Bonus Years in Film

Storyline Poised with sharklike self-assurance, Marla Grayson is a professional, court-appointed guardian for dozens of elderly wards whose assets she seizes and cunningly bilks through dubious but legal means. It’s a well-oiled racket that Marla and her business partner and lover, Fran, use with brutal efficiency on their latest “cherry,” Jennifer Peterson – a wealthy…

by Phil Burgess, Unabridged from the Life section of the Annapolis Capital, Sunday, October 27, 2019. Tales of the sea abound. Think of The Odyssey by Homer, Melville’s Moby Dick or, more recently, the nearly two dozen novels by Patrick O’Brien such as Master and Man, depicting sea warriors during the Napoleonic Wars – and,…

by Phil Burgess, Unabridged from the Life section of the Annapolis Capital, Sunday, October 13, 2019 Most writing about aging holds that one of the great blessings of the bonus years is grandparenting. Now that we have two granddaughters, with the older turning four and the younger turning two, we share those views. Fortunately, our…

Over the past decade, Clint Eastwood has presented a provocative profile for aging – both in his personal life and through recent characters he has played in acclaimed films that depict an aging man adapting to a changing culture. In “Gran Torino” (2008), Eastwood plays a petulant old man and a disgruntled Korean War vet…

In a recent article on aging, Kori Miller asks “How do you feel about growing old? For some, it’s a scary time filled with change and loneliness. But it doesn’t need to be that way. In fact, it shouldn’t. We’re social creatures and growing old isn’t a solo sport.” With increasing longevity, however, we have…

I’ve known Bill Lesko for more than two decades. But not really, I discovered. Last week, I found out why: Lesko and his partner, Martha Fox, a retired elementary school math teacher, are always on the go. Lesko is always interesting – beginning with his six-years of volunteer work to restore and crew the SS…

Our first Bonus Years column appeared on June 3, 2012. That was six years and 200 columns ago. Our aim was to write a column a week. That should add to 312. What happened to the other 112? Answer: We do our storytelling as a labor of love, so it competes with other affections –…

Unabridged from my Bonus Years column in the Lifestyle section of The Sunday Capital, Annapolis, Maryland. It began 12 days ago when we received a phone call from family friends who retired in Florida. They had stopped by to visit my mother, known to her friends as Ginny. Ginny is “97 and three-fourths” — her words — and…

I Care a Lot (2020)

Messing about in boats can be a life-long avocation

Dr. Seuss is a great asset to grandparents teaching the young

Wisdom that comes with aging must be shared and replenished

‘Golden Girls’ sitcom gets real-life reboot

You can’t separate a boy from his toys, no matter his age

Aging gives us new eyes to see people, issues and events

A vigil is a good time to reflect on life’s transitions