Rose: The way we do things around here

I start my story with a small confession. Following the lead of many professional opinion writers in our nation’s newspapers, I use a photo that is somewhat dated. My beard is fuller and all white now. Due to COVID-era precautions, I have not had a legitimate haircut in quite some time and my attempts at hacking away the excess have had mixed success. Some years ago, I discovered an extremely comfortable and practical garment for use around the house called a caftan. If you have seen the long robes worn by Chinese gentlemen in kung-fu movies, you will get the idea. A pair of soft moccasins or Birkenstock sandals completes the outfit.