I was just 4 or 5 years old when my mother announced that she was applying for a job on a cruise ship. She wanted to see the world. — My mother’s drunken merchant seaman husband was out to sea most of the time (thank God!) working on freight ships, so my little mind could only envision her working on one of those filthy cargo ships. Why would she want to do that? She explained to me that no, she…

When I was 44, I received a handwritten letter from my mother. “Why didn’t she just pick up the phone and call me?”, I wondered. — Puzzled, I opened the letter and began to read. Her first few paragraphs explained how “back in the day” (the late 40’s) when you lived with someone it was considered a “domestic marriage”. Not a legal one, mind you, but an “arrangement”. “Why is she telling me this?”, …

And my heart is breaking. I grew up moving from one crappy rental to another. Once I was out on my own at age 18, I moved from apartment to apartment, always in a quest to extinguish those childhood memories of cold vinyl floors and cheap, used furniture. Married in…

Whether you were average looking, or a knockout, aging has a way of humbling a person. A quote from Will Rogers: “I don’t know how I got over the hill without getting to the top”. I was an average child and already didn’t like posing for photos: As a 60’s…

1) Everything. 2) Lots of things. 3) I’ll explain. — Fresh air, polite people, microbreweries, lifestyle diversity, a renowned culinary destination, proximity to ocean beaches. Twelve unique bridges within city limits, nearly 400 miles of bike trails, and just 30 miles from an award winning wine region. Where is this captivating and enchanting place? My hometown is Portland, Oregon. I was born on the Oregon Coast in…

I’m going to show you, right here and right now. — I found the same exact play strategies in a few different locations online, so I will not credit any one of them specifically. Disclosure: if you’ve never played video poker, I am not trying to encourage you to start gambling. …

TODAY, that’s what! — How about the fact that I am finally beginning to breathe more normally! For the second time in my life, I had a cardiac ablation in mid-December. …

I just hope you’ll read the whole story before giving me your thoughts. — First, I appreciate that you may not have the time to read this story in full and absorb its meaning. If that is the case, I only ask that you not contribute to the comments. I don’t say that in a mean way, I mean it sincerely. Here is why: …

Answer: they all show up on your digital clock twice in every twenty-four hours. — Except for our kitchen appliances, which I pay no attention to, all of the clocks in our house are analog. The one digital alarm clock sits on Bruce’s nightstand in our bedroom and it glows with large illuminated numbers. Side note: I have a “thing” about always wanting to know the accurate…