
Growing Old, Gracefully.
Stories that help you find peace, hope, and happiness.
Don’s Most Recent
A box
Billy’s parents bought a new icebox. It was delivered in a huge, brown cardboard box to their front yard. It was 1954 in Ames, Iowa, and Billy lived next door. We were excited about Billy’s parents’ purchase — not the icebox, but this new, humongous toy: the brown …
For the birds
Full disclosure: A wee bit of poetic license has been incorporated into this post, but the bird’s-eye conclusion is rock solid. It was nice getting the old Hiram Scott Research Department back together to solve a major environmental concern. INTRODUCTION Professors …
Me and Mark
As many of you are aware, Mark Twain visits me late at night and offers tips on creative writing. I try my best, but I’m a poor student when it comes to matching my mentor’s talent. You may not know that Mark has also been my financial adviser throughout much of my life. …
Stupid and Sane
Without paying a dime, I saw a bare-knuckle fight last week. It was a classic road rage event. Both cars were backing out of their parking spaces at the same time. Their bumpers met. One man, about 40 years old, jumped out of his car and approached the other driver, who …
Highway 30
The older I get, the more my head is packed with wonderful memories of my childhood. From age 4 until 6 (1950 to 1952), I lived on Highway 30 in Ames, Iowa. My whole world drove past me on that 3,000-mile road. I owned about 40 yards of it. My greatest memory was of caravans …




