Dear Family Whisperer: I feel guilty leaving my 15-week-old puppy alone. Everyone tells me to “crate” him. He’s good in his travel carrier and sleeps through the night in his crate in my bedroom. But during the day, I put him in the crate only when I leave the house. When I’m home, I put […]
Very Little About Aging Is Funny, but Humor Helps
My best old ladies have (or had) a good sense of humor. And no wonder. Laughter is healthy at any age. But when you’re ninety and beyond, being able to “make light” is a survival tactic. Whenever I tell 101-year-old Marge she’s my role model, she laughs. “I don’t have much competition!” My first real […]
“Baby Whispering” Works on Puppies, Too!
I have a 13-week-old puppy on my hands. In people years, Rocky is approximately a year and 8 months — a toddler approaching the terrible twos. Drop by anytime, and you’ll see a little black-and-white fluffball “barcuuming” my living room. He picks up dust bunnies and random bits of paper, tugs at wires, and teethes […]
The Suprising Secret of Good Geezerhood
This just in…. forget what the AARP and the Harvard Health Newsletter tell you. Forget doing crossword puzzles or learning a foreign language. Instead, keep doing what you’ve always done. I learned this from my neighbor and friend, Marge. She’s 101½ and lives alone. How does she manage? “I keep breathing.” But it’s more than […]
Texting: the New Quality Time
I received a text from my daughter today, inviting me to lunch with her 10-year-old — Grandson #3 — before they take in a Mean Girls matinee. It made my day. And it made me think about texting. Jen and I talk on the phone regularly but much less now that she, at 50, is […]