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Fun, to us, encompasses elements of life that aren’t necessary, but without which life would be less joyous and quite routine.   It isn’t easy, however, to pinpoint specific examples of fun because everyone has their own ideas. For two seventysomethings, it’s simple: if you’re smiling widely or catching yourself laughing—saying “ha ha ha”—without thinking about why, then it’s fun. Good brain chemicals get released, you relax, and it becomes a perfect escape from the real world and its challenges and upheavals.  Fun can be spontaneous (you’re in a group of friends trading stories), but fun can also be carefully planned;...

Pill containers that sparkle, snap and pop (like you do with your pills), once were cheap, dull, lifeless as a pill (hence the saying, “She was such a pill.”) But they’ve now found new life. While we may easily denigrate the commonness of this practical device, we might forget how indispensable such dispensable pill cases can be. In years past, we may have made fun of our parents and elderly relatives who toted them along to lunch, dinner and on trips. Couldn’t they leave them home and remember to take their pills in the morning, noon or night? Or just...

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...