I was reading Tuesday’s edition of the New York Times and came across an article entitled, “Lingering Moose Shuts Down Popular Adirondack Trail for a Month,” see https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/15/nyregion/moose-goodman-mountain-trail.html (7-15-25). Among other bits of information, the article pointed out, “Awesome to behold in the wild, moose are the largest members of the deer family and are […]
My Friend is Okay, and So Am I
If history is any guide, a transient ischemic attack, or TIA, sometimes also referred to as a ministroke, will strike approximately one-quarter million Americans this year. See “A Ministroke Can Have Major Consequences” by Paula Span, found at https://kffhealthnews.org/news/article/ministroke-transient-ischemic-attack-tia-major-consequences/ (5/27/25). According to the American Stroke Association, it occurs when blood flow to the brain is […]
Five Years
Yesterday marked the fifth anniversary of Lee’s death. Not a day passes, nor many moments, when she is out of mind. My memories of Lee –even the sad ones- are part of her legacy. I sincerely wish this were not the case because, in an alternative universe, Lee would still be healthy, and happily, we […]
Just Another Birthday
Tomorrow is my 74th birthday. These days, my earliest birthday memory is vague, but it involved competing birthday parties for me and a classmate when we were either five or six years old. Naturally, the real competition was between our mothers, who jousted over which party would take place earlier on Saturday afternoon. I don’t […]
“Episode IV – A New Hope”
Shortly after Lee died, I lost my enthusiasm for my regular work. My career as a trial and appellate lawyer quickly paled in significance next to the impact and importance of her loss, despite the many interesting and important cases I’d been involved in over the years. However, it wasn’t as if one day I […]
June 12
Lee and I were married on June 12th. Does this fact mean that today is our wedding anniversary, or is it more accurate to say, had Lee survived, today would mark our wedding anniversary? Where it involves Lee, such fine distinctions can confuse me and make me uncomfortable. On the one hand, how can today […]
Revisiting the Month of June
Today’s post is a reprint from June 2024 with a few slight alterations. You might surmise that June is my funkiest month, and you would be correct. Nothing much has changed in a year, except I plan to turn seventy-four…. *** According to one poll (https://today..ougov.com/society/articles/45312-americans-favorite-and-least-favorite-months-year), thirty-nine percent of adult Americans love the month of […]
Communication Breakdown
I grabbed my Android phone a few weeks back, only to observe that its familiar interface appeared different. Quickly, I determined that a new, or at least a dramatically changed, operating system had been foisted upon me and that I had to accept it. The change has been problematic. Overnight, it seemed I had lost […]
Two Peas in a Pod
Robyn and I talk almost every morning. It’s a kind of well-being check-in for us, I think. I would get concerned if I couldn’t reach her (without an excused absence). She feels the same. In any case, during our morning chit chat yesterday, she asked me if I planned to raise a glass to honor […]
Boys’ Night Out
Last night was another Boys’ Night Out, an occasional, generally impromptu, casual dinner (or breakfast or lunch) with some of the fellas. We’re all old men now, and to see us today, it’s hard to imagine that we once were so young, brimming with energy, just beginning our adult lives’ adventures. The subject matter of […]
Jillian
I learned that Jillian had been a daughter, a sister, a mother, and a wife. I also learned that Jillian had died young after cancer got her. I learned this last Saturday, while attending the posthumous celebration of her life with Robyn. I never met Jillian in life. The celebration was held in a large […]
Happy, Healthy Septuagenarians
Perusing today’s newspaper, I was drawn to the tantalizing headline: “How Nearly a Century of Happiness Research Led to One Big Finding” (found at https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/01/magazine/happiness-research-studies-relationships.html). After all, who wouldn’t want to learn the secret to finding true happiness? Among other topics, this interesting piece recounts the history of “the longest-running wellness study in American history,” […]