Aging gives me an opportunity to slow down and appreciate tiny pieces of landscape. There is an old white house a block off Main Street in Carson City. Many years ago, a sidewalk was put in that extends from one end of the property to the other. I decided to study one block …
As I age, my hands are getting softer. That’s a real problem because they’ve never been muscular or tough to the touch. So many people over the years, after I’ve attempted to give a firm, cowboy-like handshake, remark, “My, your hands are really soft.” I don’t take it as a …
I have a great idea for older folks who, like me, can’t sing a lick. I have this little hike I go on that gets me away from everybody. Up there, rising above the sagebrush, is a big flat rock about three feet off the ground. One day, while sitting on the rock, I had …
Hey, Don Kuhl. You’ve been screwing up. At 73, now is the time to accept your frequent blunders and make the most out of the consequences. Great example: I was recently in Orlando, Florida, for a conference, staying in the ugliest motel of all-time because the host hotel was …
Sherry and I bought our first pup, Ponce de Leon, in Dayton, Nevada, at a defunct pet store that was being turned into a pizza place. We closed the deal with a $20 bill and our lives changed forevermore. I could write a book about the misadventures of “Poncer Dog” and how …
As I age, it becomes more apparent to me that I can only control what I choose to do, not what those around me have in mind. I have a neighbor, Buck, who has led a pretty charmed life. Unlike my track record, Buck seems to know when to buy into business deals and when …
Kids don’t need to learn to spell anymore. That’s what Google and Bing are for. However, on my desk is a copy of Webster’s New Practical Dictionary from 1951. It belonged to my mother, who used it daily as a secretary at the Ames Trust and Savings Bank. On the blank yellowed …
I think everyone over 70 should have Roy M. Quick, my cat for almost two decades. Let’s face it, I’m a dog guy. My other two cats don’t care a smidgen about what’s going on in my life. They don’t come when I call them. They stare at me from across the room and make …
This is a stressful topic for me to write about: stress. My stress doesn’t come quietly or softly. It’s like I have a red warning light that keeps blinking inside my brain that’s often accompanied by a blaring siren. I know it’s silly, but I feel a huge responsibility for …
As I’m growing older, people around me are getting smarter. Back in the day, I remember my parents, teachers and other “wisdom figures” dishing out advice and guidance. They kept feeding me a bunch of malarkey about stuff that just didn’t matter. Often, out of obligation or …