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
The Blond-tourage
(re-run) Every woman over fifty gets the same advice from her hairdresser — to lighten up her 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… Continue reading The Blond-tourage
Virtual Tip Jar Fail
I love live music, and the pandemic has made it harder to find. Some of the local bands have gone online, putting out their virtual tip jar while they play for an hour or two. Sometimes they are sponsored by a business, sometimes they do it from their apartments. I love the Beatles, so when… Continue reading Virtual Tip Jar Fail
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
A Good First Date
(re-run) Harold was friends with Jack who worked with Mary. Jack thought Harold and Mary should meet. “Come to the company luncheon with me,” Jack said. “And it you don’t like Mary, you can meet Alice.” Harold went online and checked out the two women’s Facebook pages. He liked Mary’s page more than Alice’s page.… Continue reading A Good First Date
The Week of Love
My chorus is singing a love-themed concert this spring. The songs individually are all good except for the flowery Love is a Many Splendored Thing. It reminds me of 1970’s soap operas. The songs are running together in my brain. Sure, they are different vintages, but none of them is current, and many of the… Continue reading The Week of Love
Paying It Forward
When one of my daughters studied abroad and found her roommate stealing her food because the girl had no money to buy groceries, my daughter was upset. When she finally told me about it a few years later, I had to say to her, “That was me. I was the girl sneaking food because I… Continue reading Paying It Forward
Best Ed Sullivan Show Ever
(re-run) Carol grew up in in Pueblo, Colorado, which was called the little Pittsburg of the West. Her dad was a steelworker. Her mom was a lab tech phlebotomist at the hospital. Whenever one of the kids got sick, her mom would bring home a hypodermic needle in her purse to draw some blood. “To… Continue reading Best Ed Sullivan Show Ever
Must Love Dogs
(re-run) John had a date with a woman named Sally. She had just rescued a dog and called it Muffin. John wanted to go skim boarding at the beach, and he asked Sally to come with him. Of course she had to bring Muffin, her Golden Retriever. When they got to San Gregorio beach a… Continue reading Must Love Dogs
The No-alarm-clock Retirement
(re-run) I only use my phone alarm clock for three things, now that I’m retired. Most days I sleep until either the black lab, Pepper, comes down to the bedroom to wake me up, or until the light comes into my bedroom from the eight-foot window. Even though it has black-out curtains over it, the… Continue reading The No-alarm-clock Retirement
The Lost Package of Christmas Gifts
(re-run) I know, it’s almost March. I mailed one of my adult children’s Christmas gifts to her in two priority boxes after her visit for the holidays (January 10th). One box made it to the East Coast. The other one made it and then went back to Oakland. That’s what the USPS website said when… Continue reading The Lost Package of Christmas Gifts
UPS Freeway Scare
It was a day like any other day. I was late leaving the house for exercise class so decided to jump on the freeway for two exits to save time. As I was driving, thinking about all the things I had to do that day, I noticed a UPS truck merging into my lane with… Continue reading UPS Freeway Scare
Shake, Rattle and Roll
(re-run in honor of the 35th anniversary of the Loma Prieta quake in 1989) Twenty earthquakes happened under my town yesterday. The biggest one was under the posh community of Diablo, three miles from here. They are calling it a swarm of quakes. The quakes are just big enough to get your attention or wake… Continue reading Shake, Rattle and Roll
Spring Cleaning in February
(re-run) It started with a koala bear. A bunch of them. Some musicians were having a fundraiser for Australia, the fires, and the koalas. It was donation at the door. Two and a half hours of music, and I knew three of the performers. We got there early and sat in the third row. Two… Continue reading Spring Cleaning in February
FIRST DATE, WORST DATE EVER! 