Valentine’s Day is coming up shortly, a day that has become synonymous with romance, especially among the young. Years ago, we traded cheap Valentine’s Day cards with our grammar-school classmates and giggled when we got a sugar-heart from one of them declaring “True Love.”

Yet Valentine’s Day has its roots in Christianity and is traced to St. Valentine, who ministered to the Christians persecuted by the Roman Empire.

In this week’s Crow’s Feet digest, both romance and love curses through our writing. Partners who have grown together over decades of navigating life have deepened their romantic love, while others in their sixth decade are still looking for that special someone.

You’ll also read about the love of a child for their aging parent, of love for people who are living into their 90s and who come alive when another person shows them some love.

It’s a great week of Crow’s Feet stories and I invite you to dig in!

— Nancy Peckenham, Editor

Hospice? For Mom? It sounded so ominous, so final, so profoundly sad. By Rand Bishop

Spooning in the Lee of Bum Island. And other joys of the world ahead of me. By Catherine Dunn

Taking a Chance on Love

It Was Deskiny. I did what any single woman automatically does when meeting a new man. I summed him up and within seconds knew that he was definitely not for me. By Carol Shamon

What Happened on Dutch Bumble. Diaries of an immigrant crone and a few takeaways about online dating. By Maggie LaFae

Keeping Hope Alive

Becoming Optimistic as We Age. Can it really happen? By Micah Ward

Living in the Here and Now is the Only Real Secret to Staying Young. If you want to feel younger, “Be” in every moment. By Carol Lennox

The Age You Can Stop Working, Exercising and Learning. By Malky McEwan

I’m Loving This Time of Life. Who’d have thought? By Linda C Smith

I Can Still Do Many Things. I won’t let limitations hold me back. By Mary McGrath

I Love Grey Hair. Just look at the benefits!! By Ranjan Vee

Thoughts About a Long Life

Shock and Awe! I Survived Long Enough to Become Someone Else’s “Old Lady.” Strategies for enlisting courageous, productive and involved elders who exemplify how it’s done. By Melinda Blau

Would You? If you could be guaranteed a healthy lifespan, would you be eager to accept? By Brian Dickens Barrabee

Making Sense of Your 60s

The Bullet Train: Facing 65. And the passage of time. By Judah Leblang

My Second Chance: My Life in Community at 64. By Judah Leblang

I’ve Given up on Minimalism. At 60, I am learning to honor who I am, not who I think I should be. By Beth Bruno

When the Waters Start Washing You Away: What is Left? The years really are eroding us the same way that climate change is taking the beaches. Let’s talk.By Julia E Hubbel

OK, Boomer. Do You Know What Millennials and Gen Z Really Think About Us? You’ll be surprised, I guarantee. By Cindy Heath

Humor

Here They Are! Answers to Your Most Pressing Questions About Aging. The “Doctor” is in. By Loren Lieberthal

Two Retired Middle Managers and a Small Dog. A Greek Drama in One Act by Domestikes. By Orrin Onken

So My Name is a Meme? It’s only taken me seven years to catch on. By Jan M Flynn

This Mask Smells like Broccoli and Onions. So how often do you brush your teeth? By Sharon Johnson

“I thought I heard a voice cry, “Sleep no more!” (From Shakespeare’s MacBeth)

Broken Sleep. Will I ever sleep through the night again? By Robin James

My Aging Problem at This Moment is Not About Forgetting but Remembering Too Much. At two a.m. this Seventyish Woman has wisdom to spare. By Jean Anne Feldeisen

Medical

My Colonoscopies: Chapter Three. Wherein your intrepid reporter receives a “twofer.” By David Martin

Medical Procedures are Worth the Price of Admission. Especially when there’s a happy ending. By Jackie Madden Haugh

Epiphanies While Shopping

Is It Time to Buy Makeup When You Look Like the Walking Dead? To age or not to age. By Amy Sea

Shopping for a Little Black Dress. My wardrobe consists mainly of jeans and sweats. But I needed an outfit for a special occasion, so I went shopping. By Meryl Baer

Practical Advice

Bear in Mind 5 Depressing Thoughts of Old Age but Make Surprising Changes. By Richard Armstrong

Death is the Great Equalizer. We’re running out of time … By Jill Reid

Pandemic Fall-Out

How The Pandemic Changed Me. And made Jeff Bezos richer. By Mary Lou Heater

Can Living Through a Pandemic Bring on Depression? It’s just another day of waking up with nothing to do and nowhere to go! By Ruby Lee

Snow Days

Weather Alert. Why we watch the forecast where our loved ones live. By Nancy Peckenham

January Departs with A Bang: A Blizzard Fit to Tell Tales About. This seventyish woman is eager for an exciting storm this winter. By Jean Anne Feldeisen

Enough is Enough

The More I Use Websites and Apps, the More Frustrated I Become. The adage of “practice makes perfect” no longer applies to the online world for seniors. By David Mokotoff

How to Not Fall for the Scammers God-awful B.S. When You Hear These Magic Words. It happens all the time! They don’t think people have become more aware of them. By Jo Ann Harris

Dogs & Cats

Messengers from Heaven. Stray dogs. By Jacabigail

Trying To Outlive Our Felines. We all lose cats, but that shouldn’t stop us from loving more of them. By Warren Turner

Outdoor Recreation

Who Said Snorkeling Was Easy? And how I felt like a beached whale. By Margie Hord de Mendez

Embracing Retirement-Have You Tried Cross-Country Skiing? Volume 15-A Great Outdoor Activity For Retirees. By Dan Pfeifer

Best of the Rest

My Own Version of Groundhog Day. I keep trying — and failing — to retire. By Chris A Raymond

A Few Words Can Stunt a Life: Here is How to Challenge the Lies. Unwinding the power of hateful, hurtful comments so that we can move on. By Julia E Hubbel

I Try Not to Get Too Exercised Over It. And I’m not taking the same route as Mr. Big. By Brooke Ramey Nelson

I Named My Son After My Great-Grandfather, the “Rounder.” Sometimes your genealogy can uncover some family secrets. By Ruby Lee

I Brought an Air Fryer, and Now I’m Set for Life. At home, the old man, the cook, and the Air Fryer. By Richard Armstrong

Why I Like Photography So Much. A hobby that would occupy my time until I became no longer viable. By Frederick Edwards

Grateful for My Privilege, Always. A grandparent’s second home. By Catherine Dunn

The Phone Call. Was I was meant to be there when she got the news about her husband? By Mary McGrath