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HOLIDAY BUNDLE WRAPPED UP TOGETHER

December 14, 2023 by

What’s the usual holiday bundle? Lights, tree, presents. Add some snow and you’re all done. But then a day like yesterday adds something extra, something unexpected. There I was, sitting in a car dealership while my ride was in the garage. You know the drill?

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CHRISTMAS RULES FOR EACH OTHER

December 25, 2022 by

Christmas rules, even when it crowds my December birthday. I could complain, but it would be a stretch. This year I shared Christmas, and my birthday, with my dog’s first birthday. And others. It was a good kind of crowd.

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BETTER LIVING STARTED YESTERDAY

December 16, 2022 by

Better living begins the day you say it begins. It goes like this: “I will do things that I know will make a better life.” Boomers don’t ask what ‘better’ means. We know. This is for the younger people who still think they’re better.

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OREGON MEMBER RINGS THE CHRISTMAS BELLS

December 25, 2021 by

This Oregon member left the state to look around. Twice. And I found out why I like it here better than there. This is how I explain it to my kids:

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WRITER LIFE CHRISTMAS WHEN IT’S NOT ABOUT WRITING OR LIFE

December 24, 2021 by

Does ‘writer life’ mean writing about life, or the experience of someone who writes? Answer silently while you write about a life of writing. Writer’s Life? Mine began as a small child at my Grandma’s house. She handed me a book.

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DEPRESSING CHRISTMAS WITH JOHNNY CASH TO CHEER THINGS UP

December 18, 2021 by

I’d never heard Johnny Cash sing Christmas songs. It was a revelation. Adding to my ignorance, I wasn’t aware of so many depressing Christmas songs. Maybe it’s the times, or age of man, but Johnny Cash doing spoken word depressing Christmas is a perfect fit. When he sang a mournful Silent Night he changed how […]

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CHRISTMAS BROOM FOR SANTA CLEAN UP

December 29, 2020 by

A Christmas broom is better than a Christmas vacuum? Or a Christmas mop? Those are reminders of work to do, work left undone. Not like a bottle of Chivas, which is a reminder to let it slide, you lush. Pour a drink and sweep while Santa pushes the Christmas broom.

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CHRISTMAS FEELINGS THAT LIVE ALL YEAR

December 24, 2020 by

Do Christmas feelings surround you all year, or just after Thanksgiving? If there are only two kinds of Christmas people, that’s them. The ‘Pro-Christmas v No-Christmas’ debate doesn’t belong here. In someone worth caring about, the Christmas spirit shines through, whether they agree or not. How to know a Christmas shine when you see it?

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COSTCO LOVE LESSONS OF THE CHRISTMAS SPIRIT

December 22, 2020 by

Costco love is more a love/hate relationship: hate the hassle, love to unpack at home. Hassle? Costco hassle? Like driving loops around a huge parking lot looking for a space and dreading what that means. It’s got to be packed inside, right? But it wasn’t. Instead, I found a deal on Costco love.

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CHRISTMAS SEASON: WHAT BOOMERS SHOULD KNOW

December 1, 2020 by

Christmas season for boomers comes with the sort of experience people go to therapy for. We know what to do, also what not to do. The important thing is we do both. With more readers coming in from faraway places like Shanghai China and Portland Oregon, it’s not too early to help them out. But […]

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