The pair of squirrels that used to live in the Valley Oak tree in the yard below mine have gone AWOL. I can’t blame them. Their habitat was destroyed one rainy day when my neighbors had their trees trimmed. I was at a memorial service, and when I returned, surprise! Their Valley Oak (the reason… Continue reading The Squirrels’ Rude Awakening
Month: February 2024
Daisy’s Night Run, a Skunk, and an Anniversary
(re-run) With hot, hot weather in the Bay Area, it seemed like a good time to run down to the beach, plus the handy woman was available to come at the same time with her daughter. We had trees to plant, foxtails to pull, and a flat roof filled with pine needles to clean. The… Continue reading Daisy’s Night Run, a Skunk, and an Anniversary
Date with an Older Man
(re-run) I said yes. To a date. With a much older man. My girlfriend met him and didn’t approve. But she also said she wouldn’t dance with any guy she wouldn’t want to kiss. I dance with everyone – men, women, kids – many of whom I would never put my lips on. Does dancing… Continue reading Date with an Older Man
Coming Out of the Fog
When a family member dies, you go on with living. But everything is affected by the loss of the family member. You don’t realize it at the time, but it is. A year and two months after losing my older sister, I am finally getting back to normal, or the new normal. It’s weird to… Continue reading Coming Out of the Fog
Do You Want a Cookie, Little Girl?
(re-run) Pam ran a personal ad in the Contra Costa Times: Single white female looking for single Asian man. Her two previous boyfriends had been Asian. James called and left a message with his phone number on a Friday night. The next morning Pam checked her phone messages. She liked his voice as she listened… Continue reading Do You Want a Cookie, Little Girl?
Mountain Lion
(re-run) A mountain lion attack was reported on the news last night. A 24-year-old woman’s dog saved her life in Trinity Forest in Northern California. The mountain lion attacked the woman first, but her Belgian Malinois shepherd named Eva jumped in and is now in serious condition. Cub season is now until October. The lion… Continue reading Mountain Lion
Your Place or Mine?
(re-run) When we were in our twenties and thirties, we were looking for a husband and father of our future children. Our biological clocks ticked louder the closer we got to thirty-five, the cut-off point for a low-risk pregnancy. Yes, older women give birth after that, but fertility drops off in the thirties, and it… Continue reading Your Place or Mine?
What Is Wrong with People?
I’ve lived almost seven decades in the U.S.A. Things were great until about ten years ago. What the eff is happening to our country? I just read that two shooters shot people at the Super Bowl rally in Kansas City. The Chiefs won fair and square, that being said by a non-football person, and I… Continue reading What Is Wrong with People?
Butt Dials and Other My-Bads
(re-run) I had lunch with my adult child yesterday. We tried to figure out why I’d used up all my storage on my cell phone. He took a look, handed back my phone, and watched me put it in my pocket. “You need to hit the button on the side and turn off your screen,”… Continue reading Butt Dials and Other My-Bads
Letting Go
(re-run) My cars sit out every summer since there’s no way they can go into the garage. Fires are burning north of here and have been for weeks. The Bay Area air is smoky. I look at the blue plastic tubs of flammable clothing and think, “It would take days for all of this to… Continue reading Letting Go
