Month: June 2023

Grandma’s Basement

Posted in basement, childhood, confidence, dungeon, grandma, grandpa, kindergarten, memoir, playpen, sarcasm, shame, teacher, wringer washerLeave a comment

(re-run) My grandpa and his dad built a house into the side of a hill. The main floor had three small bedrooms, a bathroom, a living room and stairs to the kitchen below. The kitchen looked out over the hill down to the creek and had windows and a back door with a screen door.… Continue reading Grandma’s Basement

Getting a New Perspective While Getting There

Posted in airplane, airport, author, Denver, flying, grandparents, Grinnell College, Iowa, memoir, metal detector, San Francisco, travel, TSA, writingLeave a comment

I am retired, two years away from the big 7-0, flying for the second time in two months, a record for me.  Traveler’s Tip: Don’t fly in the summer if you can help it. EVERYONE is flying, and the weather across the U.S. can be bad and will delay your flight. My daughter drove me… Continue reading Getting a New Perspective While Getting There

Remembering my Gay Boyfriend

Posted in antique, antique store, beach, boyfriend, dating, gays, girl friends, kiss, memoir, memory, motorcycle, photo shoot, photographs, piano, summerLeave a comment

(re-run) My little beach house is kind of magical, in that I can get away from the rat race and think about stuff I haven’t thought of in a very long while. It’s partly due to the fact that my beach house is my dumping house, where everything to be sorted goes to live until… Continue reading Remembering my Gay Boyfriend

It’s the Little Things

Posted in birthday, cooking, dancing, dogs, drinking, friends, gardening, hiking, hospital, memoir, party, singing, walking, weekend, writingLeave a comment

(re-run) A morning sunrise, skies streaked pink and blue.  A warm dog cuddled under the afghan throw as I read a book. A hot cup of fake mocha coffee and a Madeleine cookie.  A bunch of texts from an adult child 3000 miles away.  A photo of my smiling grandson in his high chair. The… Continue reading It’s the Little Things

Creative People Make Messes

Posted in art, children, computer, creativity, directors, doll house, dolls, illustrators, memoir, relationships, sewing, sewing machine, writers

(re-run) If you’re an orderly person like Monk on the TV show of the same name, this column is not for you. You crave things in place, all the time. Otherwise, you get agitated. The other side of the coin is the person who is so busy creating that he/she doesn’t notice the mess. When… Continue reading Creative People Make Messes

It Started with a Whistle

Posted in Bruce Springsteen, college, concert, humor, RA, relationships, running shorts, wedding, whistleLeave a comment

(re-run) Ray was a senior at Santa Clara University and RA for his house. Elise was a freshman that September and lived on the floor above. Ray and his buddy were out for a run when Elise and her roommate whistled at the guys in their running shorts. Ray introduced himself later that day, and… Continue reading It Started with a Whistle

To Flirt or Not to Flirt

Posted in aging, California, Catholic, dating, deceased, funeral, humor, online dating, relationships, restaurant1 Comment

(re-run) They found each other on Match.com. 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… Continue reading To Flirt or Not to Flirt