My first job was as a waitress at the Iowa State Fair for ten days. I was 14, the summer before 9th grade. My friends and I worked the lunch shift, then had a couple of hours off before the supper shift. A girl named Virginia (a friend of a friend) from another school got… Continue reading Stuffing the Bug
Month: February 2026
How my Bug Collection Changed a Generation
(re-run) When my new science teacher announced on the first day of 7th grade that no one would get an A in his class if they didn’t make an insect collection, I was like, “NOOOOOOOO! I hate bugs!” My mother hated bugs. Her mother hated bugs. They hated mice, snakes, and dog poop, too. I… Continue reading How my Bug Collection Changed a Generation
Making Time to Write
(re-run) I used to write every day. That was back when I had sleeping babies and pre-schoolers that went to school on a regular schedule. Now that I’m an empty nester I think I am going to write every day, but then stuff happens. Like exercise classes and long hikes. Dog walks. Contractors. A sister… Continue reading Making Time to Write
The Late Winter Blues
+ Hail, thunder, sunset, a rainbow. It all happened Sunday afternoon within five minutes of one another. Monday brought polar weather to my California town. It’s the second half of February. I am ready for winter to be done. True, we haven’t had snow, except that one day. We rarely have ice, but this morning… Continue reading The Late Winter Blues
Dive Bar Dancing
(re-run) I never imagined that I’d still be dancing in bars at this age. But hey, a girl’s got to dance, and in the winter the live music is in the bars. So here I sit, waiting for my girl friend, who is dumping her grumpy guy tonight to come dance with me. She’s got… Continue reading Dive Bar Dancing
Snow Day
Many of my Medicare friends are moving or contemplating moving to retirement communities. A big one close to my town is called Rossmoor. It’s a huge gated community built back in the sixties and contains 6700 residential units surrounded by open space. At least one resident in each unit must be at least fifty-five years… Continue reading Snow Day
A Good First Date
(re-run) Harold was friends with Jack who worked with Mary. Jack thought Harold and Mary should meet. “Come to the company luncheon with me,” Jack said. “And it you don’t like Mary, you can meet Alice.” Harold went online and checked out the two women’s Facebook pages. He liked Mary’s page more than Alice’s page.… Continue reading A Good First Date
The Week of Love
My chorus is singing a love-themed concert this spring. The songs individually are all good except for the flowery Love is a Many Splendored Thing. It reminds me of 1970’s soap operas. The songs are running together in my brain. Sure, they are different vintages, but none of them is current, and many of the… Continue reading The Week of Love
Paying It Forward
When one of my daughters studied abroad and found her roommate stealing her food because the girl had no money to buy groceries, my daughter was upset. When she finally told me about it a few years later, I had to say to her, “That was me. I was the girl sneaking food because I… Continue reading Paying It Forward
Best Ed Sullivan Show Ever
(re-run) Carol grew up in in Pueblo, Colorado, which was called the little Pittsburg of the West. Her dad was a steelworker. Her mom was a lab tech phlebotomist at the hospital. Whenever one of the kids got sick, her mom would bring home a hypodermic needle in her purse to draw some blood. “To… Continue reading Best Ed Sullivan Show Ever
FIRST DATE, WORST DATE EVER! 