So saith Roger Rosenblatt, an essayist I love and whose little book Rules for Aging so intrigued me that I swooped it up from a pile of books at Powell’s. You know what it is like. You spot a book cover intimating that the secrets of successful aging are now at your fingertips. … [Read more...]
La Conner, Washington: Girl Trip
What’s better than a road trip with a good buddy? Some of you thought: husband maybe? Others of you protested, no way, it’s my dog, of course. But girlfriend, boyfriend, husband, dog, your current stud muffin…… A good road trip friend is a great friend indeed. Just think … [Read more...]
Grateful for Paddy
There is only one way I know to completely quiet myself down before the holiday season and that is through gratitude. It’s the only thing that has ever really worked for me. And believe me, I’ve tried a lot of things! I guess it is because there is nothing in the act of … [Read more...]
Stillness and Scarecrows
On a lonely road between Redfield and Gettysburg... Sometimes just knowing that this place exists—a field of sunflowers in late September on a lonely road between Redfield and Gettysburg in South Dakota; an old white clapboard Church and a few gravestones—is enough. Today it’s … [Read more...]
Getting to No: when yes doesn’t cut it
It’s about time I would say. Most people have had theirs for a while now. Some people have been trying like the devil to put a lid on theirs. But I had hit the age where I wanted one: a real honest-to-goodness do-not-give-me-any-shit No. I used to have one—but I lost it—and now … [Read more...]