Hello Mike! I'm new here too, in fact this is only my second post, but I welcome you. You should never be ashamed of your age; it's impressive that you were involved with keeping reptiles and amphibians before it was so simple. I feel like I have a hard time finding good products sometimes, but back then you must have been pretty much on your own, am I right?
People laugh and give me strange looks when I mention my frog even these days, so people must have thought you were a witch fit for burning during a time when only dogs or cats were 'acceptable' pets. It's thanks to folks like you that we now have such a big and thriving trade in reptiles and amphibians now.
I think you should definately try your hand at keeping a pet frog again. You're never too old. If you're concerned about the little boogers getting away from you, you should choose a fat, lazy frog like I did. I chose a Pacman frog and all he wants to do is sit in his soil and eat. He may in fact be a plant of some kind.