How Old Were They? Baroness Bertha von Suttner

At age 62, Baroness Bertha von Suttner of Prague was the first woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. The 1905 award cited her strong anti-war stance, voiced in her influential novel Lay Down Your Arms. A good friend of Alfred Nobel, she also helped convince him to establish the peace prize in his will. Read Who Cares? about the struggle for dignity at Woodruff Home for the Aged, “a lively place where old people go to die.” Learn more about the book and its characters, aged 9-90, in NOVELS.

A royal and influential voice for peace

Woodruff Home for the Aged, a lively place where old people go to die

How Old Were They? Triple Crown Winners

Horses must be 3 years old to compete in the Triple Crown races: Belmont Stakes, Preakness, and Kentucky Derby. Only 13 horses, all age 3, have ever won the Triple Crown. Secretariat holds the record for the fastest time in each race, set in 1973. Read Who Cares? about the struggle for dignity at Woodruff Home for the Aged, “a lively place where old people go to die.” Learn more about the book and its characters, aged 9-90, in NOVELS.

Horses must be at least 3 years old to compete in the Triple Crown races

Woodruff Home for the Aged, a lively place where old people go to die

How Old Were They? Rudyard Kipling

Rudyard Kipling was 41 when he won the 1907 Nobel Prize in Literature, the youngest writer to do so. The British journalist, novelist, poet, and short story writer was also the first English-language author to receive the award. Cited for “the power of observation, originality of imagination, virility of ideas, and remarkable talent for narration,” Kipling is best known for his novel The Jungle Book and poem “If —,” a guide to becoming a virtuous and resilient individual by adopting the Victorian virtues of patience, self-control, integrity, and perseverance. Read Who Cares? about the struggle for dignity at Woodruff Home for the Aged, “a lively place where old people go to die.” Learn more about the book and its characters, aged 9-90, in NOVELS.

Kipling was the youngest & first English-language writer to win the Nobel Prize in Literature

Woodruff Home for the Aged, a lively place where old people go to die

How Old Were They? Granny D

Doris Haddock (a.k.a. Granny D) age 89 in 1999 when began walking 3,200 miles from Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. to promote campaign finance reform. She covered 10 miles a day, skiing when necessary, and relied on the kindness of strangers for housing and meals over the 14 months her journey took. At 94, Granny D unsuccessfully ran for a seat in the U.S. Senate, one of the oldest candidates to pursue a national office. Read Who Cares? about the struggle for dignity at Woodruff Home for the Aged, “a lively place where old people go to die.” Learn more about the book and its characters, aged 9-90, in NOVELS.

This nonagenarian walked cross-country in favor of campaign finance reform

Woodruff Home for the Aged, a lively place where old people go to die

How Old Were They? Alexander the Great

Alexander the Great was 20 when he became king of Macedonia in 336 BCE. By 30, he’d conquered much of the known world, creating an empire from Greece to northwestern India. Undefeated in battle, he is considered one of history’s greatest military commanders. He founded more than twenty cities and spread of Greek culture, leading to its dominance. Alexander died at 32 of unknown causes, likely from an infectious disease but possibly poisoning. Read Who Cares? about the struggle for dignity at Woodruff Home for the Aged, “a lively place where old people go to die.” Learn more about the book and its characters, aged 9-90, in NOVELS.

Alexander the Great conquered the world by age 30

Woodruff Home for the Aged, a lively place where old people go to die

How Old Were They? Henry Puyi

Henry Puyi was 2 years old when he became the last emperor of China, reigning as the Xuantong Emperor of the Qing dynasty from 1908 to 1912. During this tumultuous time, imperial rule was replaced by the Republic. Puyi abdicated at age 6, was briefly restored to power by a warlord, and became the puppet emperor of a Japanese-controlled state in WWII. Following the war, he was imprisoned by the Communist government, but was later pardoned and lived a quiet life as a gardener in Beijing until his death at age 61. Read Who Cares? about the struggle for dignity at Woodruff Home for the Aged, “a lively place where old people go to die.” Learn more about the book and its characters, aged 9-90, in NOVELS.

