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
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
Daisy’s Night Run, a Skunk, and an Anniversary
(re-run) With hot, hot weather in the Bay Area, it seemed like a good time to run down to the beach, plus the handy woman was available to come at the same time with her daughter. We had trees to plant, foxtails to pull, and a flat roof filled with pine needles to clean. The… Continue reading Daisy’s Night Run, a Skunk, and an Anniversary
Reflections on a Retired Thursday
(RE-RUN) You’d think retired people have seven days a week to reflect on their past lives. Not so, Smokey Joe. There was chorus, plus a COVID booster shot on Tuesday which produced a huge headache. “Take Tylenol,” my adult child who lives down the hall said. “No, you’re supposed to let the vaccine do its… Continue reading Reflections on a Retired Thursday
Dating and other Things Over Fifty
(re-run) Sherry didn’t get her first colonoscopy when she turned fifty, like she was supposed to. She put it off instead. Did she have one done at 51? No, she did not. 52? Nope. Finally, Sherry scheduled it to be done at 53. She was so nervous when she went in that the nurses asked… Continue reading Dating and other Things Over Fifty
A Victoria’s Secret Box with Dinner
(re-run) Saundra met Duke online on Match. They agreed to meet at Scott’s Seafood restaurant in Walnut Creek for dinner. When she got there, he was already seated and waved her over. As she approached the table she noticed a dozen lavender roses in a vase. She remembered that Duke had asked her favorite color.… Continue reading A Victoria’s Secret Box with Dinner
The Busted Nut
A decade ago, my boyfriend (at the time) and I took a driving vacation from my mom’s place in Iowa, up to Sioux Falls, and across South Dakota to Rapid City, Mount Rushmore, and Crazy Horse. I’d never seen the Badlands or the Black Hills. I heard the story of Mount Rushmore, USA government style,… Continue reading The Busted Nut
Old Mom on Vacation
When I had my kids at the late ages of 31, 34 and six weeks before turning 39, I didn’t think about the consequences 29 years later, when my baby would be graduating from grad school, with siblings 33 and 36. Here we are, and it is damn near impossible to keep up with them.… Continue reading Old Mom on Vacation
Maybe, Maybe Not
(re-run) Sabrina had a master’s degree and a professional job. She went online to meet a guy with an equal education. She tried a site called Elite Singles. She found Curtis, and they talked on the phone a few times. They decided to get together for a meet and greet. Curtis had been a teacher.… Continue reading Maybe, Maybe Not
My Three-quarter Bike Ride
(re-run) I was the one that suggested the bike ride with two of my adult children. They don’t spend much time outdoors or get enough exercise. They like to ride the Iron Horse trail. It is an easy, shady railroad right of way that connects towns up and down the I- 680 corridor in the… Continue reading My Three-quarter Bike Ride
A Ghost Story
(re-run) This isn’t a Halloween story. No words are written in blood on the hallway walls, no moaning spirits or flickering lights, or candles blowing themselves out. Just a feeling of not being alone. Ghosts, if you will, leftover energy from those who came before us. As a child I was called the sensitive one.… Continue reading A Ghost Story
Ketchup and Noodles
When my son was two and his big sister was in kindergarten, I saw a window of opportunity to go do child-free errands, if I could just find a place to park him for two or three hours. Enter my neighbor Peggy. She didn’t have a childcare license, which limits the caregiver to six children… Continue reading Ketchup and Noodles
FIRST DATE, WORST DATE EVER! 