October 17, 2018 marks 29 years since the earth shook the Bay Area with a vengeance. They called it the Loma Prieta Earthquake. I remember looking up at the ceiling fans and seeing them sway and we lived a hundred miles away in the Sacramento Valley. The scenes on the television were too much to […]

I just love this time of year! It seems I can smell fall in the early morning air. It’s pumpkin picking time and there are apples ready too. How about the first fall day when you look for that comfy sweater? Even though the temperature each day here lately has been unseasonably warm, there are […]

At a time when various movements have been reenergized to take new aims against sexual abuse, workplace inequality, and political threats to women’s rights, another common cause has surfaced: Alzheimer’s disease. A statistic commonly bantered about is that in the United States, every 65 seconds a new brain develops Alzheimer’s. Most people assume the prevalent, […]

When I stepped through the door, I remember thinking that my life would never be the same again. The smell of dust and old leather filled the space and the books seemed to grow like tress from the floor to the ceiling. I could feel the magic of exciting adventures that were just waiting for […]

I took a whole lot of classes while earning my post-graduate certificate in gerontology. I did learn a lot about aging and the problems that come with getting older. But my most significant education did not come from a university. I’ve learned the most from my parents and especially my incredible mama. At 82 years […]

Updated April 2025 A federal program that has made it possible for more than 88,000 seniors and people with disabilities to make the transition they craved — moving from nursing homes back into houses, apartments, and group homes in their communities — is now being threatened with budget cuts and possible extinction. The legislation was […]

A little over a month ago, my daddy seemed to be on death’s door. “I don’t hurt, Angel,” he said to me. “I just don’t have any strength.” Of course I worry. And Mama worries. She was even warning me that Daddy might not make it more than a few months. Broke my heart! But […]

With a few welcome exceptions, TV shows and films about aging most often feature dire and dour stereotypes of the later years of life. It can be downright depressing. But challenge yourself to keep a straight face while watching the iconic scene from the 1952 “I Love Lucy” episode in which Lucy and Ethel have first delicious, then […]

I’ve always been fascinated by the stories my family members have told me. I’m fortunate to have always had a curious mind, even as a child. I asked my granny about her wedding day in 1916 and heard the story from her own mouth. Sitting on her bed next to her old treadle sewing machine, […]

At the end of September here in the Sacramento Valley, the weather was hot with temperatures in the 90s, but now that it is October the temperature dropped and I can finally put on a pot of broccoli cheese soup. What’s your favorite homemade soup? Soup is the perfect food for all of us and […]