Needling Umps Just Part of the Game
745 words
By Barry Sparks
You don’t have to be a baseball fan to know umpires seldom lose an argument. But that hasn’t stopped players and managers from trying to get in the final word.
Safe Senior Sex
600 words
By Karen Telleen-Lawton
Numbers-wise, research indicates most couples enjoy intimacy throughout their lives. Consumer Health reports a near majority of adults over 60 convey having sex at least once per month; that same percentage would like it more frequently.
Race Magic
830 words
By Carrie Luger Slayback
I’ve trained myself to shut out all extraneous thought while racing. Still, in the last mile, I couldn’t help but look to my right at the sparkling ocean as we ran toward the finish. I felt good going through the shoot. As usual, I forgot to look at my time coming in. Yet, I wasn’t even winded, knees didn’t hurt. Good race.
For A Peaceful Life, Learn to Let It Be
710 words
By Wendell Fowler
I detest the full body, joy-sucking, hormonal release of anger, so when someone drives erratically, I shout, “I love you” and consider that person may have just lost their job, a loved one, or their dog.
Confessions of A Prepper
700 words
By Sheila Velazquez
I do continue to plant a limited number of vegetables to eat, freeze, dry, pickle, and can. These are tasks I look forward to every year, even though I now grow only enough for one, with a little left over.
The Only Good Tick is a Dead Tick
940 words
By Sally Breslin
The thought of having a tick that tiny, able to hide in any of about 15 quadrillion places on the sofa, caused me to instantly take leave of my senses.
The Sweet Smell of Youth
735 words
By Cappy Hall Rearick
One whiff of that sweet lunchroom smell, and I was transported back to poodle skirts, saddle oxfords, bobby sox, and a ponytail.
Kidnapping Grandad: Endgame Tactics with Home-Cooked Food and Little White Lies
1440 words
By Nann Parrett
She didn’t think he was capable of taking care of himself any longer. I knew the moment I walked into that kitchen and smelled burnt plastic that she was right. He needed help.
Dear Fortnight Lilies
645 words
By Sharon Tell
Fortnight lilies live like a lot of old folks, not requiring too much attention. Like a stoic citizen in a time of challenge, they carry on, no matter how neglected they may be at times.
Beware of Obituary Pirates
605 words
By Debbie Burke
Pirates sail the internet seas, looting and plundering treasure from a surprising source: obituaries. What is the treasure? Personal information that pirates use to scam the grieving family and friends or steal identities.
Trying to Pet the Fan? Consider Cataract Surgery.
605 words
By Sharon Love Cook
During my annual visit to my ophthalmologist, he’d mentioned cataract surgery, which I’d dismissed. That was an “old folks’” procedure. Despite being a baby boomer, my vision wasn’t that bad. Yet it wasn’t the first time my eyes had tricked me.
Fermented Dill Pickles vs. Vinegar Dill Pickles
1455 words
By Steve Heikkila
Fermented pickles are alive! They’re crawling with live bacteria, and that bacteria is good for your gut microbiota.
Silver Screen, Golden Memories: The Adventures of Robin Hood
750 words
By Jacqueline T. Lynch
From the moment we see Flynn enter the castle with a killed stag across his shoulders, plunking it on the table in front of Claude Rains, we know this is going to be a hearty tale of knightly courtliness absent the table manners.
Pain In the Neck
790 words
By Laverne H. Bardy
With rare exception, each time my primary doctor views my forwarded test results, he spots something unrelated to the reason I had the test, and, just like that, my life turns upside down.
Seasons of the Hunter
745 words
By Holly Endersby
When it becomes too difficult for me to walk the woods, I’ll pass my favorite rifle on to my granddaughter. But until then, I’ll relish the quiet intensity of hunting on foot, matching wits with animals who know the ground intimately.
To All the Men I’ve Loved Before and Those I Can’t Remember
530 words
By Robyn Justo
And a shout out here to that aforementioned husband who never was (hey, Les), whose memories of our relationship 40 years ago appear to be a lot more positive than mine.
No Scan No Sale
700 Words
By Arthur Vidro
Let me get this straight. I’m in a supermarket. I want to buy a loaf of bread. We agree on the price. I am offering you the money. And you are refusing to accept it just because the computer that runs this joint has to give its blessing to the transaction?
Baby Boomer Resignation Explained
695 Words
By Peter Merkl
We both knew my former, hyper-employed self would’ve reveled in this opportunity to wallow in self-pitying wrath at the pointless randomness of it all, loudly cursing Providence and my luckless fate. But somehow my three-month-retired self was handling it like a grownup.
Ecotourism
890 words
By Victor Block
These folks unknowingly combined a bit of R&R with efforts to help preserve and protect Earth’s environment.
Revenge or Alzheimer’s?
785 words
By William Levine
My sister worryingly brought up the question of when mom was diagnosed, and I pondered, “You know I wonder if Mom’s shopping spree at the shiva was related to the beginning of Alzheimer’s.
Letter to My Mother-in-Law
770 words
By John Coleman
So it’s like this, toots. You’re slowing down, and neither one of us will live forever. While you are still of sound mind and top side of the sod, receive this message from your son-in-law: You are now, and always have been, a wonder.
Now You See It, Now You Don’t: A Parallel Universe?
770 words
By Laverne H. Bardy
I’ve never been interested in planets, black holes, galaxies, or, for that matter, Star Trek. But, these experiences have caused Marc and I to consider that we may have made several visits to a parallel universe.
The Living Room League
765 words
By Lilli-ann Buffin
“Buried beneath a heated throw with roots descending into the apartment below, I became an actual spud. I expanded into a lumpy tuber, sprouted a few skin tags and pesky chin hairs, and developed more brown spots than I could count.”
A Little Help from My Friends
725 words
By William Levine
It took 50 years for me to recognize an opportunity to make a valuable difference in another person’s life.
Cautious Consumer Guy: “Buying American” Has Gotten Darned Difficult
595 words
By Arthur Vidro
We can summon up the will and the cash to pay a little extra for the privilege of buying American. But it’s still an almost impossible task.
Radio Contests Used To Be a Real Challenge
680 words
By Sally Breslin
I’ll never forget the time I was driving to the post office, and one of the radio stations played a lyric from “Long Cool Woman” by the Hollies. Just so happened I knew the lyric: “Just a five-nine beautiful tall.”
Menopause Madness
655 words
By Wanda Haynes
We compete over which of us has the worst menopause symptoms. While having coffee in our usual spot, we menopause survivors talk about our bouts with this unexplained and misunderstood tyrant.
Date Night
835 words
By Gary Chalk
I borrowed my dad’s Ford Fairlane 500 and drove to Jan’s parents’ house. Standing inside the front door, I wreaked of leather, musk, and cedar birch. It was like I’d been fighting a forest fire and forgot to shower.
Book Review: “Gunfight” by Ryan Busse
500 words
Review by Holly Endersby
After 20 plus years in the firearms industry, Busse pulls the curtain away from forces most of us would rather not think about in terms of guns, gun rights, and political influence.
Hooked on Hugging: Embracing Human Touch
740 words
By Wendell Fowler
Hugs provide a way to share love and joy, lift someone up in sad times, and simply generate good vibes. In fact, we could scarcely survive without hugs. Must be why we were born with arms.
Life Hacks from Phyllis Diller
570 words
By Elizabeth Youngman-Westphal
While Heloise knew how to remove red wine stains from shag carpet after a rousing party, Phyllis’s ability to knock back a drink before it could hit the rug is now the skill I salute.