My Bucket List I’ve been fortunate in the last fifteen years or so. My wife, Donna, and I have enough money right now, so when money is needed for roof repairs and other things, we finally have enough. Even our house is paid off. In addition, we have great health insurance, otherwise we would have gone broke from all my hospital bills. So, we’re in really good shape now that my health looks like it will be good now. Because of this I’ve tried to become more grateful for everything. The...
about 1 month ago • 3 min read
Insomnia Based on my research*, there are least two kinds of insomnia. Short term insomnia which is caused by stress or disturbing events, and chronic insomnia which lasts more than three months and is related to medical conditions. I’ve listed below some of the main symptoms, causes and prevention of insomnia and includes a few of my own experiences as well. It’s important to note that everyone is different, so not everything is applicable to specific individuals. As a senior, my experiences...
4 months ago • 2 min read
“My Wife isn’t the Boss of Me” This humorous story is meant to be entertaining and funny while at the same time pointing out how interesting the dynamics of the husband wife can be. Having been married for forty-three years, I have come to recognize how complex married life can be and how sometimes things may be different than what appear on the surface. I hope you enjoy the story: Donna and I were married forty-three years ago, but we never raised children. (I keep telling people we have no...
4 months ago • 3 min read
Lost in the Woods It seems that we spend a lot of our time either being literally or metaphorically lost. I’m no exception. My first experience of being lost occurred in early elementary school when I got on the wrong bus. For some reason, I got on yellow tag 8 instead of red tag 3 which was clearly on the cardboard placard on the side of the bus. I remember being beside myself when the bus passed by my house without stopping. The bus driver ended taking me to the bus station, and then...
4 months ago • 3 min read
My Obse33ion with Numb3rs Of all the newsletters I’ve written, this one about numbers has been the most difficult. Every time I create a category to help define them, each category spills into the others, thus limiting the value of each one. Nevertheless, I’d like to write about numbers with recognizable uses and then discuss some more esoteric uses of them. First, numbers can be used to create solutions. For example, in the classroom and workplace, fractions and other forms of numbers can be...
4 months ago • 3 min read
The Problem of Deceit Not telling the truth and engaging in deceitful behavior takes many forms. Whether it’s television ads or personal behavior, deceit can often impact our lives and leave us feeling suspicious about others. First, for a few minor examples. Seat belts have been made mandatory for years because they save lives. It’s even become illegal to refuse to wear them. So, if wearing seatbelts is so important, then why don’t school buses have them? Students are constantly bounced up...
5 months ago • 3 min read
My In-laws I was blessed to have great in-laws. My wife’s mom, Gwen, was loving and compassionate, and she was always thinking of others especially family, friends and people in general. Even after being diagnosed with lymphoma, she still was very active in her church and with her family. I still remember the blue jacket she gave me that I wore everywhere until it was in tatters. It is one of my deepest disappointments that she passed on before I really got to know her better. She died after...
5 months ago • 2 min read
Diabetes: When Meals Become Science Projects Several years ago, I received the challenging diagnosis of diabetes type 2. I didn’t even really know what the diagnosis meant or how it would affect my life, but I do now. I naively believed that scrutinizing my diet would suffice, so my doctor allowed me to try. I began eating fat free (low carb) food and monitoring my sugar intake. Nevertheless, my next doctor visit proved that I couldn’t manage my diabetes with diet alone, so I was prescribed a...
5 months ago • 3 min read
The Jagged Edge Anthology My new book, The Jagged Edge Anthology is the twenty third book I’ve published in about forty years. It represents one book published roughly every two years. (The first six books were put together years ago at a print shop, before all the online publishing options were available.) Several others were self-published through Author House. However, most were self-published for free through Draft to Digital with the help of my brother, Bernie. Several of my books were...
5 months ago • 3 min read