Did you know that a group of Crow’s Feet writers has banded together to promote your stories on social media? You can thank Marie Bailey, Lee J. Bentch, Melinda Blau, Catherine Dunn-Gilbert, Nancy Franklin, Ann Litts and Warren Turner for their volunteer work to help Crow’s Feet grow.

Help us spread the word about all the great stories on Crow’s Feet!

You can be a part of this expanding effort by re-tweeting stories from Crows Feet15 to your own Twitter followers and like or comment on what you read. You can start by following CrowsFeet15 on Twitter — and we’re on Instagram with the same name too!

If you’d like to be part of the conversation about life as we age, please join the Crow’s Feet group on Facebook then invite your friends to be part of the Crow’s Feet community as well. And, if you have an interest in joining our social media team, contact us at crowsfeet8@gmail.com to find out how you can get involved.

Writing Prompt

We’ve got a new writing prompt for those of us looking for inspiration. This one is about becoming a grandparent. We start with the question: What surprised you most about becoming a grandparent? Click here to read all the ideas about how to approach this subject in your own writing.

Now, without further ado, let’s get on with the stories that Crow’s Feet writers published in the past week.

— Nancy Peckenham, Editor

The Ups and Downs of Retirement

Retirement Diary: Substitute Teaching in Middle School. No battle plan survives first contact with the enemy. By Orrin Onken

Takeaways From First Year of “Retirement.” Some things worked out as expected. Others? Not so much. By Clay “CJ” James

When a Person Retires, Does She Still Exist? Is a person defined by their occupation? By Brenda Mahler

What a Painted Box Finally Taught Me about My Retirement Fears. It took 27 years. I’m a slow learner. By Chris A Raymond

The Big Question I Think I Just Answered. Retirement or rebranding — which is it? By Jill Ebstein

Easy Life Transitions Become Less Quick and More Difficult as We Get Older. By Richard Armstrong

Hobbies or Just Enjoying Life

Why Take Piano Lessons at Age 66? One woman’s journey might teach us a thing or two. By Melinda Blau

Best Life At 70. “Blessed and Highly Favored. By Ralph M Davis

Afternoons with MeTV. When sidelined by surgery, we need a way to pass the time. By Meryl Baer

Saving Our Family History. For some of us, it’s what we’re called to do. By Ruby Lee

Health & Wellness

Wrinkles, Weeds, and Alzheimer’s Disease. What can we do about them? By Marlane Ainsworth

Will Specific Foods Really Keep You From Getting Dementia? What science says about diet and cognitive decline. By Lauren Lynn Bradley

How Nocturia Can Ruin A Good Night’s Sleep. The hazards of a late night trip to the bathroom. By Darren Weir

The Cringey Truth About Getting a Colonoscopy And Other Medical Tests.Scientists, could you invent a less embarrassing process? By Greta Dias

May Is National Skin Cancer Awareness Month. By Richard Armstrong

Tips for Better Living

20 Reasons Why You Are Not Too Old to Exercise (Aerobically). Start low (impact) and go slow. By Mary Lou Heater

Seniors, Don’t Go Shopping on Saturdays! We become invisible and stay that way until Monday. By Carole Olsen

We Baby Boomers Need to Loosen Up When It Comes to the Younger Generation. Remember, It hasn’t been that long ago when our folks complained about us! By Ruby Lee

Facing Our Feelings

My Children Have Paws… My story and tips for surviving Mother’s Day depression. By Katy Cable

On Tweaks and Wonky Widgets. Mental health is not just a young person’s game. By Ren Powell

The Deafening Silence of Grief. I am staying home today, all day. I need to be quiet, alone, in solitude, silent. By Jo Saia

A Cure for Loneliness

Seniors: Do You Enjoy Your Solitude or Are You Lonely? Or do you enjoy family, kids, grandkids, dogs, cats, and goldfish? By Lee J. Bentch

How to Fight Social Isolation as You Age. Talking to strangers can benefit you in later years. By Nancy Peckenham

Let’s Make a Forest. The value of community. By Laura Culberg- Welcoming Opposites

On Becoming Better

Regret Is a Waste of Time When You Can’t Change the Past. An epiphany about writing, regret, and foolish rumination. By Melinda Blau

Two Seas. The hoarding sea and the renewing sea. By Gerad Carrier

What Makes Us Old Timers Likable and Why it Matters. By Richard Armstrong

Your Voice is Everywhere. I have been a fairly quiet person for most of my life . By Jo Saia

Practical Advice

15 Popular Phone Scams — Part I. Some of These Schemes are Truly Brilliant. By Lauren Lynn Bradley

15 Popular Phone Scams, Part II. Some of these schemes are truly brilliant. By Lauren Lynn Bradley

15 Popular Phone Scams, Part III. Some of these schemes are truly brilliant. By Lauren Lynn Bradley

My Idea Bank is Overloaded. Just when I thought I had reached the age of forgetting things. By Robin Oakman

Things We Love

Hair! Long, Beautiful Hair! How my “crowning glory” has evolved (devolved!) over six decades. By Deb Groves Harman

If The Shoe Fits: Buy It Again. My athletic shoes confirm the obvious: I’m a true Dad. By Ron Wayne

Geezer Tour Buses are Rolling Again. The rush to make up for two years at home. By Sharon Johnson

Humor

Did I Embarrass My Mother? They told me I wasn’t wearing the proper attire. By Brian Dickens Barrabee

Backpacking Almost Got Me Killed. I was so much more adventurous when I was young. By Mary McGrath

The Upside of Covid: Remedial Geography. A week into Covid, I told my daughter I had brain frog. By Kate Stone Lombardi

Two Kickers You Don’t Want to Miss

Pigeon-gate . . . Or: no good deed goes unpunished. By Patricia Ross

Express Yourself. Psychologists say the first teenage love is experienced at around 17 years of age. By Brian Dickens Barrabee