Contrary, it seems, to most expectations, at 96 years old, I am content. I’m happy to still be alive, breathing, and feeling good. And...

When I look back over my long, long life, I feel incredibly lucky. It is my very good luck, for example, to live to be old, truly old,...

Now that I am old, truly old, 96 years old, I have the gift of time, unending time. I go to bed when I please, get up when I please, eat...

I have lived in the same condo for several decades. The other tenants are mostly young people in their twenties and thirties. But some...

I had just gotten up and was still somewhat drowsy as I sat down. But when I flushed the toilet, it exploded under me. Water and feces...

Once, America had Gypsies. The women were known by the length and breadth of their giant flowered skirts, head scarves, and the palm...

My grandfather William seldom wore anything other than his work-day overalls. But he was the greatest gentleman that I have ever known....

Last week when a storm hit the West Coast, some of the electrical power went off and my television was affected. I called Comcast and...

Every time I put on my summer robe, which is white cotton with a zipper up the front, I think of the charming Fatima. She was a Machvanka...

Yesterday, I went with David for coffee at our usual place, Diva’s. After a year and a half, the Covid 19 face mask rule has been lifted...

My father was an amazing man in so many ways. As a young man, in keeping with the times, the early 1900s, he lived in the ambiance of...

Fieldwork is an essential part of becoming an anthropologist and I began my fieldwork in 1966 at the University of Washington. With two...

At night, I open my bedroom window, turn on my air purifier, and climb onto the wonderful latex mattress that fits me like a glove. I...

The surgeon called me twice, and the anesthesiologist called me once. They wanted to know more about Nancy, what she was like, and did...

During the time of the Covid pandemic, isolation is required. The old, like me, are especially vulnerable and advised to remain at home....