Meet Crow’s Feet writer Orrin Onken in today’s new episode of the Crow’s Feet Podcast. If you’ve read his amusing essays about life as a self-described “old guy,” you’ll want to hear about the legal cases he handled as an elder law attorney. In a wide-ranging interview with host Jan M. Flynn, Orrin talks about how to protect your assets legally and reveals his alter ego, a fictional feisty lawyer who appears in Onken’s novels.
After you’ve listened to the podcast (and hopefully left a review), grab your favorite beverage and curl up for some good reading that will shed light on what it really means to age.
We start by digging into retirement, with two essays that explore how you know when it’s time to retire.
— Nancy Peckenham, Editor
Retirement
A Window on the World Beyond Work. When the view is unclear, a burned-out worker tunes into the voice within. By Kathleen Murphy
Why I Am Afraid to Retire. Since the day my mailbox began being flooded with letters from Medicare warning me about the penalty for missing the enrollment deadline. By Anna K
Ten Questions Towards a More Fulfilled Retirement Relationship. How closely matched are the two of you as you enter retirement? By Anna I. Smith
Can Retirement Bore You To Death? It’s not long before seniors go stir crazy. By George “Ace” Acevedo
Why We Retired to Green Valley, Arizona. Possibly the best kept retirement secret in the US. By Mel Schlesinger
3 Life Expectancy Mistakes that Can Easily Crush Your Retirement. And how to do things better. By Opher Ganel
New Frontiers
Technology Triumphs and Terrors. The pioneering spirit of the over-70 generation. By Katharine Esty PhD
Too Old to Become a Writer? Nonsense! Use these tips to get started. By Jane Trombley
A Better You?
I’m Tired of Self-Improving. And all those early morning hacks. By Megan Houston Sager
Bathing Rituals and Skin Care. Simple things I’ve learned over 68 years of having a body. By Crystalclearcandace
Gray Hair Changes Colors, Cosmetics, Accessories. Time to change up what you wear? By Sharon Johnson
Friends & Families
It Was a Post-Rejection Rejection. Is that a thing? It was in my world. By NancyO
My Grandmother Moved Into a Nursing Home to Get Away from Her Son. But she never stopped favoring him even after he set her house on fire. By Ruby Lee
One Last Night with Dad. Gone will never mean forgotten. By Randy Pulley
When I Die, Don’t Bury Me on my Ex-Husband’s Golf Course. Or on his front lawn. Or in his backyard. By Roz Warren
Advice for the Ages
Progress? Sometimes it’s hard to tell. By Micah Ward
How To Cultivate Younger Friends. An invitation to dinner is a good place to begin. By Don Akchin
Stop Doing Old People Things. Your kids want you in the 21st century. By George “Ace” Acevedo
When You’re Finally Older and Wiser, and It’s Too Late to Do Something About It. What I’ve learned. By L.A. Strucke
I’m 150 Years Old. And still learning. By Randy Fredlund
Living Each Year Like It Is My Last. Since there are no guarantees, we should make the most out of every day. By Joyce O’Day
Finding Love
The Most Important Five Minutes of My Life.* Love in life’s last quarter. By Paul Gardner
I Love Married Men-More than One, In Fact. #Surprise #Dating led me to this conclusion. By Cat Strav
I Waited a Year to Date; I Had a Good Time but Then Decided it Wasn’t Right. Now it’s been five years; maybe it’s time — Crow’s Feet Prompt #26. By Lee J. Bentch
He Was Interested in Me. A Bubble of Sacred on an Ordinary Day By Marianne Simon
Body Parts
It’s Better to Lose an Arm Than a Leg. Living with disability and old age. By Soozie Campbell
Finding Your Feet (and Ankles). Why you shouldn’t dismiss a sprain. By Diane Lyons
Badminton and a Broken Arm. Can you actually break an arm playing badminton? By Randy Pulley
Health & Wellness
10 Strange Signs of Dementia You May Not Know About. It’s not just forgetting where you put your car keys. By Bev Potter
Bruce Willis Has Dementia At The Age Of 67. Sadly, there is no cure for frontotemporal dementia. By Ruby Lee
Right in Front of My Eyes, I Am Shrinking. How the aging process requires constant pivoting. By Michele Cambardella
Who Snores in Your Family?Our problem has gotten worse in recent years… By Mary McGrath
Prostate Cancer’s Unexpected Effects. A journalist finds the disease can affect your soul. By Janice Harayda
Need a Senior Citizen Handbook? After yesterday, I sure the heck do. By Carolyn F. Chryst, Ph.D.
