On Monday morning, I went to the Social Security regional office in Reno. I knew I was in for a “fun time,” so I arrived 20 minutes before the office opened at 9 a.m. Around 50 people were already in line ahead of me outside the big metal entrance. Heavy smoke …
Over 30 years ago, Sherry and I bought our home on Franktown Road in Washoe Valley, Nevada. The previous owners had the cutest little girl who cried as her family packed their final truck load and pulled out of the drive. She yelled out the back window, “Goodbye, …
Of all of the destructive traits that get in my way, perfectionism is not one of them. However, I see it pop up with others at work sites and in my relationships with friends and family. My pattern goes in the opposite way. I pass things along in my personal and professional …
I’m catching some marvelous shows on my sidewalk. The last one featured Edgar, the tiniest ant of them all. Edgar found a twig and his life’s passion was to get this humongous piece of wood from one side of the sidewalk to the other. I was in the stands (my folding chair) …
We all have a brain bucket. Mine is 77 years old and getting a little rusty at the bottom. Little scraps of knowledge drip and splat on the earth somewhere. I have a solution. I stay curious. I hang out with smart folks. I read good books and watch quality television shows …
Dogs amaze me. My friend and dog behaviorist, Kevin, taught me that dogs pick up on human emotions long before other humans have a clue. This brings me to Jody Beth Baker. She’s our only female dog. Every day, she puts up with her three brothers who think they rule the pack. …
I spent two hours all by myself on my 77th birthday. I sat in a rickety old chair behind the toolshed. Sherry wasn’t looking for me. My dogs were up the hill, hoping to find a slow rabbit (there’s no such thing as a slow rabbit in Washoe Valley). My cell phone was lost …
I have this young editor, Jenni. Every post you read must first pass through the critical evaluation of this bright, well-read superstar. Whenever I get out of line, perhaps submitting something the tiniest bit melancholy or what Jenni perceives as corny, it goes straight in …
To: My Body As of today, August 19, 2022, I am filing a formal complaint against you. Sure, we have had our great times. We climbed mountains together. We walked across Idaho, Tennessee, Iowa and many other stunning states. We competed in 10K runs and didn’t finish …
She was a great storyteller. Many years ago, in front of a packed audience at an addiction conference in Las Vegas, this woman had the audience in the palm of her hand. As an unknown publisher of a tiny company, I spotted her in the dining room that evening chatting with …
