Month: April 2025

Worst Dog Sitting Ever

Posted in Bill Cosby, California, cats, coyote, dogs, kittens, memoir, moving, neighbors, pregnant, worstLeave a comment

(re=run) When I was a newlywed, living in San Diego, my next door neighbor, Doreen, befriended me. She noticed I was home alone a lot, since my teaching job ended at 3:00, and my new husband didn’t come home from work until 7:00 or so. Doreen invited me over for food and chit chat. Once,… Continue reading Worst Dog Sitting Ever

Rattlesnake Season

Posted in baby rattler, cold-blooded, ER, garage, garden hose, Girl Scout camp, pool cover, rattlesnake, reptiles, snake bite, venomLeave a comment

(re-run) It’s rattlesnake season here in the West.  Snakes are cold-blooded and love warm surfaces like rocks or sunny trails when they are cold, and dark and shady places when they are hot.  At night they curl up in the strangest locales – in coiled-up garden hoses, under the edge of pool covers, and now… Continue reading Rattlesnake Season

Weed Whacker Workout

Posted in beach, dogs, foxtails, garden, memoir, Monterey Bay, mulch, neck, neighbors, weedsLeave a comment

(re-run) I’ve never owned or used a Weed Whacker. I’m an Iowa girl who pulls weeds by hand so they don’t come back. But this year is the exception.  With record rainfall, the weeds are on steroids this spring. See photo. I ordered an electric weed whacker from my local hardware store since I didn’t… Continue reading Weed Whacker Workout

Be Careful Who You Hike With

Posted in attitude, bobcat, boyfriend, bull, California, coyote, dogs, hiking, humor, Iowa, Mount Diablo State Park, mountain lion, nature, outdoors, Pebble Beach, relationships2 Comments

(re-run) First of all, the title should be Be Careful with Whom You Hike, but I figured only English teachers would read the post if I did it that way. An old bf asked me to go on a hike with him. I said yes a little too quickly. Looking back, Bob (not his real… Continue reading Be Careful Who You Hike With

Afternoon Delight and Boater Safety

Posted in afternoon delight, Bay Area, boat, Coronavirus, Covid 19, dogs, fishing, nudity, rescue, ricver current, river, romance, social distancingLeave a comment

(re-run) Really, folks. You can’t make this stuff up.  My fisherman friend, we’ll call him Pete, took a buddy and his boat and spent a day on the Delta (San Francisco Bay) where the Sacramento River meets the ocean, and the delta, a mixture of fresh and salt water and just as cold as the… Continue reading Afternoon Delight and Boater Safety

April 6th, a Popular Date

Posted in Beatles, care giver, contractor, dancing, dating, dogs, drinking, kitchen remodel, kitchen sink, poetry, wedding2 Comments

(re-run) It seems that everything is happening on April 6th.  There is a fashion show, a Beatles tribute band playing, a piano concert, two big sales at my favorite thrift stores, and a girlfriend’s afternoon wedding. Guess which one I am going to do. She is thrilled to be getting married to her guy, two… Continue reading April 6th, a Popular Date

Chihuahua Vs. Foxtail

Posted in memoir, dogs, hiking, veterinarian, labor, holiday weekend, dog walks, foxtails, Labor DayLeave a comment

(re-run) Foxtail weeds are dangerous for dogs. That’s why they make a mesh face and ear guard for dogs that venture into the open space on hikes. My adult child had taken the Chihuahua terrier mix on hikes daily since April. He never had a problem, until the other evening . . . Suddenly he… Continue reading Chihuahua Vs. Foxtail

Sorry About That

Posted in Black Diamond Mines, California, firsts, hiking, humor, menopause, menstruation, mines, nature, relationships, surprise, worstLeave a comment

(re-run) Aileen, in her early 50s, had a date that neither she, nor the guy, will ever forget. They met online. He suggested a hike out to the Black Diamond Mines in Antioch. She agreed, although she wasn’t much of a hiker. During the hike and while climbing in and out of the mine tunnels,… Continue reading Sorry About That