Nancy Peckenham
4 min readAug 4, 2021

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This week, Crow’s Feet writers take on some big issues: a medical emergency in the middle of the night, the loss of a parent and worries about memory loss.

It’s not all gloomy, however, because we’re still can have a good laugh at life. One writer, Catherine Dunn, even fulfilled a life-long desire to have a drawer full of sexy underwear while another, Ruby Lee, discovered that the millennial generational has abandoned the practice of sorting laundry by darks and lights. Who knew?

Here’s the weekly digest of stories about life as we age.

Life Lessons

Never Fear Being an Elder. Revelations and realizations from over the hill. By Brenda Cyr

Showing Up, Not Slowing Down. 74-Year-Old Cara Lee Reveals Her Secret. I love it when a commenter does all the work. By Julia E Hubbel

Dear Husband. A minor incident made me look at our whole relationship. By Carole Olsen

A Life Lesson from Simone Biles. Self-Care Over Achievement. By Norma Bourland

Swim Lessons: A Metaphor For Life? It’s Amazing What We Can Learn From A Four-Year-Old. By Joe Thomas

Our Bodies are Changing. But that’s only part of the story. By Laura Culberg- Welcoming Opposites

Sad and Old? Hopefully Not. Trying not to let fear of aging badly get in the way of living well while you can. By Catherine Dunn

Not As Young As I Used To Be. My brain insists I am 20; my almost 60-year-old body begs to differ. By Jean Crawford Evans

Things Nobody Told Me About Getting Older. Like Why Was I The Oldest Person At the Women’s Health Center? By Ruby Lee

Advice From Old Folks On How To Live Longer • 14. Wally “Gator” Windswept — Age: 90. By Mark StarlinPublished on Aug 2

I Eat at an Old-People Restaurant. And I never thought that I would. By Orrin Onken

Family

Today Was Milly’s 95th Birthday but She Missed the Party. But you already know that I love you, she says. By Jean Anne Feldeisen

It Took Alzheimer’s For Me To Understand My Mother. Knowing her better makes her easier to love. By Rand Bishop

The Loss of My Mother. As we age, the loss of a parent is often inevitable. By Mary McGrath

Retirement

It’s Time to End the Ageist, Cultural Misconception of Retirement. Am I retired? Please stop asking the question. By Roger A. Reid, Ph.D.

What To Expect When You Retire. It’s a good idea to look before you leap. By David Martin

My Retirement Didn’t Go As Smoothly As I Thought It Would. I learned a lot of lessons that first year. By Ruby Lee

Adjusting to and Enjoying Your Retirement-A Series. Volume 1- My First Summer of Retirement Is Treating Me Well. By Dan Pfeifer

Welcome to the Village. Was the TV show, The Prisoner, a Cold War Sci-Fi thriller or just an advertisement for the world’s greatest retirement community? By The Recovering Educator

I’m Retired, Shouldn’t I Want to Travel? I’m having my doubts about going abroad. By Mary McGrath

The Many Moods of Retirement. How will I feel today? By Mary McGrath

Health and Wellness

Reflections After a Close Call With Death. I woke up at 1 am with sharp, piercing pain in my stomach. My first reaction was disbelief. By Katharine Esty PhD

Flat on my Back. The Curse of Ms. Bliss By Tom Phillips

The Beat Goes On. Dodging bullets in late middle age. By Judah Leblang

Checking My Pulses. Searching for a magic elixir for getting older. By Judah Leblang

I’m Worried I’m getting Dementia or Worse. How could I forget to use an everyday item? By Carole Olsen

Recreation & Hobbies

This is Why I Take On New Sports Every Year After 60. Since I turned 60 in 2013, a few new through lines have defined my life. Here is one of them. By Julia E Hubbel

Want Stress In Your Life, Try Gardening. I couldn’t believe it, in my late 70’s I took up gardening and I was loving it! By Brian Dickens Barrabee

Beware The Vacation Superman: I Think I Should Have Thought This Through A Little More. By Charles H. Roast

It’s Never Too Late to Play Dress Up! Four fun sisters from Indiana do up the town. By Ruby Lee

Fairways, Fun & Fizz. It’s never too late to learn a new hobby. By Rosy Gee

Fun Underwear. That day the sexagenarian me went out and bought underwear that makes me happy. By Catherine Dunn

Back in the Day

“I Have No Memory of That.” The necessity of forgetting. By Laura Culberg- Welcoming Opposites

Do Only Old People Sort Laundry Anymore? The things you learn on Twitter. By Mary DeVries

You Know You Are Old If You Can Remember When The Milkman Delivered Your Milk To Your Front Door. And that’s just the beginning. By Ruby Lee

Rock n Roll Loses a Great Hombre. For all Baby Boomers and rock fans, the sudden death of a 72-year-old musician causes deep reflection. By Lee J. Bentch

Humor

Things You Shouldn’t Say to a Senior. Some of these questions are so insulting! By Mary McGrath

Easy Ways for Seniors to Exercise. Who needs a gym when you can do these simple activities from your home? By Mary McGrath

Check out our companion site at www.crowsfeet.life

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Nancy Peckenham

Journalist, editor, mother, wife, sister, daughter, friend, adventurer, history-lover. Editor of Crow’s Feet