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DYING LIGHT? NO, IT’S CATARACTS

March 24, 2022 by

“Rage against the dying light.” That’s the advice dead-poet Dylan Thomas gives old people. “Do not go gentle into that good night, rage, rage against the dying of the light,” means something different at thirty-three, when Thomas wrote it, than ninety three. If the lights are dimming in your life, instead of raging and raging […]

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RICK STEVES SAYS TRAVEL IS A POLITICAL ACT

March 21, 2022 by

Is Rick Steves right about travel? He ought to know after all the traveling he’s done. From all over Europe, to Paris, he’s been around. So why is travel a political act?

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TWO WORLDS, ONE PEOPLE

March 18, 2022 by

We live in two worlds, or so it seems. One world is bright and shiny with hope for the future. It’s glass and steel with clean, clear surfaces. Shades of blue light sparkle between the dreams of the builders and us, the visitors. That’s one world. Looks good, smells good, feels good.

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AFFIRMING LIFE ON THE EDGE

March 15, 2022 by

How much do I like seeing people work at affirming life? I like it a lot. From this blog I’ve seen how important it is. I’ve also seen the need is never ending when confronted by adversity. A body laying in the street is just such an adversity, and I’m not in a war zone.

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FEELING OLD AND TOO TIRED? TIME FOR A PUPPY

March 10, 2022 by

Feeling old and being old are two different things. How many times have you scrolled social media and found young people who sound too old for their years. Or at least too old for the the image they use for identification. Not everything is as it seems online. An old person could use a thirty […]

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BAGS PACKED TO FLEE? WHAT DO YOU TAKE WITH TEN MINUTES NOTICE

February 26, 2022 by

You’ve got your bags packed to evacuate, to leave right now. What’s in your boogie bag if you thought you’d return to a home in flames? More important, what’s not in your bug-out bag?

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BEST CONCERT: A BOOMERPDX REVIEW

February 19, 2022 by

Reviewing for best concert happened the usual way: I opened a box of pictures and found Prince. I saw this show in 1985 for $17.50 with my then-girlfriend, driving up to Tacoma and back from Portland. We got married a year later. Prince The Closer?

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STARTING OVER? HOW MANY TIMES DOES IT TAKE A WRITER

February 17, 2022 by

Looking back, I’ve been starting over every day with a fresh, clean, screen and filling it up, just like today. But, as much as that feels like a new start, it doesn’t have the travel element. In my twenties starting over meant a road trip from one side of the country to the other. Have […]

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YOUR STORY DONE YOUR WAY; MY STORY IS RIGHT HERE

February 16, 2022 by

When you write your story, or tell it, or carve it into wood or stone, it’s your choice. For many baby boomers from the middle boomer aisle, not early or late boomers, the story includes things like: “We drank water from a garden hose, rode bikes without helmets, and ate everything on our plate.” I […]

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FAMILY CAREGIVING TIPS FOR THE NEW SANDWICH GENERATION

February 7, 2022 by

Family caregiving takes a turn with a new generation lining up for duty. GenX looks ready. And like other generations before them, like the Baby Boomer Generation, it will all come as a big surprise. Most of us don’t come from a tradition, or culture, that includes taking care of our elders living under the […]

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