As I Get Older, I Treasure Friendships from Youth

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Make new friends, but keep the old… A curious feature about getting older is my growing-up years seem closer. I reconnected with friends at my 40th and 50th high school reunions, and have maintained connections with some. There is a … Read More

I’m Fat. Is it My Fault, or the Culture’s?

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Snack-Food Stores, Insulin Resistance, Health and Weight I have lost 40 pounds in 4 years in retirement. Yup, that’s really darn slow. I had resolved, when I retired, to eat better and exercise more. The near elimination of stress was … Read More

Real Gains from Social Capital in Retirement

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We underestimate the value of what we receive and what we give. Social capital was discussed when women moved from voluntary activities in the workplace in the 1970s. Social capital is the value of your connections and voluntary activities. The … Read More

‘Rustin’: Homophobia in the Civil Rights Movement

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The March for Jobs and Freedom Rustin is the new documentary streaming and produced by Michelle and Barack Obama. It is an important piece of Civil Rights history, the first commercially produced film I have seen with the jousting among … Read More

Zoom Link to Poetry Reading

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Head for the HillsJoan Dobbie & Sharon JohnsonZoom Link!Tuesday, November 14,  6:00 – 8:30Join Two Wonderful Oregon Poets    Zoom Link! Please note, the doors will open at 5:30 Pacific Time, and the reading will begin at 6:00. Dale Champlin is inviting … Read More

Zoom Reading – for those interested

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Head for the HillsJoan Dobbie & Sharon JohnsonZoom Link!Tuesday, November 14,  6:00 – 8:30Join Two Wonderful Oregon Poets Bring your latest and most exciting poem to read!   Zoom Link! Please note, the doors will open at 5:30 Pacific Time, and the reading … Read More

Boomer Grands and Gentle Parenting

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“Don’t bleed on my floor” vs. “How do you feel?” “Don’t bleed on my clean kitchen floor,” my mother told my brother, who had fallen off his bike and abraded his leg from knee to ankle. “Go outside and wash … Read More

Queen Camilla Needs to Put Her Feet Up

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Many reasons why we should be glad not to be Queen Queen Camilla’s hands were seen shaking at some public event. She’s 76 years old. She probably needs to sit down, put her feet up and have a cuppa. She … Read More

The Divine in Art

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The juxtaposition of likes and opposites Robert Mapplethorpe and Michelangelo I had just taken a picture of my companion, a dark-skinned black man, with a white-painted come-to-life mime. The mimes posed still as statuary until they moved, startling us with … Read More

Nostalgia and Other Lies

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A poem for October Nostalgia and Other Lies Red maple leaf, Canadian flag bright Oak leaf crayola yellow Iron between two sheets of wax paper Label for school project and scrapbook Read O. Henry story “The Last Leaf” and Poem … Read More

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