Hi Rena!
  I am old too, and really appreciate these stories! I would recommend Cheng  and Tsui's college textbooks. They have a two-year course which integrates reading, speaking and writing and includes CD's. They are in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. They call it "Integrated Chinese" The language school I studied Chinese at in Southern California uses them. If you are brave enough to work without a teacher, I think these would help you learn the hanzi and also speak some educated Mandarin. They have all their courses and READERS on line at www.chengandtsui.com. Check them out!