Several years ago I decided to celebrate my retirement with a new car. My wife and I had been sharing one, and I’d hesitated to purchase another for my exclusive use because we lived downtown and parking was difficult. Our house was nearly a hundred years old with a narrow garage carved out of the …more

Now that I’m retired and have plenty of time on my hands, there’s no excuse to turn down my eighty-nine year old mother when she wants or needs to be driven somewhere. It isn’t that I don’t enjoy spending time with her (a lie) but what really annoys me is having to hear all about …more

My parents seldom celebrated special events or holidays, and they hadn’t exchanged gifts in years. Dad had long since given up buying anything for Mom, who was as difficult to please as he was easy. But Mom and Dad received copious gifts after moving to Portland to be near us in their so-called golden years …more

Not long ago my wife and I decided to launch our retirement with a road trip to Yellowstone National Park. We arrived at the park in September; the weather was warm and clear but the leaves were already tipped with gold with the promise of fall in the air. Aside from the marvelous scenery and …more

Many people take it upon themselves to offer advice to those of us entering into retirement. Advice flows, telling us to keep busy and don’t sit on the couch all day watching Judge Judy. My eighty-eight year old mother is no exception. I call her every day and she recently said to me, “Now that …more

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