Tough Wednesday

Being retired, my days are mostly eating breakfast, taking a shower, exercise, dog walks, coffee break, shopping and writing, lunch, reading, sewing and TV, sometimes dancing. Wednesday was different and tough. It started out with a contractor calling yet again to schedule the earthquake bolt and brace job under the house. Even though I loved… Continue reading Tough Wednesday

Sometimes It’s Good to Be Clueless

Today I ran a bunch of errands, including the thrift store, grocery store, bank and pet store, in that order. The thrift store parking lot gets cry at noon since there are many restaurants next to it, so I went there before noon to get a spot. The older volunteer at the thrift store was… Continue reading Sometimes It’s Good to Be Clueless

Don’t Get a Sun Burn

(re-run) You think you know someone. You’ve sat across from your brother-in-law at countless holiday meals. You raised your kids together, although far enough away that you only saw them four or five times a year. You know George loves Monterey, but you didn’t know the whole story. You knew he’d been in the military,… Continue reading Don’t Get a Sun Burn

The People I Meet When Thrifting

(re-run) I have a deep need to thrift. I do it at least once a week, even on vacations. I’m not talking consignment stores where people bring in items, hoping to get some money back.  I’m talking about stores that take donations and sell things on the cheap because they got them for free. Last… Continue reading The People I Meet When Thrifting

His Baby, She Wrote Him a Letter

(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 with which to share her excitement and concerns at Bishop O’Dowd High School, even though she was kind of… Continue reading His Baby, She Wrote Him a Letter

Pepper Might’ve Saved my Life Today

(re-run) When I got back from the beach walk where I froze as Pepper smelled every bush and tree along the way, I went inside, put a pot of water on to heat, gave each dog a treat and took Daisy outside to play ball in the front yard. After I’d thrown the first ball,… Continue reading Pepper Might’ve Saved my Life Today

Participation Trophy

(re-run) My millennial children like to make fun of themselves for all the participation trophies they earned in childhood for soccer, basketball, softball, baseball.  Two of them recently ditched the trophies. One of them kept hers. “Why did you guys give us trophies for everything?” Child # 3 asked. “The pendulum swung the other way… Continue reading Participation Trophy