Gary Chalk My wife Jan and I, along with our son, daughter-in-law, and two granddaughters went on an ocean cruise. We figured spending money like drunken sailors would give us a trip of a lifetime. The ship had numerous “family-friendly features” including thrilling water slides, dance parties where you cannot hear the music unless you…
Tag: Living Retired
Features, November 2025
Living Retired: Coati
David Zapatka After friends recently hiked in the Chiricahua National Monument, I read this in a news article: “Wilcox, Ariz.—A merry troupe of coatis moms and babies were spotted along a road in Chiricahua National Monument in Arizona. Cousins of raccoons, the playful coatis gathered and excitedly squeaked with their tails shooting straight up like…
Features, October 2025
Living Retired: Fire Away!
Gary Chalk Recently, my wife Jan and I purchased a gas fire table so we can look forward to enjoying cooler evenings on our patio. “Gary, I am looking online at a nice fire table,” Jan said. “The problem is it comes unassembled, with a 30-page instruction book marked ‘Danger! Fire and Explosion Hazard!’” “Jan,…
Features, September 2025
Living Retired: Cash Me If You Can
Gary Chalk My Monday morning routine is to publish my latest Living Retired column. My wife Jan’s routine is to ask, “Gary, how on earth do you come up with such gobbledygook?” I explain that frequently the stories fall in my lap, or more recently, in my wallet; but actually, it didn’t fall in my…
August 2025, Features
Living Retired: The “Joy” of Aging
Gary Chalk My wife, Jan, and I recently hosted two couples we have been friends with for many years. When we picked the date, we agreed instead of our usual evening dinner get-togethers, to make it a lunch so our friends did not have to drive home in the dark. It’s called aging. Aging was…