apartment with an obnoxious daughter-in-law and her meek son, Carrie longs to go back to her tiny hometown of Bountiful, Texas. When she sneaks away from the house and boards a bus headed for that area, she feels triumphant. Along the way, she meets a young woman (Rebecca De Mornay) and tells her the story of her life in the quiet town. When she arrives, the town isn’t at all what she recalls, but just being there conjures up the memories of her youth, the people and the places that were once home. Page won an Oscar for her performance. 3½ cans.
58. Office Romance* (2026, Netflix) – Jennifer Lopez and Brett Goldstein (Roy Kent in "Ted Lasso") pair up for this rom-com that centers on the forbidden and secret romance between the hard charging CEO of an airline (Lopez) and her new staff attorney Daniel (Goldstein, who co-wrote the script). The company has a strict no-dating policy for employees that Lopez follows to the letter, until she and Daniel start working together. Then the consummate professional CEO turns to mush and has an island-based fling with her subordinate. I wish the material here was better, because Lopez could handle it. Instead, there is some crass comedy involving Daniel’s first reaction to being alone with the boss and the unlikely birth of a baby on an office desk (couldn’t SOMEONE have called 911, and did we really need to see what we saw?). The secondary players here are wonderful, especially Betty Gilpin, Bradley Whitford, Amy Sedaris and Tony Hale), so be sure to watch through the ending. But I wanted smarter, better material for Jennifer Lopez besides the fawning reaction to her written by Goldstein for his character to deliver. 3 cans.
59. The Crash* (2026, Netflix) – In this true-crime documentary, what looks like a regular crash that resulted in the death of two men in their 20s and the injured female driver isn’t quite what it seems. When investigators look into the horrendous accident, the find that the young woman was driving 100 miles an hour and, according to the tested instruments on board the car, she made no attempt to brake. But why? Was there an underlying medical issue or was the crash intentional? The three were best friends and two of them, high school student Mackenzie Shirilla (the driver of the car) and recent grad Dominic Russo, were a couple, living together in what certainly could be called a toxic relationship. Documentary footage shows Mackenzie trying to be a fashion and lifestyle influencer, and there is plenty of footage of her smoking weed with no hesitation or regret. The use of bodycam footage enhanced the story. I felt sorry for the kids who lost their lives because of her decision to crash the car and the families whose sons were killed by her arrogance and ego. 3 cans.
60. Tuner* (2025, Montgomery Cinema) – This film is fronted by Dustin Hoffman as Harry Horowitz, an elderly piano tuner with a myriad of medical issues. Tovah Feldshuh is his supportive wife. But the real star of the show is Leo Woodall as Niki, a quiet young man being trained by Harry to take over the business. Niki has a hearing issue that makes him hypersensitive to loud noises. He wears ear buds or a headset to tune out the distractions. But his hearing works exceptionally well to pick up the sounds of each piano key, a skill that also translates to the cracking of safes. When Harry goes into the hospital and into debt, Niki takes on some side work for a crooked security company that steals from its very wealthy customers. The jobs become larger and more dangerous, and Niki gets trapped into a criminal life. Very intense and well done. 3½ cans.
61. The Witness* (2026, Netflix) – This is not the old movie starring Harrison Ford as a cop masquerading as an Amish man to catch a killer. In this 3-part true crime drama, a toddler boy is in the park with his mother when a man we don’t see approaches and the camera cuts away. The next thing we know is that the woman has been brutally murdered and the only witness is her young son. The authorities do what they can to get information from the young boy, Alex, with his father, Andre, serving as his protector. The press is relentless, stalking the father at home and every time he leaves the house. The drama continues as the series depicts father and son over time with flashbacks to the investigation. The cops come off as inept and the British legal system as frustrating. I found the flashbacks somewhat challenging to follow, even as the poor father and son suffer disappointment and stress in their own relationship over the years. 3½ cans.
