While I’m an elder, I hadn’t given a lot of thought to dying, that is until my brother, who’s 20 months younger, announced in...
Thinking About Death
While I’m an elder, I hadn’t given a lot of thought to dying, that is until my brother, who’s 20 months younger, announced in a recent late-night phone call that he had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. (To preserve my brother’s [...]
Pat Taub
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Miserable with Getting Old
I recently received an email from a WOW reader, who described herself as “miserable with aging.” She wrote, “I hate getting old. I hate the wrinkles, sleep problems and bouts of loneliness . . . I hate having aged out of the dating scene.” The reader’s complaints carry a universal ring in our ageist and sexist culture, which [...]
Pat Taub
My Imperfect Role Models
In interviews to promote her new biography, Becoming, Michelle Obama lavishly praises the strong role models offered by her mother, grandmother and aunt. They seem perfect. When I reflect on the women in my family who came before me I have mixed feelings. My paternal grandmother had a shrill tongue; Aunt Anne was a heavy drinker; Aunt [...]
Pat Taub
Snow, Ranked Choice Voting Triumphs, Facing Death & More!
SNOW! Portland, Maine had its first snowfall of the season last night. It continues to snow lightly and blow fiercely. We’re on track to get about 5.” Tomorrow the temps will climb into the ‘40’s which will enhance melting—a boon to those who have Thanksgiving errands to run. This isn’t a particularly picturesque snow, just [...]
Pat Taub
Handling Politics at the Thanksgiving Dinner Table
GUEST POST BY JANET WEIL On a visit with relatives in rural Oregon in September, I sat at the dining table with my female relative – let’s call her Tricia – while our husbands went to the auto parts store. Instead of the offer of a beverage and a look at the latest photos of her grandchildren I was expecting, Tricia started in on a near-rant [...]
Pat Taub
Hope Sightings to Raise Your Spirits
Many of us, including yours truly, are a bundle of nerves as we await the results of the midterm elections. Trump’s hate-filled rhetoric has spilled over to state campaigns, where Republicans running for office mimic Trump in their racist speeches. The Trump-inspired armed militias are moving to the border to halt the migrant caravan. [...]
Pat Taub
A National Tragedy, Nov. Novel Writing Challenge, Midterms & More!
National Mourning The Tree of Life synagogue massacre continues to haunt my soul. I was heartened by the large number of Portlanders who came out for a vigil in honor of the Tree of Life Victims. I wasn’t able to go because of my fractured foot, but reports from those who attended give me hope. I was told that the overflow crowd radiated [...]
Pat Taub