Category: 2026
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Golden Years Sometimes Bring Tears
Age-wise, I am in a sweet spot dubbed ‘the golden years’. The term was first coined in a 1959 ad for Sun City, Arizona, considered the first active adult retirement community. The phrase is supposed to conjure images of retirement, leisure time, relaxation, enjoyment of life – a stretch of time before the ailments and…
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My Cluttered Closet and My Chaotic Life
Careful, extended, scholarly research on the significance of cluttered, or clutter-less, closets results in the revelation that they are a window into the mind Does my messy closet indicate my life is a chaotic, confused mess? I suspect there is a correlation. Apparently the things we accumulate offer insight into our mental state, and possibly…
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Red, White, Blue, and Other Colors Too
We think of red, white, and blue when celebrating 250 years of our nation’s history. That is noble and patriotic. Unfortunately this year I am not in a celebratory mood. A combination of personal angst because of family health issues, and unpatriotic angst due to the chaos our country currently experiences, my celebration meter hovers…
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America Will Lose Trump’s War with Iran
The President of the United States will declare victory in the country’s current conflict with Iran. His sycophants will cheer and acclaim his glorious accomplishment. But the actual loser will be the United States. Folks might believe the hype that the country won Trump’s Middle East excursion. His armed forces bombed the hell out of…
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Coffee Shop Companionship
The coffee shop was busy Wednesday morning. The dreary cold weather may have had something to do with the crowd. Gray skies send folks for coffee or hot chocolate, maybe a hot breakfast or pastry. A combination of bleak weather and bleaker news may push people into depression, or ignorance, or denial. Sometimes it directs…
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Daily Life in Retirement
Friends and acquaintances younger than I am, approaching retirement, ask me what I do all day. This is my response… The alarm rings at 7:30 am, but by then my morning routine is well underway. I set the alarm most days so I don’t become lazy and sleep too much. Once in a while, when…
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I Decide on Foreign Flavor for a Winter Escape
What is it like to spend a month away from home? Steve and I escaped one of the worst winters in years on the east coast, probably decades; final statistics are not yet in. The past few winters have been relatively mild. I have a puffy warm winter coat that for years did not see…
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Escape to Calmness?
A six hour flight from home left me tired but excited to begin my new adventure. I missed travel. I missed meeting new people, viewing new sites, tasting different foods, and simply walking around a different environment. I missed the variety. I missed the change. And I needed the diversion. Travel is escapism. I am…
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A Mexican Carnaval Cavalcade
I have temporarily escaped the wintry weather at home to enjoy a warmer climate in the mountains of Mexico. The groups of Mexicans milling about puzzled me. Were they waiting for a bus? But there were too many, and as I maneuvered jam-packed sidewalks, I figured out this was more than a casual Sunday afternoon…
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A One-Ply Guy and His Two-Ply Wife
My husband Steve grew up in a one-ply household. Satisfied with the product, he did not realize better-quality alternatives existed until later in life. My upbringing taught me to bargain hunt and, if possible, avoid paying retail. Mom purchased products based on her weekly coupon stash. My sister and I knew not to pick up…