Aging in the Gorge May 5th 2021
Who wants to talk about feet? That is the part of my body I don’t want anyone to see! (Actually, there are many other parts of my body I want to hide, but my feet rank near the top.) But taking care of your feet is important. According to the US National Center for Health […]
Aging Well in the Gorge April 28th, 2021
Along my journey of growing older, I desperately tried to avoid my preconceived ideas of what old looked like: wearing hearing aids – which now I wouldn’t live without; or using a pill box – until there were too many days when I couldn’t recall if I took my morning pills or not! Since I’ve […]
Aging Well in the Gorge April 21st, 2021
The sun is out, the days are warmer, and suddenly I have this urge to start cleaning and getting rid of “stuff”. I even start thinking it might be time to downsize; find a smaller place to live. Or even fit all my possessions into a Sprinter van (an upgrade from the Volkswagen van of half a century ago) and travel to new destinations full of excitement and possibilities! But when my head clears, I realize downsizing is more a struggle than an […]
Aging Well in the Gorge April 14th 2021
“There are only four kinds of people in the world — those who have been caregivers, those who are currently caregivers, those who will be caregivers, and those who will need caregivers.” Those words were spoken by Former First Lady Rosalynn Carter and I’m sure many of you or even most of you have been […]
Aging Well in the Gorge April 7th 2021
All of us want to stop this tragic pandemic and get back to some form of normalcy. But how? At the beginning of the pandemic, we knew little about this new virus as it was spreading worldwide. Since those early days, there is much we have learned and much we are still learning about the […]
Aging Well in the Gorge March 31st 2021
Have you traveled less during the pandemic? My wife and I have until we were vaccinated, and felt safe enough to drive to Seaside to spend a night at the coast and walk along the too cold and windy beach. It was the first time we had driven past Hood River in fourteen months! Since you have probably been on the road less, you may be a little rusty: not as quick […]
Aging Well in the Gorge March 24th 2021
Living under a cloud of COVID uncertainty and doubt; worrying about our friends, family, businesses and communities, it’s easy to slide into life’s doldrums. Jackson Rainer addresses this state of mind in his post “How to be More Optimistic” found on the Next Avenue website. When we experience stress such as the pandemic, the hardwiring […]
Aging Well in the Gorge March 17th 2021
I’ve been around the block enough that each time it seems to get longer and I think back to when I would ask my mother “Do I have to?” But now there is no one to tell me, “You better before your father gets home!” So how do you stay motivated instead of sitting on […]
Aging Well in the Gorge March 10th 2021
It is 2:15 on a Saturday afternoon. As I am writing, my eye lids are slowly, unwillingly closing; my fingers are typing a row of ZZZZZZZZZZZZ’s; and I know, from these telltale signs, it must be time for a short nap. But don’t think I am just another old codger who needs his afternoon nap. Napping has taken on added significance in […]
Living Well in the Gorge March 3rd 2021
Whether it is painting a sunset illuminating the Columbia Gorge, writing a poem expressing the indescribable joys of grandchildren, or creating a walking stick out of a hand carved handle attached to a discarded pole, these are all creative acts: fashioning something unique and personal out of the ordinary. As part of the human race, […]