Posted inBooks Family

My memories of growing up with books in the 1950’s and 60’s

Listen up, you youngsters who read blog posts like this (if you exist): an old man is going to tell some tales of what it was like in the Old Days when books -- yes, books, of the paper variety -- were way more important in people's lives than they are now.  These memories were stimulated by the donation I made today of eight boxes containing 201 books to the Friends of Salem Public Library.  Needing to downsize my collection, I spent quite a bit of time culling through a bunch of books, deciding which of them I'd fallen sufficiently…
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Posted inHome life

I’m glad I sold my Mini Cooper to CarMax

Being the age I am (68), I've bought and sold quite a few cars over the years. I've found that buying is more pleasant than selling, especially now. New car dealerships increasingly have a fixed or no-haggle price. When I bought my 2011 Mini Cooper S in Portland, Oregon, I was told there was only one possible price: MSRP.  OK. I wanted the Mini. I paid that price. Simple. Similarly, when I recently decided that a 2017 VW GTI should enter my driving life, replacing the Mini, I was told that the VW dealer here in Salem (Lithia Motors) has…
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Posted inCurrent affairs Family

Clinton’s election-eve campaign speech reminded me of how far women have come

Driving home from my Tai Chi class tonight, my election-obsessed brain caused my fingers to choose the MSNBC button on my car's satellite radio rather than the Chill or Classic Vinyl music stations that ordinarily attract me. I heard President Obama's voice.  He was speaking at one of Hillary Clinton's final campaign events, a 40,000 person rally in Philadelphia. Obama was inspiring. Obama strongly urged people to get out and vote tomorrow. Naturally, for Clinton. Then Clinton took the stage. You can hear part of what she said in the video below. What moved me was how positive she was,…
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