About Me

My name is Madeleine Kolb, and I created this blog because—as I’ve grown older—I couldn’t help but notice that a lot of the grim and depressing things we all hear about aging don’t seem to be true. The stereotypes just don’t fit me. Or most of the people I know.

 As Mark Twain said,

It ain’t what you don’t know that gets you in trouble. It’s what you know for sure that just ain’t so.

And much—maybe most—of what we know for sure about life in our 50s, 60s and beyond just ain’t true. So a while back I started reading everything I could about things that matter most as we grow from youth to middle-age to old age. Things such as good health, good relationships, and work that we care about.

I gave speeches about my own experiences, and I became a Human Guinea Pig of sorts, testing for myself  whether it’s really true that you can’t teach an old dog/person new tricks. So far, it doesn’t seem to be.

In my younger days, I earned degrees in zoology and genetics at the University of Washington in Seattle. After that I moved to Boston where I worked for over 20 years in the environmental field in both the public and the private sectors. Then it was back to Seattle where I got a Certificate in Technical Writing and Editing  from the UW and a job as a technical writer in a federal agency.

After retiring from that job, I started my blog and moved from Seattle with my domestic partner. He’s a retired test-pilot and aeronautical engineer who jokes that he “just can’t hold a retirement.” Two years ago, we moved to southern Maryland in the dead of winter with a houseful of furniture, one truck, one car, one airplane, 1,600 books, and two cats. 

My partner has a position at the Patuxent (Pax) River Naval Air Station, and I’m blogging and doing freelance writing. I’ve also completed requirements for a Distinguished Toastmaster (DTM) award; joined an excellent advanced Toastmasters group in Baltimore; competed in writing and speaking contests; and begun writing an e-book on managing one’s own health.

I have an adult daughter who lives and works in Albany, New York. Over the years, she’s been the inspiration for several blog posts, such as Open Letter to my Daughter on Turning 30.

My passions include cooking and eating healthful food, walking or running (sometimes outdoors, sometimes, in), reading, birdwatching, listening to music, and watching movies.

I welcome your comments, questions, and suggestions on my blog.