Sorry, can't do it. You do you. I love you, nonetheless. Twitter, for me, exists only to advertise my many hundreds of Ricochet posts, as this site exists to back them up. I wish such a thing weren't necessary, but since Ricochet has "lost" a number of my posts over the past decade-and-a-half, and since… Continue reading Wasting Time on Twitter
Category: Aging gracefully
Winter Solstice, 2025–Yesterday
December 21, 2025 Dear Chickens, I know it's the shortest day of the year. And that, lately, it's generally been cold, overcast and gloomy. The worst laying conditions possible. Still--in the circumstances and all--you're giving me an egg or so a day when all the experts say the four of you should be molting and… Continue reading Winter Solstice, 2025–Yesterday
A Study in Memories: Sherlock Edition
139 years ago today, on November 20, 1886 (for God's sake check the math: it's never my strong point), British publisher Ward and Lock accepted a manuscript, for the princely sum of £25, and for which the 27-year-old author gave up any subsequent rights to the narrative, from the newly qualified Scottish Doctor of Medicine,… Continue reading A Study in Memories: Sherlock Edition
Finding Maudie
Courtesy of my sister–who offered me a challenge–I’ve been on a bit of an “Ancestry” kick lately. She mentioned an old family mystery, a story oft told by my mother, about a much-loved relative who’d died–it was said–under suspicious circumstances, and whose husband the family (my family) had always suspected of being a fortune hunter… Continue reading Finding Maudie
In Memoriam: Katharine Hepburn
She died in 2003, 22 years ago today, at the age of 96. A good age. One that many close members of my own family have made it to, and beyond. I guess I have another almost two-and-a-half decades to live through, if I intend to keep the side up. Which--absent adverse entanglements--I am determined… Continue reading In Memoriam: Katharine Hepburn
Double Vision
I cannot distinguish a letter even of large print; but am happy in the invention of double spectacles, which serving for distant objects as well as near ones, make my eyes as useful to me as ever they were: If all the other defects and infirmities were as easily and cheaply remedied, it would be… Continue reading Double Vision
A Missed Opportunity: W.H. Auden and the Lyrics of Man of La Mancha
409 years ago this month, we observe the anniversary of the death of Miguel de Cervantes, on April 22, 1616. Cervantes' greatest creation, Don Quixote, a lower-class (dare I say deplorable?) fellow who was driven to fantasies of heroism due to his mid-life immersion in, and obsession with, works of knightly valor, remains the most… Continue reading A Missed Opportunity: W.H. Auden and the Lyrics of Man of La Mancha
Wisdom from My Granny, 2025
Happy 127th birthday, darling Granny. (Some lightly-edited content from a few years ago, together with some more recent and raw reflections): I had my last conversation with Granny (my mother’s mother) not too long before she died. She was in her late-eighties at the time, almost bedridden from the terrible arthritis that had plagued her… Continue reading Wisdom from My Granny, 2025
Happy Belated Birthday, George Washington!
So here we are on February 22, 2025, all set to observe George Washington's 293rd birthday. Right? Not so fast. It's true that, for years, February 22 was a national holiday in the United States. Banks were closed. Schools were closed. No mail was delivered. Department stores nationwide celebrated the end of the "white sales"… Continue reading Happy Belated Birthday, George Washington!
Aging Gracefully: The Girl On Your Back
An oldie-but-goodie from several years ago, inspired by recent family, friend, and social media experiences. "The more things change; the more they stay the same." My considered advice to all those younger than I (I'm 70 at the moment)--after you've had a good look in the mirror and found a way to accept with equanimity… Continue reading Aging Gracefully: The Girl On Your Back