There it was on my Facebook feed. A writer friend I barely knew saying the best day of her life was the day she met her husband. And a chorus friend telling her spouse “Love you, Babe” on their 30+ anniversary. It stings a little. It used to sting a lot. While going through an… Continue reading Happily Never After
The Uses for a Nine Year Old
My Girl Friday (who works for me on Mondays) has a daughter, who sometimes comes along with her to work. Now that her daughter is nine, she is useful in many ways. 1. She entertains my dogs. 2. She entertains my sister, giving her someone to watch. 3. She brings music into the house, since… Continue reading The Uses for a Nine Year Old
The Blond-tourage
Every woman over fifty gets the same advice from her hairdresser — lighten up your hair. As our skin fades and our looks do, too, we need brighter lipstick, sparkly-er clothing and blonder locks to stay looking as young as we can. My apologies to women of color; this may not apply to you. So… Continue reading The Blond-tourage
Moon Over Lafayette
Trudy worked at an engineering firm. Joe was the visiting copy machine repair man, or as her office mates called him, the Xerox guy. One day Trudy had to make copies. Joe was at the machine, repairing away. “Oh,” she said. “No copies for me!” “Hey there,” Joe said. “We should catch dinner sometime.” “Okay.”… Continue reading Moon Over Lafayette
FOMO, YOLO, and YOYO
(re-run) You know summer has begun when you are constantly checking your email and calendar to make sure you’re not missing out on some live music that evening. Every town has its own series of live music. If you are willing to drive, you can hear it six evenings a week for free, from June… Continue reading FOMO, YOLO, and YOYO
Long-playing Ski Buddies
(re-run) Ellen was in charge of the ski cabin for the In Skiers in San Mateo. Mark joined the Powder Hounds even though he was just a beginner. Mark called Ellen to arrange for a room in the InSkiers cabin. Ellen had a cold and sounded like Lauren Bacall when she answered. Mark liked that.… Continue reading Long-playing Ski Buddies
Racism Embedded in our Language
A few months ago, I was in Carmel visiting my favorite thrift stores. If you don’t like thrift stores, you haven’t been to the ones in Carmel! I got into a line to pay, and when it was my turn, and the woman had rung up my $89.00 worth of purchases, I whipped out my… Continue reading Racism Embedded in our Language
Playing Hooky
(re-run) Last night I skipped my dog’s Manners class. I paid for it back in August after two of my children said that the rescue dog could use some manners. I went the first week, second week, and third week. Yesterday I’d had it with my week thus far. Too many things were going wrong.… Continue reading Playing Hooky
Playing Hooky
(re-run) Last night I skipped my dog’s Manners class. I paid for it back in August after two of my children said that the rescue dog could use some manners. I went to the first class, second class, and third class. Yesterday I’d had it with my week thus far. Too many things were going… Continue reading Playing Hooky
Queen Victoria, The Cat
(re-run) Renee, an artist, already had three cats. She wasn’t looking for another. So when her daughter-in-law called and said, “Mom, you need to adopt this kitten,” Renee was thinking, No way, Renee. But then she heard the kitty’s story, and she had to reconsider. Renee’s son Brian and his wife were moving to Tennessee… Continue reading Queen Victoria, The Cat
RBG & MLK, a Generational Perspective
My mom, who just moved to CA, asked me why the TV commercials are advertising for the holiday weekend. “What holiday is it?” she asked during our weekly phone call. “Marin Luther King Day,” I said. “Well, he wasn’t even a president,” Mom said. “He was the greatest orator in the Civil Rights Movement,” I… Continue reading RBG & MLK, a Generational Perspective
