In the life of every essayist, there comes a time to gather a bunch of essays and put them between covers. And what better time than in the days before Christmas? I am old, my readers are old, and we hang out with other old people. Old people seldom need…

I live in a community dotted with convenience stores. We call them convenience stores, I think, because there are so many of them you don’t have to travel far to find one. That‘s convenient. No matter what they are called or why they are called that, what all convenience stores…

I retired from practicing law at 69. I had planned to work until 70, but the pandemic made work a pain in the ass. …

I believe stuff, but it doesn’t stick. I am old now and throughout my life, people have put pressure on me to believe stuff. They still do. They tell me that believing certain things is very important. Sometimes I can do it. I wake up and I believe and I…

I’m not a sad guy. I don’t think the world is going to hell in a handbasket or that humanity is doomed. I don’t think the world was a better place when I was eleven years old. But the American election season always brings me down. As I write, the…

Twenty-five years ago, my wife and I would leave my parents’ home after a visit and snark to each other about how hot it was in their house. According to us, they had the temperature cranked up to about a million degrees. “I’m sweating like a pig.” “I could hardly…

Three years ago I gave away my bicycle. I hadn’t ridden it for a long time because I’d grown old. Riding a bicycle wasn’t fun anymore. My fear of being injured exceeded my expectation of adventure. …

Going to one’s parents for money is a time-honored tradition. Had money existed in the time of Adam and Eve, both Cain and Abel would have at some point been at their parents' door looking for a little financial help. I did it. Financial help from my parents while they…

This take on fish tacos began when I watched an episode of Chef John in which he makes puffy fish tacos. In the video, Chef John opines that a little more crunch could improve most fish tacos. I have made a lot of fish tacos at my house, and they…