Although we enjoyed watching reruns of Upstairs, Downstairs on public television, my wife and I had never thought of ourselves as people who needed staff to get along. Living in the unpretentious Midwest, having domestic help was regarded as uppity, and unbecoming to good Methodists and Lutherans whose lot in life was to maintain their …more

It was just a normal day, like any other day. I was off running some errands on a busy summer afternoon. Nothing special. I had just parked my car in the parking lot of a strip mall and was walking down the sidewalk to a Walgreen’s to pick some prescriptions. That’s when I saw him. …more

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“Advice is what we ask for when we already know the answer, but wish we didn’t.” – Erica Jong I received a call from a fellow retired golfing buddy last Sunday evening, one who I had not seen for several weeks, this communicative/physical void was realised for primarily two specific reasons, one being a family …more

I hate it when people say that many middle-aged people “aren’t the sharpest tools in the shed.” It’s condescending, insulting, naive and just plain wrong. What I hate even more, though, is being one of those dull tools. Alas, there are times when I feel I’m struggling to stay in the shed, period.  This morning was a …more

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After a short lived affair as a cub scout, where I learned to leap out of trees badly, build shelters that collapsed and was never able to light fires by rubbing stones (or was it sticks?) together, as well an assortment of valuable life saving skills. I also learned to be kind and helpful to …more

Play ball! The season is underway again. Growing up, I was pretty good at baseball in our backyard if I could get by our dog, Lassie. When I was 9 or 10 years old, playing baseball on a borrowed high school diamond, I longed for our backyard. I was always sent to right field to …more

Let me ask you a dumb question. How many times have you heard someone say, “There’s no such thing as a dumb question.”? That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard. I’m pretty sure that remark was originated by some third grade teacher who wanted to encourage her kids to ask questions. Nothing is worse for …more

My 92 year old father still drives. I went on a website to get ideas on how to have the “talk” with him about giving up his car. I memorized my lines and started out. “Hey Dad, can you imagine that one day you won’t drive anymore?” According to the website, he would say “Yes” …more

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