September 2021 – Page 3 – FIRST DATE, WORST DATE EVER!

That Dang Daisy Dog

September 13, 2021September 12, 2021 Posted in beach, chase, computer, deer, dogs, memoir, Monterey Bay, veterinarianLeave a comment

(re-run) This morning I packed the car to return from Monterey. The dogs get excited, so they actually get into the car first so that I can shut the doors and not worry about them. My little beach house shares a driveway with a family with a big boxer named Titus. He is sometimes loose… Continue reading That Dang Daisy Dog

The Blond-tourage

September 13, 2021September 12, 2021 Posted in aging, blondes, California, cocktail waitress, girlfriends, hairdresser, humor, memoir, relationships, waitressingLeave a comment

(re-run) 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.… Continue reading The Blond-tourage

Domino Effect

September 12, 2021September 11, 2021 Posted in China, Craigslist, daughter, dogs, Facebook, grad school, memoir, pandemic, sewing room, summer, tea cupsLeave a comment

My youngest just left for grad school on the East Coast. She had moved back home for ten months to ride out the winter months of the pandemic. In April her dad up and sold his big house (where she always stayed) and moved out of state. Suddenly I had a twin bed in the… Continue reading Domino Effect

Chihuahua Vs. Foxtail

September 11, 2021September 10, 2021 Posted in dog walks, dogs, foxtails, hiking, holiday weekend, memoir, veterinarianLeave a comment

Foxtail weeds are dangerous for dogs. That’s why they make a mesh face and ear guard for dogs that venture into the open space on hikes. My adult child had taken the Chihuahua terrier mix on hikes daily since April. He never had a problem, until the other evening . . . Suddenly he burst… Continue reading Chihuahua Vs. Foxtail

Build Me Up, Buttercup

September 10, 2021September 9, 2021 Posted in 1968, chorus, commercials, daughter, female bonding, Foundations, go-go boots, Gong show, judges, singles' club, sister, ski club, talent show, yellowLeave a comment

(re-run) There’s a new Geico commercial for motorcycle insurance that starts out with the introduction to one of my favorite songs – Build Me Up, Buttercup. Of course, I have to sing along. Why do you . . . build me up, buttercup baby, just to let me down, and mess me around . .… Continue reading Build Me Up, Buttercup

The Burden of Being an Empath

September 9, 2021September 9, 2021 Posted in 911, amusement park, children, Colorado, danger, empath, empathy, Glenwood Springs, Harry Potter, memoir, news, parade, parents, Sandy Hook, sledding, waiverLeave a comment

Yesterday several TV stations reported the death of a six-year-old girl while on a free-fall ride built into a mine shaft in Glenwood Springs, Colorado. She fell 110 feet to her death. There was no age or height restriction for the ride. She was with her parents and older sibling. Something went terribly wrong. My… Continue reading The Burden of Being an Empath

Whatever is Meant to Be

September 8, 2021September 6, 2021 Posted in antique, books, divorce, fate, memoir, qué será, soup, termites, truck, trucks, waitressingLeave a comment

(re-run) I’ve been on the hunt for bookcases for a while now. I have ten tubs of antique books sitting in a damp garage near the beach, and I think it would be good to get them into the house. I sold all my beautiful bookcases when I was getting divorced. I knew the new… Continue reading Whatever is Meant to Be

Marathon Man

September 8, 2021September 7, 2021 Posted in California, dating, firsts, relationships, restaurant, sportsLeave a comment

(re-run) She’d tried them all — Match, eharmony, Our Time, Chemistry, Zoosk, Okay Cupid, and Coffee Meets Bagel. She’d had her share of weirdos and had learned to use a fake name, fake town, and a fake place of work. She had been stalked in the past. Now she knew how to do it and… Continue reading Marathon Man

His Baby, She Wrote Him a Letter

September 7, 2021September 6, 2021 Posted in best, California, dating, firsts, getting dumped, humor, last, military, relationships, VietnamLeave a comment

(re-run) Holly moved from San Francisco to the East Bay and missed her old classmates. The smart kids and the popular kids had already established their cliques. She was an outsider. Holly had no close friends to share her excitement and concerns at Bishop O’Dowd High School, even though she was kind of cute, smart,… Continue reading His Baby, She Wrote Him a Letter

Mother-in-law and the Birth Control Device

September 6, 2021September 5, 2021 Posted in birthday, brunch, closets, Council Bluffs, diaphragm, memoir, mother-in-law, Omaha, sperm, teacher, the pillLeave a comment

Years ago, visiting my mother-in-law in Omaha with my husband and two (or three) kids, I faced a dilemma. What to do with my diaphragm as it air-dried after I washed it? There was no discreet place to put it, since we all shared the same bathroom. Instead, I elected to put it up in… Continue reading Mother-in-law and the Birth Control Device