Author: Susan

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

Grandma’s Basement

Posted in basement, childhood, confidence, dungeon, grandma, grandpa, kindergarten, memoir, playpen, sarcasm, shame, teacher, wringer washerLeave a comment

(re-run) My grandpa and his dad built a house into the side of a hill. The main floor had three small bedrooms, a bathroom, a living room and stairs to the kitchen below. The kitchen looked out over the hill down to the creek and had windows and a back door with a screen door.… Continue reading Grandma’s Basement

Return to the Scene of the Crime

Posted in animal rescue, animals, beach, bench, California, carbon monoxide alarm, dogs, donations, fences, Good Will, hard boiled eggs, memoir, Monterey Bay, Nordstrom, repurposing, smoke, smoke alarms, thrift store, yard, yard workLeave a comment

(re-run) Two weeks ago, I tried to burn my house down.  I came home in time to turn off the burner under the hard-boiled eggs. Eight of them had become missiles and hung in pieces from every surface in the kitchen. Four of them turned black in the Teflon pan. When I put the key… Continue reading Return to the Scene of the Crime

Belly-up Beetle

Posted in alcohol abuse, beetle, California, cars, dating, drinking, drugs, guardian angel, high school, marijuana, memoir, relationships, Volkswagen, worstsLeave a comment

(re-run) Curtis drove a1969 vintage Volkswagen Beetle. George, his wing man, brought the weed. They’d met their dates at a party. Stacy and Camille went to San Leandro High. Curtis and George went to Castro Valley. Curtis liked Camille. George got Stacy. They all partied at a friend of a friend’s house in Oakland until… Continue reading Belly-up Beetle

Pepper Might’ve Saved my Life Today

Posted in beach, California, dog behaviors, dog walks, garden hose, gardening, guardian angel, memoir, neighbors, old lady card, timing, tree trimmer, treesLeave a comment

(re-run) When I got back from the beach walk where I froze as Pepper smelled every bush and tree along the way, I went inside, put a pot of water on to heat, gave each dog a treat and took Daisy outside to play ball in the front yard. After I’d thrown the first ball,… Continue reading Pepper Might’ve Saved my Life Today

Frostbite Memories

Posted in beach, California, college, December, dog walks, dogs, frostbite, gardening, Iowa, memoir, Monterey Bay, old lady card, tourists, tree trimmer, trees, wind, winter breakLeave a comment

Today the sun was shining, the ocean was royal blue and the wind was bitter cold. I had the dog on a choke chain since I couldn’t squeeze the prong collar back together (I’d taken it apart in the wrong place).  I headed down my street past a tree- trimmer truck that has just pulled… Continue reading Frostbite Memories

Thirteen White Vehicles

Posted in climate change, dog walks, dogs, jet stream, memoir, November, Santa Cruz, Thanksgiving, therapy, tornadoLeave a comment

On our early dog walk this morning, Pepper and I passed thirteen white vehicles in one block. Since it was a Sunday, all the cars for each household were there, parked in driveways and on the street. There are no basements in California, because there are no tornados? Actually, climate change has brought a few… Continue reading Thirteen White Vehicles

The Bonus Daisy Post

Posted in animal adoption, animal training, California, dog training, dogs, hot tub, humor, memoir, nature, park, rescue, worstLeave a comment

(re-run from 2018) Normally I write about my rescue dog on a monthly basis, on her adoption anniversary date, the 26th of December. Consider this a bonus post, since she has been making news these past two days. Every morning I get into the hot tub with my cup of black tea, and Daisy perches… Continue reading The Bonus Daisy Post

Chuck’s Drive-in Movie Date

Posted in California, dating, drinking, drive-in movie, high school, humor, necking, Pontiac, taxidermy, worstLeave a comment

(re-run) Chuck drove his powder blue Bonneville Pontiac to pick up his new girlfriend for their drive-in movie date during his senior year of high school.  He had tricked out the interior of the car with his two taxidermy quail on a bed of shag carpeting in the car’s back window. When he drove his… Continue reading Chuck’s Drive-in Movie Date

Living with a Ratter

Posted in concrete, dogs, dry rot, gardeners, handy woman, memoir, rat guy, rat terrier, rats, shed, vector controlLeave a comment

(re-run) The change in the weather is the time to handle the rat situation. How does one know she has rats under her house? Just ask any terrier who might happen to live with you. Terriers were bred to find and kill rodents. Daisy is Jack Russell terrier. I didn’t know how bad my rat… Continue reading Living with a Ratter