After 40 years as a computer programmer and game developer—and the passing of his wife of 47 years—Rick has retired and is now living in Ye Olde Folks Home, where he still tinkers with tech and likes to write these amusing and/or thoughtful tales about his storied life.

Life in Ye Olde Folks Home
The Perils of A Capella Singing
Bringing Coffee for Alice
“Turn Off the Lights!”
What to Say to the Grieving
While Waiting for the School Bus
An Unfortunate Misunderstanding
In Memoriam: Betty Lou Edwards-Vessel
A Little Knowledge is a Dangerous Thing
Who Would Jesus Stab?
The Eggshell Incident
First Chapel Service at Ye Olde Folks Home
A Yearly Ritual at Menards
“Mr. Loftus, the Town Hero”
The FCAL Project
Pepe Le Pew Finds New Lodgings
In Memoriam: Dale Lear
Bingo Bedlam at Ye Olde Folks Home
There’s a Shortage of Perfect Movies…
One Day at the DMV
A Visitor from Microsoft
“He Who Should Not Be Named”
Downton… Abbey?
This Home is a Liver-Free Zone
My 9/11 Rememberances
My Yearly Pumpkin Spice Rant
Done In By Baker’s Square
My Eulogy for Alice
“Dear Rikki…”
A Clean, Well-lighted Place for Books
Memories of my First Computer
A Little Excitement at the Staff Meeting
The Tale of Mrs. Butler
Sun, Sand, and a Margarita
“Thou Shalt Not Steal”
Troubleshooting at Ye Olde Folks Home
Stories of my Mother
I’ve Heard Angels Sing
Elevator Mishap at the Eye Clinic
One Day at Fair, Isaac
Saturday Morning Cartoons
A Sprig of Parsley
Fun With Recruitment Ads
Leave Her to Heaven
“Squirrel!”
Bring me Dave Bringle!
Beware! The Oldsters Are Coming!
Life Among the Progressives
A Family Ritual While Watching Masterpiece
The Unforgettable General Oppy
“Don’t Even THINK About Parking Here”
A Dubious Plan Gone Awry
The Singing Christmas Tree!
One Day in the Hospital Lab
The Legend of the Broken Timer
Nelson’s Fruit Stand
This One Time in Glee Club…
Star Trek References for the Win
Family Psalm, Stuck in Lodi
Vacation in Branson
Clyde and Ruth Revisited
COVID Policies During my Wife’s Fatal Illness
I Guess I’m the Shadow IT Department Now
The Tale of Clyde and Ruth
My Garden of Gethsemane Story
We Might Get a Virus!

Life in Ye Olde Folks Home

I was just talking to my daughter about the new Netflix comedy, “A Man on the Inside,” starring Ted Danson as a widower of one year entering a retirement home. ` “Did it hit kinda close to home?” she asked.

You think?

Let’s start with the opening scene, with Ted Danson in his PJs, on his side of the bed even though he lives alone.

My heart. It’s been three plus years, but that’s me. It’s hard to erase habits of 47 years.

The series has been described as “We’re all going to die, plus jokes,” due to its rather cavalier attitude towards death.

Mike Schur, the creator of the series, begs to differ. He describes it as, “We’re all going to die, so live the best life you can as long as you can… plus jokes.”

He hopes that your reaction will be to realize, “I need to call my Mom.”

At any rate, that’s how it is here. All the guys here gather around one table for breakfast every morning, with lots of laughter and good-natured ribbing… two of us have passed on in the three years I’ve been here.

It happens. I know it must sound macabre to you young’uns, but we’ve had some time to get used to it.

The show presents the trip to The Neighborhood—their memory care unit—as something almost as dire. We’ve seen a number of us take that trip, too, and it’s commonly understood that certain of the residents here are soon to follow.

Remember the adage, “There are no atheists in foxholes?” There are few here, as well. Christian belief is rampant, with the only uncertainty being whether one is in the Catholic or Lutheran camps. This is Minnesota, after all.

Does this sound depressing? It’s not. I love this place, and A Man on the Inside is a rather fun sampler of what life here is like.