(re-run) It was 1977. I was finishing up ten weeks of student teaching in an American oil school in Caracas, Venezuela. My roommate, Christy, wanted to travel for two weeks before we went home to the states. She wanted to visit Machu Picchu in Peru. I’d never heard of it. “It’s the lost city of… Continue reading Machu Picchu Before It Was a Thing
Month: July 2018
Queen Victoria, the Cat
Renee, the 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 cat,” 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 from… Continue reading Queen Victoria, the Cat
The Great Tree Limb Debacle
It started with a red-headed woodpecker, drilling lines of holes in a tall tree limb of my coastal oak down in Monterey County. My brother-in-law said the limb was dead. I asked my handy woman to saw it down. She brought her electric chain saw and a pole. After the better part of an hour,… Continue reading The Great Tree Limb Debacle
Introvert or Extrovert?
Most people don’t know it they are an introvert or an extrovert for the first ten or so years of their lives. By the time they get to college, they have figured it out. Is your ideal weekend spent with or without people? Are you an introvert or an extrovert or a combination of both?… Continue reading Introvert or Extrovert?
How Rustic Is It?
I have an old house two blocks from the Pacific Ocean in Monterey County. It’s a long story, but let’s just say that I had a really good divorce lawyer. At any rate, I rent it to friends only, not friends of friends. Here’s why: “What do you mean you have no WIFI?” “There is… Continue reading How Rustic Is It?
Jerky Jokester
Elena lived in the city. She went to the Cingular to get a phone line. Fidel saw her and helped her get one set up. She filled out the paperwork and then changed her mind. He put the paperwork into the shredder but then asked her for her phone number. “If you want it so… Continue reading Jerky Jokester
Lost in Napa
(from December 26th) I got a dog yesterday. She’s supposed to be a buddy to my two year old lab/border collie/pit bull mix. She is adorable, fast, and sneaky. She has already tried to eat Pepper’s breakfast and has snuggled alone in Pepper’s bed, a fight for the Alpha position. Pepper weighs 50 pounds. New… Continue reading Lost in Napa
A Great Personality
When George was twenty-three his boss set him up on a blind date with a woman who was a good customer for their auto parts business. George had been talking with her on the phone for over a year. The boss thought he should meet her in person. “Dinner’s on the company,” George’s boss said.… Continue reading A Great Personality
The Tree Whisperer
I walk my neighborhood once or twice most days. Since I am a tree hugger and have planted more than sixty trees at my various houses over the years, I will free a distressed tree when I see one. I carry scissors in my back pocket, the little ones used in kindergarten. That way, if… Continue reading The Tree Whisperer
Street Dance
After hiking six miles with the senior group called DASH, which does not dash at all, but rather hikes slowly through the woods with plenty of stops for bathroom breaks, snack breaks, or count-up-and-regroup breaks, I was too pooped to go out dancing. But my friends were going, it was close (just one town up… Continue reading Street Dance
FIRST DATE, WORST DATE EVER! 