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Cuando se vive entre el estrógeno y la muerte
Enseña cómo ver la meno-pausia con un buen sentido del humor.
196 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 1997
43 people are currently reading
212 people want to read
About the author
Barbara Johnson
66 books93 followersLibrarian note: There are other authors with the same name
Barbara Johnson (1927-2007) died July 2nd, 2007 of cancer (Central Nervous System Lymphoma) after a valiant 6 year fight against the disease. During her illness, she added four more books to her long list of published works, including one that takes humorous pokes at her life with cancer. Affectionately called the “Geranium Lady,” a title taken from her bestselling book, Stick a Geranium in Your Hat and Be Happy, her homespun humor and hope in God in the midst of tragedy, ministered to millions.
A strong Christian woman who relied on her faith in God and her sense of humor to persevere through many devastating experiences, her life was plagued by a string of tragedies. Her husband was in a near fatal accident and slowly recovered from debilitating injuries. She lost one son in Vietnam and another son to a drunk driver. Her third son was estranged from the family while pursuing a homosexual lifestyle. But, she emerged from these experiences having learned that though pain is inevitable, people can choose to pick flowers instead of weeds.
Her compassion extended far beyond the pages of her encouraging books. Wanting to use her own pain to help others, she and her husband Bill founded Spatula Ministries, a unique organization that uses a “spatula of love” to help parents “peel themselves off the ceiling” and begin on the road to recovery. She wrote her first book after reaching the age of 50 and was voted “Celebrity Mom of the Year” for 1996. Prior to being diagnosed with cancer, she toured across the country as a popular conference speaker and part of the "Women of Faith" tour. Her many books have comforted millions of women, bringing them hope and humor in times of distress. She will be missed by many, but her life will live on in her numerous books.
Barbara Johnson (1927-2007) died July 2nd, 2007 of cancer (Central Nervous System Lymphoma) after a valiant 6 year fight against the disease. During her illness, she added four more books to her long list of published works, including one that takes humorous pokes at her life with cancer. Affectionately called the “Geranium Lady,” a title taken from her bestselling book, Stick a Geranium in Your Hat and Be Happy, her homespun humor and hope in God in the midst of tragedy, ministered to millions.
A strong Christian woman who relied on her faith in God and her sense of humor to persevere through many devastating experiences, her life was plagued by a string of tragedies. Her husband was in a near fatal accident and slowly recovered from debilitating injuries. She lost one son in Vietnam and another son to a drunk driver. Her third son was estranged from the family while pursuing a homosexual lifestyle. But, she emerged from these experiences having learned that though pain is inevitable, people can choose to pick flowers instead of weeds.
Her compassion extended far beyond the pages of her encouraging books. Wanting to use her own pain to help others, she and her husband Bill founded Spatula Ministries, a unique organization that uses a “spatula of love” to help parents “peel themselves off the ceiling” and begin on the road to recovery. She wrote her first book after reaching the age of 50 and was voted “Celebrity Mom of the Year” for 1996. Prior to being diagnosed with cancer, she toured across the country as a popular conference speaker and part of the "Women of Faith" tour. Her many books have comforted millions of women, bringing them hope and humor in times of distress. She will be missed by many, but her life will live on in her numerous books.
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
February 23, 2025
I woulda given Barb, the Geranium Lady, the Full Five stars, but I saw I would be trying too hard by doing that. Because I see right through her. Why do I put it like that?
Because I try too hard too.
You see, we both keep reaching through a great layer of pain for our laughs - the kinda pain that is wrought by circumstantial angst. I was covering up for someone I love, from 1970 to the present tense (and I do mean tense) and the disingenuousness of that cost me plenty.
I took the fall in more ways than one. So it was a Catch-22.
Same thing with Barb, almost - except her laughter now covered up her Geranium-era pain of burying the pain of her son's sexual identity.
You can't bury pain. You must Work with it, as Jacques Derrida once said, through the Work of Mourning (in his Specters of Marx). It must become the Cross you bear faithfully!
As I've said before, I've been taught to do that - I'm Catholic. And proud of it.
***
This book, though, is as full of laughs as a barrelful of monkeys (and monkeys can be so mischievous)! No senior’s personal peccadilloes are exempt.
I should know. Ever had your first night time accident? Well, I guess you’re too young, still. Will you live it down then, though?
When you get there, remember that it all depends on the Depends.
(And if you’re getting there quicker, you’re in good company with us boomers, most of whom, though, are now ticking ever closer to extinction - unlike you!)
But have you noticed how many ad flyers target seniors? There are great deals out there a-plenty for us… haha.
***
Barb says this book is for Women Only. Don’t believe her. We’re all - straight, LGBTQ, or Non-Binary - in the same leaky boat. A boat which is now at Full List for so many of us.
And what comes around goes around.
The big fat ethical eggs we laid in sowing our wild oats now make our nights seem endless - there’s so Much less daylight in those nights, now, than in the seventies, when Jim Morrison tried to “set the night on Fire!”
Sorry, folks, for all these groaners.
I’ll never walk the straight and narrow path.
You see, old age is a time for summing up:
And as it was for Maugham, it's time to flatten my inner life into bald facts...
Living somewhere between testosterone and death.
Guess I’ll always be a Reacher, like my dear late friend Barb…
May she and I know Peace at last!
Because I try too hard too.
