October 2022 – FIRST DATE, WORST DATE EVER!

Runaway Daisy

October 31, 2022October 31, 2022 Posted in animal rescue, dogs, Eagle Scout Award, girlfriends, memoir, neighbors, walkingLeave a comment

(re-run) My girlfriend has been coming over to walk a couple times each week. Since I have two dogs (and she’s not a dog person), I alternate which dog walks on each day. Tuesday it was Daisy’s turn to walk. I got her harness on her and was ready to go before Tess pulled up. … Continue reading Runaway Daisy

Phantom of the Halloween Party

October 30, 2022October 30, 2022 Posted in best, California, dancing, flirting, Halloween, humor, love, one-night stand, relationships, worstLeave a comment

(re-run) Roberto put on the white mask and black cape and headed to WPLJ’s in Walnut Creek for his singles’ club annual Halloween party. Available middle-aged women milled around the bar in their skimpy alter-ego outfits. There were: Slutty witches Slutty fairy tale characters Slutty mermaids Slutty nurses and slutty vampires. Oh, which one to… Continue reading Phantom of the Halloween Party

Daisy’s New Perch

October 29, 2022October 29, 2022 Posted in animal rescue, animal training, barking, Christmas, dog behaviors, dogs, gardeners, memoir, park, quiltLeave a comment

(re-run) My suburban house is cozy but dumb. The small bedrooms are on the front of the house, with the family room tucked behind the garage. There are no good windows for Daisy to see out of, no couch to jump upon to watch the street. Until the day I cleaned my office. I ended… Continue reading Daisy’s New Perch

Computer Date

October 28, 2022October 28, 2022 Posted in college, computer dating, dating, firsts, getting dumped, relationshipsLeave a comment

(re-run) The idea for computer dating has been around as long as computers for personal use have been. Carolyn should know! In 1965 (yes, in the Dark Ages) she had her first and last computer match. In those days one filled out a computer punch card, the data was computed, and the results took a… Continue reading Computer Date

Staying Fit without a Fitbit

October 27, 2022October 27, 2022 Posted in cleaning, dancing, dogs, exercise, fitbit, gardening, gophers, hiking, memoir, Monterey county, moving, succulents, Zoom, ZumbaLeave a comment

(re-run) Today, before and after Zumba class on Zoom, the ladies were discussing how many steps we take during one class and how many calories we burn. This went on for a while, and I signed off. I don’t need a gadget to tell me if I am getting enough exercise. I have dogs. They… Continue reading Staying Fit without a Fitbit

Murray, the Naughty Lab

October 26, 2022October 26, 2022 Posted in animal training, animals, Cancun, dog walks, dogs, emergency room, hairdresser, vacation, veterinarian, x-rayLeave a comment

(re-run) Mary, the hair dresser, agreed to dog-and-house sit while one of her clients went to Cancun for a week. She was in charge of a ninety-pound chocolate lab named Murray. Cindy instructed Mary to walk Murray a couple times a day since he was only one and still had puppy energy. She told Mary… Continue reading Murray, the Naughty Lab

Superstitions

October 25, 2022October 25, 2022 Posted in brain chemistry, chain letters, culture, evil spirits, Friday the 13th, full moon, German, Jack-o-lanterns, memoir, mirrors, mother-in-law, mothers, OCD, sneezing, supernatural, superstitionsLeave a comment

(re-run) She hated Friday the 13th. She’d turn the car around if a black cat crossed the street in front of her. And mirrors? She once yelled at me when I held my baby up to one in a German restaurant. “That’s bad luck before her first birthday!” My mother-in-law, may she rest in peace,… Continue reading Superstitions

A Ghost Story

October 24, 2022October 24, 2022 Posted in California, ghosts, humor, memoir, Monterey Bay, relationships, spirits, energyLeave a comment

(re-run) This isn’t a Halloween story. No words 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. I… Continue reading A Ghost Story

The Saga of the Spider

October 23, 2022October 23, 2022 Posted in board and care, climate change, Facebook, iphone, memoir, relationships, spidersLeave a comment

(re-run) Today, at my sister’s board and care home, as I was reading her the newspaper, I glanced out the large sliding glass door and noticed a huge spider web with a spider in the center. It was one and a half inches across and yellow with red stripes on the legs. I took several… Continue reading The Saga of the Spider

Grizzly Bear!

October 22, 2022October 22, 2022 Posted in Alaska, bears, California, church, friends, grizzly bear, guardian angel, guns, hunting, nature, relationships, travel, vacation, worstLeave a comment

In honor of the two college wrestlers who met a Grizzly bear in Wyoming last week and lived to tell the tale . . . (re-run) An Amazon robot punctured a can of Bear Mace, sending 80 employees to the hospital before Christmas. It reminded me of this true account as told to me at… Continue reading Grizzly Bear!