Do you get confused between chores you have to do and chores you get to do? I do. An example: I’ve been charged with watering our 16 flower pots, which hang from trees and balconies around our house. During the heat of summer, it’s almost a daily job and takes nearly an …
When I was a kid in a small town, our streets were patrolled by a policeman, Officer Hogan. We neighborhood boys called him Hopper Copper because he walked with a limp from a World War II injury. We liked to keep him busy by playing little pranks. We’d swipe Christmas lights …
For several years, Sherry and I have enjoyed the company of Snoop, a gopher snake who looks like a huge rattler. When I first met Snoop, I nearly stepped on him – and he didn’t like it. He scared me silly. After my initial panic, Sherry and I observed that this mammoth snake …
I’m in my favorite store looking for a couple new pairs of pants. It isn’t a typical clothing store because it also sells fishing gear, golf clubs, batteries and a huge selection of lumber and fencing in the back. After strolling around for a while, I find the men’s pants. …
Today is my birthday. I’m turning 74, and I’m thankful. I’m a lucky guy. I have a family who loves me and accepts my peculiarities – most of the time. I’ve worked for the same spectacular company for over 30 years. My fellow employees allow me to tell stories during lunch …
So I’m minding my own business (watching a robin pull a worm out of the damp soil) and my wife, Sherry, says, “You should throw away your old pants.” I say, “My pants look as good as new, particularly my brown pair and the gray ones I bought on sale at Bledsoe’s.” …
Something else is growing old with me: the use of cash for buying stuff. I don’t care where I go to make purchases – I am the only one in line who jingles coins in my pocket and has dollar bills in my wallet. Everyone else whips out a debit or credit card and waits …
It’s amazing how much I’ve been gifted in my life. Although I did not come from a wealthy family, my mom and dad made sure I had everything a young boy needed – and often special gifts that were unexpected and made me feel super-duper. At school – grade school, high school …
I thought my desire to win at games would diminish with age. It hasn’t. It may have gotten worse – until today. My wife, Sherry, and I play games of gin rummy to 1,000 points. We face off every day and keep accumulating scores on a big yellow sheet as the week clicks along. …
I don’t want you to get the impression I sneak around following people all day, but once in a while I do enjoy watching folks’ movements when they don’t know I’m tracking them. Today was one of those days. I was floating around Costco, checking out free food samples. Sherry …