Late on a Thursday afternoon, my fiance, Perry, and I stood at the threshold of my family room. I brushed off a piece of lint from his black tuxedo, then clutched the right side of my dusty rose gown to avoid tripping on the delicate hem. As classical … Continue reading
My friend Carla saw almost everything in life as a creative challenge — a moment to brainstorm and make a statement. If there was a potluck brunch, no way was she picking up a dozen bagels. Instead, she’d find a recipe for pear-ginger coffee cake, go b… Continue reading
The trail can be as short as a quarter of a mile but take three hours to cover. Earthy undertones are strong. Some participants have been moved to hug a tree in the process. They’re not climbing a mountain or traversing treacherous territory. They’re p… Continue reading
In James Wrayge’s quiet studio on an early winter afternoon, there is a tangible sense of purpose. Wrayge’s paintings line the walls along the portion of the space he shares with another artist at the Northrup King Building in Minneapolis. There are a… Continue reading
It’s 6:30 a.m., and I have just left my “holy corner,” where I sit alone every morning for an hour or two. The early morning is for me a sacred time, what the Celts call a “thin place,” where the gap between the sacred and the secular is very narrow. T… Continue reading
“Girlfriend Getaways” to spas, all-inclusive resorts or gambling meccas have long appealed to women who enjoy traveling with female friends and family members. More recently, though, groups of women are heading out to ride horses in Mongolia, learn bur… Continue reading
Doris pulls me ahead; I trot to keep up. Her tail is sailing, as if atop a mast. I take this as a sign that my 1-1/2 year-old Terrier/Jack Russell mix is happy and brave. Well, slightly braver than she was three months ago when I adopted her from a she… Continue reading
Part of the VITALITY ARTS SPECIAL REPORT Poet and teacher Zoë Bird began the weekly class at Cerenity Senior Care in St. Paul, Minn. with a simple greeting: “Good morning, poets.” She walked around the circle, greeting each of the eight participants by… Continue reading
This past summer, Next Avenue published “Retiring on a Shoestring,” about a newly retired couple trying to live well on a limited budget. It hit a nerve with readers. But even though it’s not easy to live large on savings, some retirees are enjoying th… Continue reading
On an unseasonably hot day in June when the temperature was forecast to be in the 90s, I packed several bottles of water, snacks and a couple of books on death (conveniently, my shelves are full of them) and drove to Oakland Cemetery in a historic neig… Continue reading