Growing Old, Gracefully.

Clyde is driving me nuts. He’s a fat black spider hanging out in my favorite recliner chair. And he’s smart and devious. Snakes and mice and bats and bees hang out on our property. I’m okay with them. We have developed an informal truce over the years. They mind their …

Jack Newsom, our alpha dog, always acts like he has important places to go. He prances right by me, ears up and forward, eyes focused, as he heads confidently across the creek and up the hill. He seems to say, “Don’t bother me now, Don. I have important work to …

At times, I think of myself as an old book. My cover is a bit tattered. Each chapter is a decade. Totally non-fiction, with photos to prove it. People are thinking about sticking it on the top shelf, forgotten and out of reach (particularly for the young folks). Hey, wait. …

My psychologist daughter told me about a secret trick she employs. Each time she meets a new acquaintance, she immediately looks for one thing, no matter how small, she can appreciate before she may get influenced by any negative observations. Why not give this one a shot, I …

My old friend Mark Twain showed up again last night at the foot of my bed. I don’t mind. He can be witty at times. But not this time. Mark was all lathered up about author Percival Everett stealing the story of “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” to publish his own …