62. After Everything* (2018, Netflix) – Before his emergence as a star on “The Bear,” Jeremy Allen White starred as Eliot, a man in his 20s who starts a new relationship with Mia (Maika Monroe) just as he receives the devastating diagnosis that he has cancer. Although their relationship is brand-new, she supports him by doing research on his condition, accompanies him to his doctor appointments and helps him tell his parents. But the relationship is bittersweet. Do they really love each other or are they bonded by his illness? Well acted. 3½ cans.
63. Your Friends & Neighbors, Season 2* (2026, Apple TV) – Jon Hamm returns to star in the second season of this series about the affluent folks who live in a fictional Westchester, NY, village where cheating and scandals reign supreme. When last we left his character, Andrew (Coop) Cooper, Coop had survived a murder rap (he really didn’t do it) but it was only a matter of time before the fired hedge fund manager would return to stealing very expensive items from his oblivious friends and neighbors to support himself and his family in the style to which they were accustomed. This season, a new, even richer neighbor moves to town. James Marsden is the charismatic Ashe, a shipping magnate with unlimited funds that dazzle even the denizens of the already wealthy enclave. The interrelationships between the friends and neighbors grow more intricate this year. I’ll spare you the details but must say that this series remains intriguing and Hamm is as good here as he was in his classic “Mad Men.” I’m just glad these people are not my friends and neighbors! 4 cans.
64. Legally Blonde* (2026, stage musical at local The Villagers Theater) – This exuberant stage production of the Reese Witherspoon movie about a pink-loving woman who chases her former boyfriend to Harvard Law School has been turned into a musical. The cast, especially the woman who played the starring role as Elle, was filled with talented young people who were terrific. Given the confines of a rather small stage, they even pulled off a jump rope number with aplomb. As they say in the show, “Oh, my God.” Delightful. 4 cans.
65. Maternal Instinct* (2026, Netflix) – If you ever want proof that truth is stranger than fiction, try watching shows in the true crime genre. People try to get away with stuff you can’t believe. Here, a young woman tells her boyfriend she is pregnant, even though she had a hysterectomy years before she met him and cannot possibly have children. She somehow gets images of sonograms and even buys a fake belly to look like she is carrying a child. People around her start to get suspicious, and as her due date draws near, she has to come up with a baby or a plausible excuse for not having one. I won’t reveal what happens, but this story does not have a happy ending. 3½ cans.
66. Carlos Alcaraz – My Way* (2026, Netflix) – I’m a big fan of tennis champ Carlos Alcaraz, who at the tender age of 24, has already captured 7 major titles. He achieved his first success by winning the US Open in 2022 at the age of 19. He is the youngest man to achieve a career Grand Slam, winning all four major tournaments. But, in my opinion, he is still too young to merit a 3-part documentary. The program focuses on the struggle of Carlos and his team of coaches, managers, physical therapists, doctors, his parents and others to keep him in the best shape mentally and physically to manage the grind that pros must face, from tournaments to working out, practicing, doing obligatory photo shoots, representing sponsors and making appearances to promote himself and his brands. He is still a kid, eager to unwind and not sure whether he can keep up the grueling schedule or even wants to, despite his passion for the game and for winning. I would rather see the film makers wait a few years to let him achieve more success before they give us this story. There is so much more to come. Alcaraz is immensely talented, and if he stays healthy and focused, he could turn out to be the greatest of all time. Stay tuned. 3 cans.
67. The Bear, Season 5* (2026, Hulu) – The fifth and final season of this series begins with a deluge. It is pouring in Chicago, with flooding in the streets threatening the arrival of supplies and patrons to the nightly dining service at The Bear restaurant. Meanwhile, it is flooding in The Bear restaurant, with pipes bursting at random and repair people falling through the roof. When last we left Chef Carmy (Jeremy Allen White, with his impossibly blue eyes) and his dedicated, loud crew, he has told his second-in-command, the extremely talented chef Sydney (Ayo Edebiri) that he wants out. The pressure of perfection has overwhelmed him and he cannot find a way to settle for less. This season, the word is out, and the staff, despite the weather conditions and the building falling apart, is determined to have what is possibly their last service with Carmy still around. The action takes place primarily over one stressful day (although all days on this show seem pressure-packed). The characters here are very intense; there’s a lot of yelling and swearing. This is a great, well-written show and this episode is a fitting end to its run. 4 cans and a sad farewell.
