Another day, another short road trip. This time, it was uncomfortably hot, and the car was comfortably cool. I was looking forward to visiting a used bookstore as I’m on the search for nifty paperbacks from the '80s. I’ve gotten quite nostalgic for those wonderful covers I remember in the stores as a child. Anyway, I was headed to Farmington, and while the search for books was uppermost on my mind on the way there, the search for food soon took precedence after the shopping was done. ...

When I exclaim “50 is fabulous” with gusto, some would assume I’m talking about birthdays and life in general, and they would be right. I’m not rich. I’m not famous. I’m not in the best shape of my life, and on any given day there’s a 50/50 chance of things going right or wrong. However, as far as being on the up side of the earth, I’m batting 1000 while fully embracing the gift of being able to find and celebrate the roses amongst the thorns. ...