Other Side of 50

Restaurant dining has always been a joyful experience for me. In terms of aesthetics – at lunch, I enjoy the respite from my workday and at dinner, conversations with my husband or friends. Regarding the food, in both cases I like trying new dishes as well as appreciating old favorites. But in these last [...]

In the past five years I have had four primary care physicians. No, I am not a difficult patient, I am the product of changing dynamics in the practice of primary care. Five years ago, I had a primary care physician I really liked. She listened to me and provided good quality care. However, [...]

Many years ago, my father-in-law Danny, who was in his late 70s, was hanging new kitchen cabinets. Part of the job meant moving some of the ceiling tiles. When he moved the tile directly above the kitchen sink, he happened upon a paper bag holding $8,000 in cash.  His wife, Mary, was apoplectic when he [...]

I will be attending two celebrations of life this month. The first is for my friend Margaret. I wrote about her in one of my recent columns, about her surprise 90th birthday party with 50 of her friends and neighbors. Margaret died in December, a week before she was scheduled to go on a trip to [...]

As one year comes to an end, a new one begins. I recently received my 2023 monthly planner. Full of expectations for the coming year, I can’t wait to begin to fill it up with appointments, activities, and events. Each year I spend some time looking for just the right planner, one with a bright [...]

It might sound like a random invitation, but at a recent holiday gathering of women friends, a community acquaintance, Terry, invited me to go for a walk. We’d been talking about feeling a bit stressed and sad watching some of the rude behavior of others, whether in the media or in our daily lives. Always [...]

It was my recent fall - documented extensively in previous columns - that compelled me to suggest to my husband that we review our estate plan. I guess I needed to remind myself that I am not immortal, and I wanted to be sure that our plan fits our current circumstances. In these past few [...]

The organ and tissue donation process is unfamiliar to a lot of us. Some people may not even know they are registered donors. Understanding the law and how it is implemented is important. The first time many of us heard of choices about organ donation was at the DMV. More than 90% of individuals [...]

For weeks, friends and neighbors worked on planning a surprise block party for my friend Margaret’s 90th birthday. On the big day, over 50 people showed up with food, drink and gifts to celebrate this amazing lady. Several of the neighbors who attended the party had read my Acorn column about my fall. Soon I [...]

Due to this year’s meteoric rise in the consumer price index, a measure of inflation in the cost of goods and services, Social Security beneficiaries will receive an 8.7% cost-of-living adjustment for 2023. Only three times in the past 46 years has the COLA been higher - in 1979 to 1981 with an increase of [...]