68. Chris and Martina: The Final Set* (2026, Netflix) – If you followed women’s tennis in the 1970s and ‘80s, you couldn’t miss Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova, two completely opposite players who dominated the game. One or the other always seemed to be number one in the world, capturing the major titles at Wimbledon, the French Open, the US Open and the Australian Open. I remember being captivated by watching so many of their classic matches over the years. This moving documentary explores their successes, their intense rivalry and their friendship on and off the court, which was not always smooth sailing. Both women have fought cancer multiple times and survived, and that common factor has made their friendship even stronger. The day before this film was released, Evert announced that her ovarian cancer had returned for the third time, which makes this program even more poignant, as I kept thinking that this could, indeed, be the final set. 4 cans.
69. Voicemails for Isabelle* (2026, Netflix) – This rom-com was a nice change of pace after watching a few more intense programs this month. Jill, an aspiring chef, is very close to her younger sister Izzy, who has suffered from cystic fibrosis her whole life. When Izzy suddenly passes away, Jill (Zoey Deutch) continues to confide in her by leaving voicemail messages on her phone just to feel a semblance of normalcy. But when the phone number is reassigned without her knowledge, those voicemails are heard by the phone’s new owner, real estate man Wes (Nick Robinson), who is intrigued by the life of this young woman he hasn’t met. Similar to “You’ve Got Mail,” the movie brings the couple together, but he can’t bring himself to tell her about the voicemails he has heard. Cute, unpretentious and easy to watch. 3½ cans.
70. On Golden Pond (1981, Cable TV) – Norman Thayer, Jr. (Henry Fonda) is a cantankerous retired professor who spends summers with his wife Ethel (Katharine Hepburn) at their house on Golden Pond in New England. The aging couple have their routine, whether it is gathering firewood or sparring with each other. They know they are not as sharp and capable as they used to be but they are not ready to confront their reality. Their routine is thrown off when adult daughter Chelsea (Jane Fonda) comes to visit along with her new beau Bill (Dabney Coleman) and his teenaged son (Doug McKeon). Chelsea and her dad (Fonda’s real-life father) have never gotten along, despite her mother’s best attempts to encourage a bond. When Chelsea and Bill leave for a few weeks, the bored teenager feels dumped, and Norman doesn’t exactly exude charm. But they build a bond through fishing and mischief and the boy establishes the relationship with Norman that Chelsea never had. Henry Fonda and Katharine Hepburn won Oscars for their performances, made more poignant by the well-known estrangement between Henry and Jane and the reality that this film together would likely be his last. The music is beautiful, the views of the lake are stunning, and the cast is outstanding. I love this movie. 4½ cans.
 

June 2026 Message from Tina - June Gems

1.    Last weekend, I stayed in a hotel where my room and my sister’s room were on the same floor. But the numbering was so strange on the sign near the elevator that one day I went looking for her room, ended up back at my own room and knocked on the door, thinking I had found her. I should have used a GPS!
2.    My 70-something girlfriends are all hooked on “Off Campus,” a new series on Prime Video about a men’s college hockey team and the girls they date. My friends insisted I watch the 8-episode season, and I was hooked immediately. I saw the first 7 in one day and then finished up the next morning. I won’t go into detail here (look for my review at the end of the month) but I can just say that women like me, old enough to be the grandmothers of the main characters, are hooked. Lots of cute guys with their shirts off, lots of smoldering looks and more, and great music. Season 2 comes out NEXT YEAR. Damn, that’s too long to wait!
3.    My entire supply of rubber bands comes from bunches of broccoli or grapes in a plastic bag.
4.    With the growing use of GLP 1s for weight loss and health conditions such as diabetes, side effects of these drugs are affecting the users. There’s the usual nausea, diarrhea and constipation, but then there is hair loss. I foresee a future filled with balding, thin old folks like me!
