Cut Loose on a Saturday Afternoon

“I like the way you dance,” he said to me last Saturday afternoon. Margo and I had gone to Vino Godfather, a cool little winery in an old Victorian house on Mare Island in Vallejo. The island used to be a naval base, judging from the abandoned barracks on the way to the winery. A… Continue reading Cut Loose on a Saturday Afternoon

Engagement Ring

Engagement ring. Wedding ring. Suffering. This was in a Carmel Pinecone newspaper columnist’s article (he’s a guy) about marriage. I am female and have never heard that before. Is that how men look at marriage?  Or only the divorced or unhappy ones? I know that’s how my ex-husband saw it. There’s a commercial on this… Continue reading Engagement Ring

Forgetful? Forget About It

The older I get, the more forgetful I become. I try to trick myself into remembering things, but sometimes the senior moment wins out. I sing in a chorus and just performed two concerts this past weekend.  Some of the words rolled off my tongue, and others would not come out. It’s been four months… Continue reading Forgetful? Forget About It

It Just Depends

They had the same hair dresser.  She was coming in as he was going out. He asked for her phone number. She gave it to her hairdresser to give to him. There aren’t too many eligible men in their seventies, especially one that still had his hair! Garth took Gladys to a nice Japanese restaurant.… Continue reading It Just Depends

To Flirt or Not to Flirt

They found each other on Match. They had both lost their spouses. Don said he was looking for a good Catholic widow. He was involved with the arch diocese in Oakland. Sue was a recovering Catholic but thought maybe he was a solid guy. She agreed to meet him for coffee. He was good-looking and… Continue reading To Flirt or Not to Flirt

Getting Away from all the No, No, No’s

My mom, bless her heart, had to keep five children in line, mostly by herself.  She did this by keeping everyone in his or her place, as in, “No, you can’t do that!” I just found out that my younger sister also wanted to play clarinet in the band, like I did. But I was… Continue reading Getting Away from all the No, No, No’s

The Benefits of a Hard Childhood

My childhood friend from Iowa called the other day. As we were comparing notes about our dysfunctional childhood households (hers with physical abuse, mine verbal), she mentioned the immigrant caravan at the border. “What are going to do about that?” she said. “Let in the women and children,” I said.  “I’m not sure about the… Continue reading The Benefits of a Hard Childhood

The Woes of Being a Shopkeeper

The woman who works for me, eleven years my junior and twice as strong, told me that when her hot tub broke, she told a man at her community pool that she needed a rocket scientist to figure out what was wrong with it. “I’m a rocket scientist,” the guy said. A good pick-up line?… Continue reading The Woes of Being a Shopkeeper

A Tongue Twister

Donna met a guy named George through a group of friends.  She was about to have open heart surgery, so she didn’t feel much like flirting. George was average looking but persistent. He kept texting her before and after the surgery.  She thought he was into her, but then he insisted that she call him.… Continue reading A Tongue Twister