Jan 14 2012
One of the pitfalls of getting older is social and intellectual isolation. Often it happens after retirement when we lose our work connections. Sometimes the death of a spouse is the cause. Or, if we get physically or mentally frailer, we don’t have the confidence or the patience we once had, so we stay home. [...]
Jan 08 2012
He uses a couple of dozen microphones placed around the room and on his body and on his instrument and he walks around among them while playing. I don’t know what else he does, but whatever it is, it’s unbelievable that he can do it live– there is no overdubbing or layering. Colin Stetson… The two pieces [...]
Dec 31 2011
“When that car was gone I used to look out in that empty space every day. That hurt, really. I was afraid I wouldn’t pass the test and I don’t think I could have taken that. That would’ve been really devastating.” That’s one of the voices from this week’s edition of Old Growth. Click here [...]
Dec 17 2011
Most artists on any weekly edition of my Giant Steps radio show (new jazz and its relatives on Kootenay Co-op Radio) are still “Alive. Alive and living” as my daughter Laura said in a poem to indicate not just alive but also dealing in the world of the present and future tense. Sometimes doing a music show [...]
Dec 17 2011
“I am reducing my needs in my life, but my life is getting bigger. I feel happy with this choice and I will go for it as long as I can. But I can see that it is not for everybody. You can do a lot in your own community. People say, why do you [...]
Dec 11 2011
I’m entitled to that money. When Mom and Dad die, I’ll get it anyway, so I’m going to take that money out and buy the car that I need. And I’m going to borrow some of that money for my son’s education. Gail Russell gives that example of the sense of entitlement that sometimes leads [...]
Dec 11 2011
A 79-year old triathlete. An 81-year-old competitive swimmer. A 71-year-old runner. A 63-year-old runner and cyclist. In other words, Michael Pratt, Wilma Turner, Barb Saunders, and Lex Baas. They all live in Nelson and three of them competed in the B.C. Senior Games held recently in the West Kootenay. Athletes at the Mic A few [...]
Nov 28 2011
Joan Reichardt tells a story of a woman in her 80s, living alone and in near-poverty, who, if she wants to go anywhere or just get out of the house, is reluctant to ask anyone (friend, neighbour, family member) for a ride. She doesn’t want to impose. The only acceptable excuse to ask someone for [...]
Nov 17 2011
Old Growth, my radio series about life after 65, will be broadcast at 8:30 am Mondays, repeated 2:00 pm Thursdays, on the dates listed below, on Kootenay Co-op Radio at: 93.5 fm Nelson 107.5 fm New Denver 96.5 fm Crawford Bay Weekly links to podcasts will be posted here. 1. Offering Courage to the Young— [...]
Oct 12 2011
There are some things about getting old that have no bright side that I can find. One of them is the possibility of getting Alzheimer’s or some other form of dementia. But it is consoling to see people deal with a family member’s Alzheimer’s really well. Like Cal and Loree Renwick’s journey through the late [...]
