Vermillion Red

My boyhood heroes were dynamic duos like Sherpa Tensing & Edmund Hillary and Batman & Robin. In my world of make-believe, I’d tie a piece of rope to a fence post and pretend I was pulling myself up the Everest or the outside of a Gotham City skyscraper. If I were in the role of…

I’m going to grow old—eventually. Until the signs become undeniable, old will always be someone a few steps ahead of me, even if it’s just by a month or two. My relationship with aging has always been shaky. In high school, when someone asked what I’d do when I got old, I said, “You mean…

A long, long time ago, in a far, far away land . . . Word rapidly spread around the high school that one of the girls had an “empty.” Her parents had gone on holiday, leaving her alone in the house. Trusting her to look after their most valuable asset. So, it was surprising she…

As we age, enzyme production slows, tendons tighten, muscles shrink, and our bodies show signs of wear and tear. Like many people, I’m interested in maintaining function as I age. I’m less concerned about living longer than I am about living well. Lately, I’ve read several well-meaning articles on the subject and concluded they are…

Lately, I keep thinking, We should go out for dinner earlier . . . before the restaurant gets busy. Of course, I don’t care if restaurants are busy, but I do care if I can’t sleep because I ate too late in the day. Back in the day, I used to finish eating dinner around…