Jason seemed to have an invisible sign around his neck that said, “Love me.” Maybe that’s why I did I first met Jason while I was weeding a flower bed in my front yard in the late afternoon. …

A not so silent member of the Silent Generation and a California native — What the photo says about me This photo captures several aspects of my life. I live in a region of vineyards and tasting rooms in Paso Robles, California. This photo was taken a year before we moved there when we still lived in the midst of wine country, surrounded by vineyards in Templeton. This is ten…

What your middle-aged self never expected — What’s the first thing you visualize when you contemplate getting old? Is it physical signs of aging? Wrinkles, saggy skin, gray hair, and maybe even losing an inch of height? As you can see above, all that happened to me. …

I am digging my way out of a stroke I had on April 26, 2022. I have aphasia. I have been rebuilding my language skills since then.

But I’ll take a break to write this today — After-tax restlessness and lack of focus Can you remember what final exams week was like during your school days? Normal life would stop. For that week it was all books, notes, and studying, sometimes far into the night. By the end of the week, it was over. If you’re like me you may have felt lost…

An eerie experience that made my heart beat faster — The wind whistled around the Bellflower Public Library where I worked. The rolling door that led from the back workroom to the attached bookmobile garage rattled. Was it only the wind trying to get in? …

It happened too fast for me to get it all on camera — She looks relaxed now, finally out from under the car, but it didn’t start that way. It started when I looked out my office window and saw her approaching on the walk leading to my front door. I hadn’t been out yet, had no photos for today, and decided I’d…

My photo journal from March 15–21, 2022 — Clouds and new life This week began with cloudy skies and the hint of rain to come. With Susan gone, I was now on my own with the clean-up project in Templeton. I still had a dumpster to fill, but I was also exhausted after my busy week before. …

How AA changed our family relationships during the past thirty years — Alcoholism runs in my family. For this reason, I chose never to drink. My brother made a different choice when he was still a teen. He became an alcoholic and later started using illegal drugs. He married someone who coped with life’s challenges in a similar way. AA helped both…