5.    I appreciate the fact that Thomas’ English Muffins come pre-split. I worry that young people might just slice them with a knife and ruin the nooks and crannies.
6.    For someone with no known allergies, I sure sneeze and blow my nose a lot.
7.    There is always that one traffic light that I never get. It always turns red as I approach it. Without fail. I just assume I will have to stop there. If I ever made it through that light, I would plan a parade!
8.    If you are driving the car at the head of the line at the traffic light, you are responsible for moving ahead quickly when the light turns green. It is so frustrating to miss the light because the idiot ahead of you didn’t go as soon as the light changed. 
9.    Whenever I buy something packaged neatly in a box and open it to remove the contents, I’m always surprised how everything I took out fit in that package. Buy a set of sheets or a new phone and just try to get the packing material back into the original box. It’s like clowns getting out of a Volkswagen. How did they fit in there in the first place? You just hope you don’t have to repack the item to return it!
10.    I always have trouble with those plastic containers from the salad bar or from leftovers from a restaurant. I can’t get them to stay closed so the contents won’t spill out, and then I can’t get them to open when I’m ready to eat!
11.    I have bought more than my share of gadgets over the years from infomercials and online ads, and some of them have worked out great. I still have my V-slicer, which is a mandolin for use with vegetables. I could never get it clean enough to suit my standards, so actually I have replaced it twice. I also have my bread knife – appropriately called the “TV Knife,” which still works perfectly after many years. So not all impulse buys are duds after all.
12.    Since I am retired and don’t have to go to work Monday through Friday, there is no reason I can’t change my sheets on, say, a Tuesday or Thursday. But old habits die hard, and changing the sheets remains a weekend chore.
13.    I saw an ad online for Old Navy that boasted “50% off EVERYTHING.” Underneath, in small type, it read, “Exclusions apply.” OK, if it is 50% off everything, that would have to be WITHOUT exclusion. Which is it? There is no truth in advertising.
14.    Considering that my bachelor’s degree is in English, I would think I would do better on the online game Spelling Bee. Sometimes I can’t even get to the “Amazing” level, and I have only achieved “Genius” level twice. I’ve been so bad at it lately that I am worried someone is going to come to my house and take back my graduation diploma!  
15.    I park my car so badly that I am worried about someone showing up to confiscate my driver’s license, too!
16.    I think that once you have grandchildren who get married, you should be classified as old. I don’t have any grandchildren, so I’ll never get old!
17.    As I attempted to lick an envelope to seal it and then realized that there was an adhesive strip for that purpose, it occurred to me that young people today have no experience with having to lick envelopes and stamps to put things in the mail. Christmas cards could make you sick (which happened to George Costanza’s fiancée Susan, who died in a Seinfeld episode from licking the stamps on their wedding invitation). I doubt they use USPS much anyway. 
18.    The nice thing about ordering items online is that by the time they arrive, I have already forgotten what I ordered, so it’s like getting a surprise gift!
19.    When I found a T-shirt online that said, “Back and Body Hurts” in the familiar Bath and Body Works design, I just had to buy it! The folks at my physical therapy place loved it!
20.    There was a woman in the restroom at the gym the other day who was washing her hands so vigorously and for such a long time that I thought she was scrubbing up for surgery.
21.    And why do we call the ladies/men’s room a restroom anyway? Who is in there taking a rest?
22.    My Mercedes just turned a year old and a few of the features that came free with it have now expired, though I can renew them and pay. Most of these I didn’t know I had, and I’m pretty sure I can survive without geofencing, since I don’t know what it is. If the car is stolen, there is a service for that, although calling 911 might just come in handy, too. Apparently, I had a parked vehicle locator, a vehicle tracker and a remote vehicle finder, which sound to me like overlapping services. Maybe the remote starter would have come in handy had I known I had one, but most of the time my car is in the garage, so it is safe and warm. And I wonder what “car to X communications” means. Now I’ll never know, because I will pass on the opportunity to purchase these services I didn’t know I had in the first place!