Insights & Guidance for Planning Ahead

It was November 10, 2025, a Monday. The day before had been windy with a chill in the air though it got up to 60 degrees. The wind was exhausting after several days of it. That November 10th Monday morning Milo (my labrador mix) and I headed out for our morning walk along a draw near my home. It was our first real cold day: 15 degrees. The sun was up just enough as to light the top of trees and cast long cold shadows. While some leaves had already fallen, particularly in t

My wife and I are on a vacation tour as I write this. We arranged for a private drive around the town we were visiting to see some sites that were not part of the official tour. Our driver, Manuel, was showing us those sites, but also taking time to explain to us foods of the area. One was Nata, a traditional Portuguese custard yart with a flaky, buttery crust and creamy egg-based filing. Manuel pointed out the most popular bakery that made that pastry, as well as other

I have shared before that I love Halloween. The costumes, the decorations, the parties, the FUN. But not the scary, bloody and gory part. You can keep your horror movies and scary haunted houses, I’d like to keep sleeping at night. I am going to share some nightmarish situations that have happened with our office. They will not have happy endings. I want to be careful to not make light of unfortunate situations, but I do think it is important to share our experience. Joy T

September is upon us, and with it, the beginning of dove season. Each year during this season I think of my labrador retriever Star, though she left this world ten years ago. I wrote the following article years ago, while Star was turning into old age. I also wrote it for my older clients and their families. Excuse me repeating my story, but this is to honor Star and all my clients, past and present. -Randy I have an old dog named Star. She is kind of crippled up, both front

My wife, Barbara and I lost our three dogs between December 2023 and May 2024. They and their predecessors had been central to our lives for most of our married years. For the first time we were without a dog. Did we want to have another dog? Did we want to go through the training, the uncertainty, the emotional investment - and ultimately, the heartache of loss? After a period of mourning, Milo came into our family in October of 2024 from the Humane Society. He was a

May is recognized nationwide as Elder Law month, a time to raise awareness of unique issues facing older Americans. As an elder law practice, we feel our role is protecting the elderly’s rights, dignity, and independence. I have the privilege of working with seniors and their families at some of the most vulnerable and transitional moments in life. It may be planning for long-term care, managing the complexity of Medicaid eligibility, protecting assets, using Medicare e

Last month I talked about my wife and her amazing tomatoes as well as her processes; how she starts in the fall drying tomatoes from her favorite plant, harvesting the seeds and saving them during the winter; then planting them in planting containers come the next spring (read article here). This year she followed suit. Up came the tomato plants, reaching for the sun. I was so excited. March saw us take off for spring break, meeting the children and grandchildren in Fl

The year 2024 was a banner tomato year in the Clinkscales household, all thanks to my wife, Barbara. It was not the quantity; it was the quality. Barb started her Heirloom tomatoes in March 2024, planting seeds in starter containers. She sat them on a buffet in the South part of our living room, so they would get abundant light. When the seeds sprouted, she treated the sprouts like new babies – lots of care, watering, and nurturing (and, yes, kind words were spoken). Wh

If you listen to the talking heads, the Kansas City Chiefs have the referees in their pocket. All penalties go the way of the Chiefs; the Chiefs quarterback gets all the favorable calls. It is interesting, because statistically none of that is true. In fact, one Chiefs’ player is the 2nd most penalized player in the NFL (Taylor). Mahomes is the 21st player benefiting from a roughing the passer penalties. The other day I had a meeting with a family. One member of the family ha

We celebrate Valentine’s Day on February 14th. I always had a special Valentine: my mom. Mom was born on Valentine’s Day, and was named after it, Vallee. My parents were young—just 20 when they had me as their first born. While growing up, I always had the youngest parents compared to my friends. My mom was beautiful and gregarious. At times she was compared to the famous actress, Elizabeth Taylor. Later in life I learned that most of the other boys in my high school class h