After briefly becoming China’s last emperor at age 2, Henry Puji lived his final years as a gardener

Woodruff Home for the Aged, a lively place where old people go to die

What I’m Reading: Some Bright Nowhere

My Goodreads and Amazon review of Some Bright Nowhere by Ann Packer (Rated 5) – Dying’s Partners. Some Bright Nowhere by Ann Packer is an unflinching novel that pointedly asks: How do we care for a loved one who is dying? Who in this world do we want with us when we leave it? Eliot wants to continue caring for his wife Claire, as he has for the decade since her cancer diagnosis. Now that she is terminal, Claire tells him she wants her two best friends to take on that role instead. Demoted to the status of visitor, Eliot must confront his feelings of rejection and inadequacy, while simultaneously handling his grief. Some Bright Nowhere then expands into a sensitive treatise on marriage — the strong bond between husband and wife — and friendship — the fierce attachment between women. How do you navigate parallel tracks of love that threaten to veer into a competition? Although the book is written from Eliot’s POV, Packer also captures the perspectives of Claire, the couple’s grown children, and Claire’s lifelong friend Holly. In perceptive vignettes, readers also glimpse the contrasting dynamics of male friendship. As a certified end-of-life doula, I was impressed by Packer’s accurate portrait of the “work” of dying. And as a novelist (see my Amazon author page and Goodreads author page), I valued her ability to delve into the minds and hearts of her struggling characters. Kudos to Packer, who has written a bright and illuminating book about a dark and taboo subject.

Before death do them part

Why writers read: “Books are people who have managed to stay alive by hiding between the covers of a book.” – E. B. White

The Avocet publishes poem “Carl and Carla”

My poem “Carl and Carla,” about the cardinal couple who winter over in the burning bush outside my dining room window, was published in The Weekly Avocet (April 5, 2026, #696). The Avocet, a poetry nature journal, emails a weekly PDF and prints four seasonal issues a year. The poem, an intersection of my writing and end-of-life doula work, ponders leaving “advanced care directives” not only for ourselves, but also “nature directives” for the plants and animals in our environment. Read more in POEMS.

Northern Cardinals, non-migratory songbirds, are monogamous

Why writers write: “The purpose of a writer is to keep civilization from destroying itself.” – Albert Camus

What I’m Reading: Middlemarch by George Eliot

My Amazon and Goodreads review of Middlemarch by George Eliot (Rated 5) – Doing Due Diligence. Marking the sesquicentennial of its publication, I finally read Middlemarch by George Eliot. Duty requires that I rate this classic novel “5,” but words best register my full reaction. At times, I was engaged by the wisdom and wit of Eliot’s take on small-town country life two centuries ago, notably marriage and the role of women, politics and religion, wealth and status, philosophy and the arts. An end-of-life doula, I was particularly taken with how the wills of (rich) elderly insured the maintenance of society’s hierarchies. At other times, impatient with Eliot’s detours (e.g., into politics) and eager to get on with the intrigues among the characters, I was tempted to skip ahead. Then an astute observation would catch my eye and I feared I’d miss others by skimming. A “finisher” by nature, and also a novelist (see my Amazon author page OR Goodreads author page), I felt compelled to read every word. For those who merely want to fill a literary gap in their education, I suggest they peruse enough (say ⅓) to claim they read Middlemarch. But to appreciate the qualities which merit the book a place in the canon, one must push on to the finish. I’m glad I did. If I may be permitted an oxymoron, it’s a predictable cliffhanger.

Version 1.0.0

Persevere with this classic; it’s worth the effort

Why writers read: “A classic is a book that has never finished saying what it has to say.” – Italo Calvino

How Old Were They? Dr. Washington Sheffield

Doctor Washington Sheffield, an American dental surgeon, was 65 when he pioneered the idea of putting toothpaste in a collapsible tube in 1892. Colgate adopted Sheffield’s packaging in 1896. The doctor made other important contributions to dentistry and dental surgery, creating companies to market them. His toothpaste recipe is still packaged and sold as “Dr. Sheffield’s: The Original Toothpaste.” Read Who Cares? about the struggle for dignity at Woodruff Home for the Aged, “a lively place where old people go to die.” Learn more about the book and its characters, aged 9-90, in NOVELS.

Thank a 65-year-old doctor for toothpaste in a tube

Woodruff Home for the Aged, a lively place where old people go to die