That's Life

About That's Life

Lois Richter’s format for That’s Life is mostly interviews. Recurring topics include Davis activities and groups; work and life choices; philosophy and theory; plus birding, cooking, art, and other passions. Lois occasionally breaks into music — from ballads to the slack key sounds of Hawaii to golden oldies rock 'n' roll — but mostly there is just talk. To suggest a topic for discussion or a person to interview, text Lois or leave a message in the comments here. Lois seldom (but occasionally) updates her other website. Check it out at https://BirdingWithLois.global

Publisher

Lois Richter

Language

en

Explicit

Yes

First episode

20 Mar 2020

Latest episode

2 Sept 2026

Latest episodes

72 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   2 Sept 2026

   Replay of Corky Quirk: "Bats in your Belfry ... I mean Bypass" from 6/8/17 TL

   Yolo Basin Foundation's bat expert Corky Quirk know a LOT about the "Bats in our Bypass"! And she freely shared her knowledge and fascinating stories about this non-rodent population.  Yep. That's right. Bats are NOT rodents!  Even though the German word for them (fledermaus) literally means 'flying mouse', they aren't. Corky says that about half the mammal species in the world are rodent species, and about half of the rest of the mammal are BATS!  Lots and lots of species of BATS -- few of which live in or near Davis.  Most of the bats living inside the causeway bridge are Mexican Free-tail Bats which are each about the size of my thumb.  With their wings folded closely, they roost in the one-inch-wide expansion cracks under the concrete of the road. They cling to the concrete and huddle together like a huge very long puppy-pile.  Sleeping in the day, one can see them streaming out just after sunset all along the 3 miles of causeway between Davis and Sacramento as they head out to feed.  Lots of bats. Lots and LOTS of bats!! Over 250,000 bats!!! (Lois' note: I don't think I have enough exclamation points to express my amazement at some of the things I learned today.  Instead, I'll just invite you to listen in to this fast-paced fact-filled BATmania episode.) By the way. Did you know that baby bats are called pups and are left vercroed to the concrete while their mothers go out and eat?  Yep. A purely puppy puppy-pile of bat pups.

2. 

   19 Aug 2026

   2026-08-18: Replay of That's Life with Ray Maxwell (2022)

   Ray Maxwell is a fascinating man.  He has done so many wonderful things, we'd need a month to even  summarize them!  In this episode we touch on a few -- hot air ballooning, finding minerals by looking at vegetation from space, how wind moves over mountain peaks and what those aerial waves and ridges can be used for, changes in vision after cataract surgery, setting up a studio, teaching people to fly (motor planes, gliders, remote control planes, and drones), Vancouver BC Canada, lots of tech, and philosophy.  Although Lois and Ray met thru Office Hours (https://officehours.global/), Ray has many other years of broadcast experience -- radio, tv, podcasting, web streaming, and Youtube.  You can see his face online at: Maxwell's House (https://twit.tv/shows/maxwells-house) -- "Stop by the house of polymath Ray Maxwell and see what he's investigating today. Ray is a teacher, color scientist, pilot, photographer, Photoshop wizard and raconteur who each week takes on different real-world applications of complex scientific notions." Many shows on  This Week in Tech  -- Here's one TWIT episode (https://twit.tv/shows/twit-news/episodes/27?autostart=false) on "How to sell your photographs and services, understanding color, photographing abandoned buildings, and more."  Ray is in many. Here he's a guest on Mac Break Weekly (https://twit.tv/shows/macbreak-weekly/episodes/202?autostart=false) -- "New lights in the studio, antenna woes, apple emails, iPhone 4 photography, and more.."

3. 

   12 Aug 2026

   2026-08-11: Replay of That's Life with David Hosley (2021)

   David Hosley had led a very full life. Lois could have interviewed him about many many different things and filled up a show -- his long media career (starting at age 12!), being a renowned investigative reporter,  teaching at various colleges and universities, UC administration, managing LOTS of radio and tv stations, producing six documentaries, training journalists in ethics, heading non-profits, talking about the history of migration into California and the challenges of life in the San Joaquin valley, and sharing thoughts on community, economy, social assumptions, and why people work after retirement.  As I say, we COULD have filled up an hour on any of those.  Instead, because we met working together on a project of the Davis Genealogy Club, we started with family history and went from there. So how do I know all those other things about David Hosley? We actually touch on them all during this show!  Jam-packed and fully loaded, this episode is definitely a keeper. Originally broadcast 2021-09-02; re-aired 2025-11-11and 2025-11-18.

Who has been a guest on That's Life

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Courtney Goodin
• Don Shor
• Judy Fjell
• Don Malloy
• Kristina Mekdeci

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

YouTube views

9,758

Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

1 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 35 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

29

Social presence

0

YouTube

74

Engagement

30

Contact That's Life

Guest appearances

Does not typically book guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

Questions about That's Life