Universal Design

  When the truth is found to be lies and all the joy within you dies don’t you want somebody to love don’t you need somebody to love…  -Jefferson Airplane, 1967   I was reading a story about 91 year old, Jean Stevens from Wyalusing, Pennsylvania, who had been aging in place with her husband of 60 years,  along with her twin sister June. Nothing unusual here, except for the fact that her loved ones are both deceased. Husband James’s corpse was exhumed shortly after his funeral and strategically settled on the couch in the garage; where it

                                 (photo obviousmag.org) You never know what is enough, until you know what is more than enough. -William Blake, Proverbs of Hell   The other morning I went to the cupboard for some cereal and found two boxes, each containing less than 1/3 of the original contents; the boxes were taking up scarce shelf space. Next, the UPS delivery guy arrived with a package large enough to house several pounds of French roast: Yet the box was feather light (?). Opening the box I discovered two titanium “sporks” which I had ordered for backpacking; each packaged

                                                   (photo allianceforwaterefficiency.org)    Getting information off the Internet is like taking a drink from a fire hydrant. -Mitchell Kapor Sitting at a red light the other day I glanced over to admire the reflection of my old rag top jeep in a coffee shop window (I love my jeep). Looking past the image my eyes re-focused on a common site (to the point of cliché) in most urban settings; at the coffee bar were two people perched on tall stools side-by-side, consuming not just coffee—but information. One was a 20-something woman with an ipod, peering intently at

   The Grace of Great Things The greatest object in the universe, says a certain philosopher, is a good man struggling with adversity; yet there is a still greater, which is the good man that comes to relieve it.--Oliver Goldsmith Words of Wellness Joseph Sutton (1991) I just got back from the COBA Remodelers 2009 Ramp-a-thon in Bend Oregon. The event brought building professionals and other volunteers together for a day with the shared goal of building access ramps for Central Oregon citizens in need. Teams of volunteers headed up by experienced “Ramp-Captains” used

  (photo cowshavefourstomachs.blogspot.com)   “The frog does not drink up the pond in which he lives.” --Native American Proverb My wife just asked if I wanted to go have fish & chips; as a Lennon & McCartney song lingers in the background. This got me suddenly thinking of synergistic parings. Like peanut butter & jelly some combinations are just meant to be--almost as if the forces of nature are in cahoots to manifest something greater than just the sum of the parts;  and have the potential for a match made in heaven. The aging population and the green movement