You see, we both keep reaching through a great layer of pain for our laughs - the kinda pain that is wrought by circumstantial angst. I was covering up for someone I love, from 1970 to the present tense (and I do mean tense) and the disingenuousness of that cost me plenty.
I took the fall in more ways than one. So it was a Catch-22.
Same thing with Barb, almost - except her laughter now covered up her Geranium-era pain of burying the pain of her son's sexual identity.
You can't bury pain. You must Work with it, as Jacques Derrida once said, through the Work of Mourning (in his Specters of Marx). It must become the Cross you bear faithfully!
As I've said before, I've been taught to do that - I'm Catholic. And proud of it.
***
This book, though, is as full of laughs as a barrelful of monkeys (and monkeys can be so mischievous)! No senior’s personal peccadilloes are exempt.
I should know. Ever had your first night time accident? Well, I guess you’re too young, still. Will you live it down then, though?
When you get there, remember that it all depends on the Depends.
(And if you’re getting there quicker, you’re in good company with us boomers, most of whom, though, are now ticking ever closer to extinction - unlike you!)
But have you noticed how many ad flyers target seniors? There are great deals out there a-plenty for us… haha.
***
Barb says this book is for Women Only. Don’t believe her. We’re all - straight, LGBTQ, or Non-Binary - in the same leaky boat. A boat which is now at Full List for so many of us.
And what comes around goes around.
The big fat ethical eggs we laid in sowing our wild oats now make our nights seem endless - there’s so Much less daylight in those nights, now, than in the seventies, when Jim Morrison tried to “set the night on Fire!”
Sorry, folks, for all these groaners.
I’ll never walk the straight and narrow path.
You see, old age is a time for summing up:
And as it was for Maugham, it's time to flatten my inner life into bald facts...
Living somewhere between testosterone and death.
Guess I’ll always be a Reacher, like my dear late friend Barb…
May she and I know Peace at last!
August 9, 2024
That was fun 😊
January 10, 2018
Not a very interesting book for me. I found the humour a bit forced and the whole book a bit patronising. I borrowed it from a friend who loves it, but we're all different!
October 30, 2024
I love the light hearted attempt to show the funnier side of life. Menopause is not for the faint of heart. I did read this book when I was much younger, but it really hits home now! It is a great vacation or leisure read.
August 27, 2025
This book has been around for a long time but I hadn’t read it. I took it as an extra book on vacation and had time to read it at night and on the airplane. It was an easy, fun, laugh out loud book!
July 2, 2017
Nice, refreshing book. I had it in my car ready for "waiting time reading" since you can leave it for several days without having to remember any plot. Really enjoyed it.
November 21, 2018
I enjoyed this book. It speaks into this phase of middle age in which I find myself. Having just read "Laughter from Heaven," there was a touch of redundancy in the final chapter.
June 27, 2019
A quick read with some good laughs. Not an enduring work of literature.
January 26, 2022
Funny little book for women “of a certain age.” It’s a bit dated, but still entertaining.
April 13, 2023
A fun, easy read that allowed me to laugh at myself and the process of aging (gracefully or not).
May 11, 2012
As with all of Barbara's contributions, full of humour (some black, mostly white)...but heartfelt and yet never appearing anywhere near corny.. Her natural gift of humour and creative optomism (as opposed to just positive thinking), addresses huge issues in life in a surprising and unpredictable way. Proud to say I "knew her when". When she came alongside me and my family in very significant times and before the books were written, she walked the talk! Sorely missed. Most other people of her ilk are way too "precious" with their beliefs.
July 23, 2008
Barbara Johnson has filled this book with funny stories that she has collected over the years. Some of them are truly hilarious. I caught myself laughing out loud several times. If you have read her other books, she does repeat some stories. I'm not a big humorous book fan, and so I gave this a three. Still I did like it, just not my type of genre.
September 30, 2012
Barbara Johnson has once again given me hours of laugh out humor as I read Living Somewhere. Her quick and clean humor is refreshing as she pokes fun at aging and all that goes with it. I would recommend this to any woman over 30 or knows one. I doubt men would really "get" most of the humor which is why Barbara put a "For women only" sticker on the front!
August 4, 2007
It's not my favorite book, but I read it cover-to-cover. Barbara Johnson has used a lot of quotes in this book also. And as an avid reader, I had read many of them earlier so it seemed repetitous to me.
February 26, 2008
Barbara Johnson is hillarious. I really enjoy her books.
July 25, 2008
A hilarious help book on women of a certain age! I received this as a gift and loved it!
December 27, 2008
We passed this one around through all the ladies in the family. It's great!
April 17, 2009
Barbara was such a down to earth writer. What a neat book! Hilarious, yet a better way to view life.
August 11, 2011
Hilarious and fun read!
September 23, 2011
Very entertaining, witty and funny. Read it even though you're still far from living somewhere between estrogen and death. Even if I'm still young, I appreciate this book.
June 5, 2012
EXCELLENT READ
June 17, 2015
Wonderful reading for those days when you just want to have your spirit lifted.
June 22, 2015
Loved this book. So funny laughed all the way through.
August 5, 2019
Con su tono desenfadado, Barbara Johnson logra sacar una sonrisa y una reflexión, una combinación única.
August 27, 2021
This is such a great book..all of her books are. I highly recommend this author.
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews