If I could pass one piece of advice to the younger me, it would be to practice being more interested than interesting. For decades I attempted to be an interesting guy to both friends and acquaintances. I had jokes and stories relevant to any group. Didn’t people want to …
With my lower back issues, it’s getting increasingly difficult for me to walk upstairs. That didn’t keep me from a Wisconsin Badger Football game last weekend. Right before halftime, I began the climb from my row up to the second level of Camp Randall stadium. The first 15 …
My family got our first TV when I was about seven. It had a knob to change channels. There were three choices. Often the screen looked snowy, with wavy lines moving from top to bottom. My father, Vern, bought rabbit ears and moved them all around. The fuzzy snow and wavy …
My daughter, the psychologist, asked me, “Dad, are you getting wiser as you age?” I’m always worried she’s asking me a trick question, one to trip me up in a loving father/daughter sort of way. “What do you think?” I volleyed back. I received no verbal response. All I got …
You should invest in a good reading chair, even if you don’t sit in it very often. Then, if additional money is available, you should go out and buy an expensive floor lamp, one of those that arches over the back of the chair. Put your purchases in a prominent place for all …
I love to play. I always have, first as a little kid, playing kick the can and tag and knocking on my friend Billy’s door asking if he could come out and play. As a teenager I played with basketballs and baseballs, and as a father I played often with my eager children. As …
Until recently, Sherry and I had two cats, Roy M. Quick and Alice Pea Tucker. We got the two tabbies when they were just little puffs of orange motion. Living in the same old house for 18 years, they knew the inner workings of our home better than we did. For many years, …
“I’ve fallen, and I can’t get up!” has become the punchline for many a joke since the television ads began to air in 1990. The original lady at the bottom of the stairs was Edith Fore, who died in August of 1997. I don’t wear a device around my neck, and the ad still freaks …
Looking back, it is apparent I almost lost my ability to age. However, I was given two great gifts. The first is obvious, I’ve been blessed with nearly five additional years on earth to play and work and love and, hopefully, more years to come. The second gift is why I feel …
I open my eyes uncertain of where I am. For a moment, or maybe several minutes, my mind floats across my life. My past screw ups (i.e., sins) fade and drop from my consciousness. Only my goodness comes through, not in specific detail, more like a warm blanket wrapped softly …
