Author: Susan

I do this blog for PG audiences and another one for R audiences with Bae Bliss.

My Friend, the Thief

Posted in babysitting, bus, cherry pie, department store, Des Moines, downtown, flat feet, Iowa, memoir, shoplifting, shopping center, store, store security, troll dollsLeave a comment

(re-run) We took the bus to go shopping downtown.  We weren’t old enough yet to drive, and it was a boring Saturday. Debbie suggested the shopping trip. We had a shopping center (before malls) within walking distance of our houses. A bus trip was more adventurous. Debbie was always up for adventure. She had moved… Continue reading My Friend, the Thief

The Red-tailed Hawk and the Toddler Fence

Posted in birds, California, children, humor, hunting, Lindsay Wildlife Museum, memoir, Mount Diablo State Park, nature, outdoors, relationships, toddler, worstLeave a comment

(re-run) I’m a bird lover. I feed the song birds and the finches. I have an ongoing water supply in the form of a fountain in my back yard. I’ve planted native plants for the hummingbirds. When I hike, I am thrilled to find a hawk feather to add to my hat. Twenty-odd years ago,… Continue reading The Red-tailed Hawk and the Toddler Fence

Fleetwood Who?

Posted in 1970s, Beatles, Fleetwood Mac, Iowa, Iowa State University, memoir, Nebraska, Spain, Stevie Nicks, student teaching, Study abroad, teaching, travel, Venezuela1 Comment

Whenever a Fleetwood Mac song comes on, everyone around me goes gah-gah.  I admit that the Rumours album is a good one, but I just don’t feel it like everyone else does.  The other month, I tried to figure out why that is. At karaoke, many of my girlfriends want to sing Fleetwood Mac songs.… Continue reading Fleetwood Who?

Two Tubs In, One Tub Out

Posted in beach, dogs, donations, garage, grandfather clock, low back pain, mail, memoir, moving, online sales, pandemic, pioneer outfits, teacherLeave a comment

(re-run) I gave away 78 pioneer outfits (from my beach house garage) to a 4th grade teacher today. I used to sell them online for school field trips, but that all came to a screeching halt with the pandemic. During the lockdown, I finished every dress and shirt in my sewing room, increasing my inventory… Continue reading Two Tubs In, One Tub Out

My Love Affair with Chocolate

Posted in brownies, chocolate, cocoa, college, Costco, COVID, memoir, muffins, restaurant, shortageLeave a comment

From that first bite of a chocolate chip cookie or the first taste of creamy pudding, I’ve been a lover of anything chocolate. I love chocolate cake, brownies, cookies, cream pie, ice cream, desserts of any kind, Twix candy bars, truffles, and so on and so forth. My latest kick has been the huge chocolate… Continue reading My Love Affair with Chocolate

The Day Grandma Got Woke

Posted in 13th, Black Lives Matter, California, celebrities, documentary, Ellen, Emmett Till, George Floyd, get woke, history books, Iowa, Jewish, memoir, mom, racist, sister, Trail of Tears, White FragilityLeave a comment

(re-run) My mom loves to watch the daytime talk show called Ellen. It’s usually fun and games, with hunky guys and Ellen playing tricks on her guests and staff. She rounds out the hour with lesbian jokes, a musical performance by some obscure band, and Ellen surprising some needy but giving person with $10,000 in… Continue reading The Day Grandma Got Woke

Getting Away from all the No, No, No’s

Posted in animal adoption, bands, books, boyfriend, California, childhood, dogs, humor, memoir, outside the box, piano, relationshipsLeave a comment

(re-run) My mom, bless her heart, had to keep five children in line, mostly by herself.  She did it by keeping everyone in his or her place, as in, “No, you can’t do that!” I just found out that my younger sister also wanted to play clarinet in the band, like I did. But I… Continue reading Getting Away from all the No, No, No’s

Waitresses Make the Best Tippers

Posted in alcohol abuse, boss, dating, firsts, humor, marriage, memoir, Nebraska, relationshipsLeave a comment

(re-run) After moving to Omaha and teaching for a couple of years across the Missouri River in Council Bluffs, Iowa, I grew tired of driving a car that smelled like a mildewed basement. My Chevy Monza had suffered through a Nebraska flood back at the farmhouse, and the car stank. I couldn’t afford a new… Continue reading Waitresses Make the Best Tippers