Blueberries and Jello

About the Book

This collection of stories is intended as a memorial to my family and friends of a long life well-lived. It was begun as a useful way to spend my elder years at Byron Park, the Senior Living Facility where I began living in 2019. I wanted it to reflect my family and my career but also to contain a wide variety of good writing on subjects that interested me. They range from a cousin “approaching blindness” to the “veil of ignorance” of Jack Rawls, combined with a couple of very unusual family excursions. And I tell my own story. All in all, I believe this book will provide a good road map for many to healthy living and good personal relationships.

About the Author

As the ninth ‘Joseph Mickle Fox’, I have always felt a need to live up to my ancestry. I am not one to say much about my own story but now, at age 102, I feel somewhat relieved of this responsibility. I had a fine career, at Kellogg and Bechtel, as a chemical plant and refinery design engineer and fossil fuels expert but I felt the need to move on when I retired in 1992. I had found Fox family connections in Britain and followed these up with DNA testing. I continue to administer the Fox Y-DNA Surname Project at FamilytreeDNA. I have written three family history books, backed up with genetic testing, and was an Oakland Museum Art Docent for twenty years. I feel best when pursuing relationships with family and friends. I like to keep occupied and this book is a result. Whether all this provides a guide to longevity, I’ll leave up to the reader. I’ll admit to being an exercise addict, avid gardener and eating well.