I have to admit that Fred Thompson never appealed to me a lot, either as an actor or a politician. I always had the impression that what he was saying was not necessarily connected to what he was really feeling. Maybe that was just me, though. Still, when I started seeing his pitch for “reverse mortgages” on television commercials recently, I wondered whether his e... Read More

My grandiose springtime schemes regarding intense and methodical orchard spraying barely manifested as multiple squirts. So much for idle boasting. Well, even though I wrought a mere fraction of my intended insecticidal and fungicidal mayhem, I did have the best year growing apples I’ve ever had. Which isn’t saying much! But I have some edible fruit from multiple tree... Read More

Experts in retirement are all over the map on whether you should work after you retire from your career. Ernie Zelinski, who wrote one of my favorite retirement books (How to Retire Happy, Wild, and Free, although his take on retirement finances is, to put it mildly, optimistic), says, in effect, that you retire to have a great time and be free of all the unpleasantn... Read More

It’s been nine days since I wrote the following post, and already the grapes are passing. I hope it’s not too late. But getting the @!!*& photo of the grapes out of my camera took me a while, for some reason. Too busy with a cool new project at work, which maybe I’ll tell you about sometime. But to cast my mind back to September 10, here’s a quick summary of s... Read More

Why are light fixtures so awful? It’s astonishing how much horrific lighting is out there. Tons and tons and tons of ersatz crapola, laughably grotesque and cheap imitations of the inane concepts from yesteryear, often marketed as “traditional.” Well, hawking crappy, awful products are indeed a tradition. Here’s today’s problem: a flush-mount ceiling fixture in a hig... Read More

In surveys, many older people say they are more afraid of ending up needing care for a long period of time than anything else in retirement, including death. The fear applies to both physical and mental infirmity. With physical infirmity, the main worries are loss of ability to do the things one likes or needs to do and, as a result, being dependent on others (especi... Read More

I didn’t finish laying mulch around my garden in the spring, and I’m paying for it now. The hot, humid weather in mid-summer kept me away from the garden for too long, and now, in addition to late-season tomatoes, beets, carrots, and potatoes, the garden is now filled with a healthy crop of weeds. I find that weeding can actually be a very relaxing, soothing activity... Read More

You’ve probably heard about (or maybe even experienced) the classic retirement problem that many couples have. A spouse (let’s say the husband) who has been working outside the home retires and is suddenly home all day, while the wife who has had complete charge of the house during workdays and, with the children grown and gone, pretty complete freedom over her own r... Read More

This is an insanely busy time of year for me. Tomatoes are weighing heavy on the vine, farmers’ markets and farm stands are flush with fresh produce, and it’s nearly time to start putting the garden to bed. The biggest thing that occupies my time as the harvest comes in is canning, and now, because I’m retired, I can do more of it! Yay! My son is apt to look at thing... Read More

For a lot of us, by the time we retire, our 401(k) or other plan is our biggest asset - or for some people, second only to the equity in their home. But how much do most of us know about what to do with it?  Here are a few basics: While you are still working It’s smart for most people to contribute to such plans, especially if it’s an employer-sponsored p... Read More