There are several lists of U. S. states where people are the happiest . . . and the unhappiest. According to one list, the most miserable people live in California and New Jersey. But another survey cites Alaska and Maine.      Some of the happiest people live in states like Colorado, […]

     I just found out that I have some surprisingly valuable art hanging on the walls of my house. I am also in possession of a remarkably prized collection of rare, antique shoes. But more on those in a minute.      I live a modest lifestyle, but you should know that many of […]

      I just finished doing today’s Los Angeles Times crossword puzzle. Later, I’ll do the New York Times crossword. I do it online. I started doing crossword puzzles during Covid as a way to pass the time. But somehow I’ve become addicted, and I’ve continued doing them pretty much every day, long after […]

     Yesterday I got my second shingles shot. And today I don’t feel very good.      The same thing happened after my first shot, back in May. I didn’t get a cough or a sore throat; didn’t have a headache. Well, maybe today I have a little headache. I also have a low-grade […]

     How did we end up in this situation where everyone is so polarized, so surrounded by like-minded people, and so dismissive of others who have a different opinion or different lifestyle?      It all started with television, according to Harvard historian Jill Lepore. When television started broadcasting the news, back in the […]

      Admittedly, our children and grandchildren know more about technology than we do. They can play enormously sophisticated video games. They know how to Snapchat and TikTok, they can upload photos on iCloud and text using their watch. They can pay for a purchase in the store just . . . just by […]

      The news this week for us seniors:  It was just announced that Social Security benefits for next year will increase by 8.7%. That comes after a 5.9% increase for 2022. The average monthly benefit for a retired worker currently stands at $1,660. So the average retiree will get an increase of a […]

     I don’t know about you, but I sometimes wonder what getting old is all about. The whole notion seems strange to me. Why do I find myself taking a nap in the afternoon? Those little bumps and bruises that show up on my body — where do they come from? Why don’t people […]

     We just returned from what was going to be a 12-day vacation to the beach in South Carolina. We came home a day early, chased out by Hurricane Ian. We found out later, in Charleston, there was plenty of street flooding and some wind damage, but nothing catastrophic like there was in Florida. […]

      This time of year my wife B and I often take a trip to Cape Cod. We love it there — the seafood restaurants, the lobsters and clam chowder, the quaint towns along the shore, even the broad New England accents.       One problem: fall comes early to Massachusetts. The […]