I need help. I’ve been losing more than my share of arguments. I’m being bested at work, with combative friends and in the neighborhood fence wars. Looking back over my 75 years, I’ve prided myself on being persuasive. Others may need to use deceptive strategies to seek …
I’ve been thinking about ups and downs across my life. It took me decades to share some of the “down” experiences with the people closest to me. What I’ve learned is, many of us suffered indignities while growing up. I was sexually assaulted three times before reaching …
I’m getting too old to accept all these newfangled ideas. Early in my life, streets that bumped into other streets created an intersection. If the two streets were not busy ones, drivers were smart and courteous enough to figure out which vehicle or buggy had the right of …
Is there anyone who really believes Saint Peter will be at the pearly gates to quiz us on whether we deserve to enter? I have only known two people who bought this whole package. One was my mother. She had taken a course called “elocution” in high school. In her final year …
I count myself fortunate to have seen generations of dogs, the senior experienced canines passing on their personalities and responsibilities to the little tykes that follow. The photo above is of Billy Bragg (black) mentoring Zack Adams (white) in the way of PLAY BALL. It …
I do a lot of dishes at our house. I’m pretty good at it. However, once in a while, when Sherry gets bothered by some little misstep by me, she takes a water glass down from the cupboard and examines it by the sunlight coming through our kitchen window. Anyone experienced at …
Nobody knows what I’m talking about but when a photographic opportunity pops up today, I always shout, “Get your camera, Vern!” I used to hear this phrase when my mother would see something that few folks recognized as memorable. She would shout, “Get your camera, …
I’ve been reading a bunch about this whole aging thing. Also, I have about 20 friends who are marching along with me toward their 80s and above. While journaling last evening, an interesting observation hit me. One way of looking at aging is, we all are no longer [fill in …
I’m spoiled. I admit it. One pleasure I have in the middle of winter is a tiny greenhouse in my backyard. It’s not much for growing flowers or vegetables, but it feels so good to be me when I’m sitting in my broken chair, sipping hot chocolate with marshmallows and listening …
I’m not much for framing quotes and sticking them on my wall. Yet, there is one exception. For nearly 40 years, I’ve had this famous quote from our 26th President close to me and my heart: “It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man …
