My son is a master potter. He begins with an ugly lump of clay, puts the lump on his wheel, and then with deft hands spins the clay. From there, he fashions a small beautiful vase, an elegant teapot, or a Goliath-sized bottle–sometimes more than six feet tall. And it […]
Marie Snider – This Side of 60
“Follow your dreams for they will always lead in the right direction.” I’m not sure where I found this quote, or exactly when. But it doesn’t matter because the rightness of it is eternal. Dreams must always be followed. Dreams of travel. Dreams of fun and laughter. Dreams of careers. […]
Please don’t tell me there isn’t a Santa Claus. I know better. It’s not that I’ve actually met him but I’ve seen his tracks. Sixty years ago, before the Depression had subsided and after the winter’s snow had blanketed the countryside, he brought joy to a little girl in upstate […]
After all these years, I still don’t know if he meant it as a compliment or an insult, or maybe a curious mixture of both. But I clearly remember the words. He looked interested, almost amused, as he said, “You think your work is the most important thing in the […]
“Concentrating on life is important. Concentrating on the laundry is not.” I found that quote someplace. Well, actually, I found it written down in a section of my Daytimer that’s reserved for little bits of wisdom. What I don’t know is who said it. Did I think it up? Did […]
“You can’t reach 80/hale/and hearty/by driving 80/home from the party/Burma-Shave.” Those were the words I read every time we went to town for groceries, every time we went to Grandma’s house, and every time we went to church. I’ll never forget that jingle. How could I? Burma-Shave and I grew […]
One of the best things about fall and winter is apples. Juicy, crunchy, sweet-smelling apples.Apples in pies. With crumbs on top. And a scoop of ice cream. Apple cider. Dried apples. Apple crisp. Apple butter. Macintosh. Delicious. Winesap. And wonderful new varieties. Grow your own apples, or get them at […]
A man had a typewriter with one bad key. All the other keys worked perfectly, however, and the man said: “What if onx kxy on my typxwritxr doxsn’t work. All thx othxr kxys work pxrfxctly. And my lxttxrs arx still vxry rxadablx. The absxnce of that onx kxy won’t makx […]
A 103-year-old does yoga daily. An 85-year-old runs 17 miles a day. A 100-year-old writes weekly news notes for her local paper. A 93-year-old climbs Mount Fuji. An 84-year-old runs a successful Mary Kay business. An 85-year-old lives to play the piano at area nursing homes. A 65-year-old starts a […]
“Remember, there’s no such thing as more time,” the seminar leader said in her most emphatic tone. It was a seminar on public presentations, given by a leader with the best of skills in that area. Among other things, she underscored that if you’ve been asked to speak for 15 […]
I knew Nelson only as a young boy, and then not very well. But that was 25 years ago. Now he had arrived at our house again–in a letter sent by his lawyer father. Today, Nelson is a young medical student in British Columbia. He was on call in his […]
I love the beginning of a new year, and one of the things I always do in advance of Jan. 1 is set up my calendar for the next 12 months. That means transferring all the important upcoming dates and events, including the birthdays of people I’ve known over the […]
