“The problem ain’t what people know. It’s what people know that ain’t so that’s the problem.” So said Will Rogers, the humorist and cowboy philosopher from the 1920s and ’30s who poked fun at human nature and politicians all while famously maintaining, “I never met a man I ...

It was 1970 and I’d just come home with my new paperback, “King of the Grizzlies,” a 50-cent treasure from my Scholastic Book Club order. “Stash it in the camper for the trip,” Mom ordered. I couldn’t wait for vacation to begin so that I could dig into the mess of books Mom ...

Terry downed her night meds, fussed with the blankets and swapped out pillows. I rolled onto my other side, an effort that involved more oofing, groaning and wriggling than used to happen during an entire backyard football game. Soon, we’d be sleeping like babies — which is to say, ...

My office walls are bare. I’m searching for a life philosophy that I can hang as a motivational poster — minus the motivation. I don’t want to be nagged into actually accomplishing something. After studying the wisdom of the great philosophers, I’ve narrowed it down to these: ...

At first, it was a joy to watch those “First Time Hearing” videos in which hosts listen to decades-old pop music. It warmed my heart to see young adults blown away by how good the music from my generation sounds. But the more I binge-watched the YouTube videos, the more depression rolled ...

We’d only been up the tree for 20 minutes that spring day decades ago, but with the bull snorting beneath us, it already felt like 20 hours. “When do you think he’ll get bored and go away?” I asked cousin Ollie, who lounged on the next limb over. Ollie studied the monstrous creature ...