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Most homeowners think of putting away heavy clothing, bedcovers, and sometimes even curtains in the Spring. We often overlook Fall as an equally important time to reassess clothing and furnishings choices that clutter our rooms and closets. But it’s also a good time to consider spending more time at home as the temperature starts to drop and leaves have almost all fallen. This might be a propitious time to tackle some small changes to make your home or apartment cozier for colder days ahead. This is a practice known as hygge (pronounced hue-guh) in Danish. Or you might take on a...

Like many things that appear simple, a good gathering you host represents a carefully choreographed dance, making everything look and taste great. You want your guests to feel welcome and comfortable. You want to relax, rather than be stressed before and during the event. Although we each have our own methods for doing so, we want guests to think as soon as they cross the threshold they’re welcome. Practice saying with gusto, “We're so glad you came!  Unfortunately, as hard as you work to pull off a perfect evening, things may go awry. Your home is not (yet) a restaurant,...

  Both of us recently made major moves—one across town in her adopted city and the other to a city about 300 miles away. We were both very excited about the possibility of a forever home in our later years, but we also knew we had much to learn. We were the new kids on the block.   Moving to or within a new city is often a blank canvas that permits anyone to craft a new life. But it takes work to adjust and feel settled in. Every move requires big changes, but most importantly, at our current older...

We are all voyeurs who enjoy a candid glimpse into the lives of famous writers, actors, chefs, authors, politicians, artists, musicians and more. That’s why we quickly turn to the Proustian-style questions featured on the back page of Vanity Fair and in the New York Times Book Review section. We hear directly from these famous folks as if we’re sitting next to them and having a one-on-one, meaningful conversation, drilling down to what they usually don’t reveal. Complete fluff? So what! These trivial offerings lighten our mood at a time when anxiety is at an all-time high. Anything that brings us...

Your computer won’t turn on. Don’t panic. Some people remain calm and try to figure out how to fix it. They’re the ones who understand technology. Most likely, they are young. And then there are those like us, more than 70 years old, who are easily flummoxed by anything digital, whether a computer, printer, complicated oven and the clock in our car. When anything goes wrong, we grunt; try to fix it. No luck. That’s when we curse, we might shriek or, if we have a partner or roommate, we call them to help. Many try but don’t succeed. They’re...