Month: February 2025

Neighborhood Pack Rat

Posted in Amazon, antique store, Coronavirus, Costco, Covid 19, Depression, elastic, fabric, face masks, garage, grandma, memoir, neighborhood, neighbors, pack rat, recycle, scavenger, sewing, sewing room, shelter in place, social distancing, thrift storeLeave a comment

(re-run) You know our kind. We save everything, just in case. I might need that someday. I’m going to wear that size again. That thing on the side of the road still has use left in it, and it’s free. That has a good memory for me. Who keeps stuff that evokes bad memories? No… Continue reading Neighborhood Pack Rat

The Story of Dr. Seuss

Posted in author, biography, books, Caldecott Honor, children, children's books, Dick and Jane, divorce, Dr. Seuss, Pulitzer Prize, Random House, The Cat in the HatLeave a comment

(re-run) I just finished a 430-page biography about Theodor (Ted) Geisel.  You might know him better as Dr. Seuss (his mother’s maiden name). When I chose the book to review, I expected a children’s biography, not an in-depth  tome that chronicled his life, year by year, from birth to death at age 87. He had… Continue reading The Story of Dr. Seuss

Pretending to Be Fat

Posted in Ally McBeal, college, costume, fat shaming, Halloween, humor, memoir, national news, obesity, Robert Downey, Jr., sexLeave a comment

I found this photo of myself this morning, in a glass cabinet where I stuff important stuff. I don’t remember putting the photo in there, but here it is. I wore hats even back then. I am working on a middle grade novel, so that provides me with an outlet to write daily. My blog… Continue reading Pretending to Be Fat

Just Another Wednesday

Posted in #MeToo, cats, fox, hiking, karaoke, Mexico, nature, rape, roommate, sexual assault, summer, worst1 Comment

(re-run) Twice a month the senior hiking group takes a hike at a local spot – today it was Borges Ranch in Walnut Creek. The senior group is called DASH, but we don’t dash at all. We stroll, stop, stroll some more. It takes four hours to go five miles, by the time everyone has… Continue reading Just Another Wednesday

Best Birthday Ever

Posted in birthday, Coronavirus, Covid 19, dancing, dogs, Facebook, friends, girlfriends, June, lunch, mom, pandemic, park, scientist, yard, Zoom1 Comment

(re-run from deep into the pandemic) I was dreading the big one with no way to celebrate it during a pandemic. What would I do all day?  How could I make the day different from all the other ones during the lockdown? The good news is that I didn’t have to do anything at all.… Continue reading Best Birthday Ever

Weird Happy Hour Conversation

Posted in humor, girl friends, politics, Millennials, drinking, wine, happy hour, death, Daylight Savings, Coronavirus, conversation, Quentin Tarantino, towhead, toehead, laughing, MarchLeave a comment

(re-run) My girlfriend asked me to meet her at the local outside restaurant on a beautiful 70 degree March evening, where a glass of house wine is only $7.00, and the small bites are good. She wanted to discuss politics, the primaries the day before, and the future of America. “Not Bernie!” she said. “The… Continue reading Weird Happy Hour Conversation

February is the Longest Month

Posted in exercise, Guerneville, humor, income tax, memoir, snow pack, Turbo Tax, World War IILeave a comment

(re-run  from 2019) We all know February only has twenty-eight days or twenty-nine if the calendar year is divisible by the number four.  2019? No.  2020?  Yes, it is. Although the month only has four weeks to it, it can seem to be the longest month. Valentine’s Day was two weeks ago, it’s a long… Continue reading February is the Longest Month

Suck It Up, Buttercup

Posted in antibiotics, California, dancing, flat feet, friends, hip replacement, kayaking, klutz, knee replacement, memoir, orthotics, Russian River, shoulder surgery, surgeryLeave a comment

It’s that chapter in life where many of my friends in their sixties and seventies are having hip, knee, and shoulder replacements.  Some are younger than me, most older, but all of them so far have seen the benefits of getting a bionic body part, aka titanium. One girlfriend mentioned that she is allergic to… Continue reading Suck It Up, Buttercup

The Weakest Link – my Low Back

Posted in bully, Coronavirus, Covid 19, dogs, exercise, female issues, low back pain, massage, memoir, newspaper, pandemic, relationships, shoes, Sunday Chronicle, TinnitusLeave a comment

(re-run from 2020) The good thing about the current Coronavirus COVID-19 lockdown is that I have a hundred projects to finish.  Suddenly I have nothing but time to do it all. Everything was going along swimmingly yesterday. I exercised. I painted (spray-painted picture frames), I picked up dog poop. I did a heavy load of… Continue reading The Weakest Link – my Low Back

Dancing, Diversity, and a Mole

Posted in California, culture, dancing, diversity, Mare Island, melanoma, memoir, mole, skin cancer, Vallejo, winery, Wobble, Zumba1 Comment

When you live in a lily-white suburban town like I do, it’s good to get out of it and see how diverse our country is becoming. Duh. It’s California.  After a summer of dancing in other lily-white towns (Clayton, Alamo, Moraga) it ‘s nice to be with other cultures, races, skin tones, whatever you want… Continue reading Dancing, Diversity, and a Mole