My cousin Julia was 18 years old when I was born. I think she started teaching in a one room country school in the fall of that year, taught for two years, then married Ed Ludke. Their first child, Doreen, was born a year later. I knew nothing of Julia without Ed until he passed … Continue reading Remeniscences
elderly
Why retirement isn’t all it’s cracked up to be
The first mandatory retirement with a government pension was introduced in 1889 by Otto von Bismarck, Chancellor of Germany. At first, the retirement age was set at 70, but was reduced to 65 in 1916. One story is that Bismarck wanted to modernize the army, but was held back by a bunch of old generals … Continue reading Why retirement isn’t all it’s cracked up to be
Three score and ten
We spend our years as a tale that is told. The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away. So teach us to number our days, that … Continue reading Three score and ten
B.O.O.K. meets eBook
For Father’s Day last year, our children gave me a Kobo Touch eReader, a marvellous little device about the size of a very thin paperback, with enough memory to hold thousands of books. Considering that we have been buying another bookcase every four or five years, this should be a big money and space saver. … Continue reading B.O.O.K. meets eBook
The Hoary Head
“Hello. Is this your mother? May I shake hands with her?” My 95 year old mother and I were sitting in the food court of Midtown Plaza when a young lady, obviously of Asian descent, walked up to our table and asked these questions. I was wary at first, expecting that she was going to … Continue reading The Hoary Head
Flatlander Faith 