Restroom Help for Senior Men. I don’t know about you guys but I found myself visiting the bathroom more frequently around the time I got my first social security check. By Brian Dickens Barrabee
Can Caffeine Shampoo Stop Hair Loss? Studies show the controversial drug that many of us use to wake up can also prevent hair loss in men if used in the morning shampoo. By Brian Dickens Barrabee
Kind of Blue
Life Isn’t Fair. Life has confirmed what my parents told me. By Randy Pulley
I’m Not Depressed, I Just Don’t Want to Do Anything. I know whereof I speak. By Mary Lou Heater
Gone Guy — Reminders of My Husband. The seven-year grief checkup. By Mary Lou Heater
Becoming an Old-Age Orphan. Our parents, and now our music/movie/sports heroes are dying. By Sharon Johnson
Feeling Alone. Sometimes it’s hard to feel the aloneness. By Jo Saia
Back in the Day
Activities I Remember… Rites of passage for all of us! ? By Mary McGrath
Millennials And GenZs Get It Wrong: Corporate Jobs Were Once Fun. If you entered the full-time corporate workforce in the past 20 years, you missed the golden era of feeling good about being expected to do… By Sally Doran
A Walk Down Memory Lane. My son, visiting from out of town. wanted to be useful to his maturing parents. I decided to tackle the garage, and so began my walk down… By Meryl Baer
Games & Pasttimes
The Cutty Sark Goes Down. Building a model ship is not a forever thing. By Randy Pulley
Black Magic: The Game. Here is a simple foolproof way to entertain and baffle your guests, kids, and grandkids.t By Brian Dickens Barrabee
Travel
What I Have Learned Living in Mazatlán Mexico. And why we have returned to Green Valley, Arizona. By Mel Schlesinger
Try Belize for A Truly Delectable Retirement Vacation. Do you like seafood? Warm water? 80-degree weather? How about Mayan ruins, coral, sunsets, English, and friendly people? By Brian Feutz
Modern Day Hotels are Leaving their Senior Citizen Customers in the Dark. A recent family reunion in Florida revealed a glaring (pun intended) lack of lighting, and that’s not all that is missing. By David Mokotoff
Humor
Date Night in the Afternoon is More My Speed Anymore. By Carole Olsen
Eleven Puns to Capture More Bits of Cheer in Your Daily Routine. By Richard Armstrong
What Could Possibly Go WRONG? Adventures between 11–2. By Dawn Ulmer
Can’t Wait for That Next Birthday. Birthdays for seniors should be fun, too. By David Martin
Best of the Rest
I Googled It: Here’s Why Don Lemon Believes Young Women Are in Their Prime. Yes, it actually is about fertility, but that can change. By Vicki Larson
Ear Surgery and Waffles Plus a Pleasant Salute to Some Aging Veterans. A morning of misery and delight. By Lee J. Bentch
Why You Should Never Scam a Writer: The Dumbass Scammer Never Had a Chance. A story of attempted deceit, and reasons not to mess with senior citizens. By Lee J. Bentch
Did You Know There Are Two Categories of Baby Boomers? Which One Do You Fit In? s By Lee J. Bentch
Write Your Own Obituary! Why Not? You needn’t schedule it for immediate publication. By FranMorelandJohns
What Makes a Story Go Viral? A few suggestions that might help your stories gain traction… By Mary McGrath
