Talk about being the new kid in town...I've only been in Grass Valley a year and on KVMR less than that. My journey to the Sierra Foothills started in Connecticut in 1942 when I sat in front of the radio that looked like a little cathedral, and heard some men singing Christmas carols. The announcer, who sounded like God's brother-big, big Voice-said these were gold miners singing underground in a mine in Grass Valley, California.

Now that will get a little girl's attention—people singing from a big hole in the ground. The announcer then said: "Grass Valley... is located in the heart of an old gold mining town to the north and east of Sacramento. It is surrounded by other historic names such as Rough and Ready, You Bet, Dutch Flat, French Corral and Timbuctoo."

Well, those names were memorable enough to get themselves embedded in the brain of a little girl, dug in deeply enough that she didn't realize exactly why, as an older woman, she took one look at Grass Valley and Nevada City and decided to move there knowing just one person and knowing nothing about the present day community except that it had bookstores.

Not to worry.

Serendipity and its sister, Blind Luck, were at work finding me a niche committing radio for older adults.

Long a non-fiction writer, I had gone back to school in my sixties to get an advanced degree in gerontology at USC. I figured growing older would give me something interesting to write about in the years ahead. In theory, every birthday would make me more expert and informed, the better to know what I was writing about. And yes, luckily, I had also volunteered as a broadcaster at KQED-FM, reading for an hour on a weekly program called Newspapers for the Blind. So I knew something about growing older and something about radio.

Then I picked up The Union and read that Bill Tuttle, the beloved being who did the KVMR show for older people, was retiring. So I got in touch with the station, took the great KVMR Broadcaster Training course, and began to dream about a show that might give older adults good information, vintage music and some interesting interviews.

Thanks to very generous people at the station-Steve Baker, Larry Hillberg and George Olson come to mind-I stumbled through my lessons at the sound board, passed the midnight test, did Red Eye radio and was eventually assigned a time slot- Wednesdays from 1-2 p.m. In that time slot now lives a show called Second Wind: The Good Life After 50-Timeless Music & Timely Advice. I think of it as jazz 'n gerontology.

As for personal stuff, I've been married to attorney Mac Small for two years. We met in 1985, but thought we should wait until we were old enough to get married.

Between us, we have six kids and twelve grandkids, enough to challenge the supposed serenity of one's later years. I say supposed, for my own plan is to keep on chirping on the radio as long as KVMR will let me and to keep on as a writer until I fall off my twig.

As for writing, I have a column in The Union's new section, Prime Time, and it's also called Second Wind. On the book front, I'm writing my fourth non-fiction book which will be published by Chronicle Books. It's an illustrated gift book called Hot Granny (no relation), and it will be out in the Spring of 2007.

In all these things, I want to counter the myth that later life is a grind. I have found it to be a gift-a time when you can do some freeform living after years of doing the required exercises-school, jobs, kids, mortgages. It is a time to catch your second wind, to try new things, start careers, chase after fresh interests. And that's not just my take. Researchers find most older people report themselves as happier than middle aged people. So that's good news for the 78 million Boomers, some of whom hit the Big Six-Oh this year.

Meanwhile, if anyone has an idea for Second Wind, they should email me at melwalsh03@aol.com or write me at the station. To find upcoming programs, just go to www.melwalsh.com for the listings.

Thanks for listening and remember, age is just a number and yours is unlisted.

By Mel Walsh
Host of Second Wind