Author: Susan

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

The Power of Vacation

Posted in Alexa, biking, Carmel, dogs, Monterey Bay, Point Lobos, relationships, thrift store, Tor House, travel, vacationLeave a comment

(re-run, pre-pandemic) The week after Christmas is a dead time for scheduled activities. Chorus rehearsals are cancelled. The city building where I exercise three times a week is closed.  There’s a lot of extra time during the day. So . . . . . . for the first time in two and a half years,… Continue reading The Power of Vacation

Dating and other Things Over Fifty

Posted in California, colonoscopy, dating, dinner, doctor, nurse, phone, phone numbers, play dateLeave a comment

(re-run) Sherry didn’t get her first colonoscopy when she turned fifty. She put it off instead. Did she have one done at 51?   No, she did not. 52?   Nope. Finally, Sherry scheduled it to be done at 53.  She was so nervous when she went in that the nurses asked Joe, a regular patient and… Continue reading Dating and other Things Over Fifty

Spring Cleaning in February

Posted in air purifier, antique, Australia, cleaning, fundraiser, Jack Russell terrier, koalas, memoir, music, nursing home, pollen, rain, singingLeave a comment

(re-run, pre-pandemic) It started with a koala bear.  A bunch of them.  Some musicians were having a fundraiser for Australia, the fires, and the koalas.  It was a donation at the door.  Two and a half hours of music, and I knew three of the performers. We got there early and sat in the third… Continue reading Spring Cleaning in February

Why Do We Hide Mental Issues in America?

Posted in Asperger's, autism, Depression, epilepsy, exercise, memoir, mental disorder, mental health, mental illness, movie, Netflix, OCD, schizophrenia, weight-bearing exerciseLeave a comment

It has come to my attention that if a person tells you that he has Asperger’s* and you tell another person that the guy has Asperger’s, that is a bad thing. If the guy had a broken leg or a bad heart, and you tell others of those things, it’s okay. Mental health and mental… Continue reading Why Do We Hide Mental Issues in America?

Dance with Me, Young Jeremy

Posted in dancing, dating, humor, memoir, Nebraska, Omaha, relationships, restaurant, worstsLeave a comment

(re-run) Every dance bar in Omaha ended the night with its signature song. One bar closed with Last Dance by Donna Summer, another used Shout from the Blues Brothers movie (by the Isley Brothers) as its sign-off song. But my fave dance bar closed with the song New York, New York. It seemed an odd… Continue reading Dance with Me, Young Jeremy

West Side Story, Then and Now

Posted in Baby Boomer, DVD, football, memoir, movie, Natalie Wood, Netflix, Puerto Rico, Rita Moreno, Sophia Loren, Steven Spielberg, West Side StoryLeave a comment

After seeing the new movie, West Side Story, I needed to watch the 1961 version. Steven Spielberg made a bunch of changes in the new movie, and I wanted to see what they were.  The biggest change was making Doc, originally a man, into a female character so that Rita Moreno could play the part.… Continue reading West Side Story, Then and Now

Off the Power Grid

Posted in Beatles, chorus, dancing, Facebook, Father's Day, girl friends, memoir, power, power company, power outage, retirement, socializing, widowers, wineryLeave a comment

(re-run) The power is out.  I was in the middle of a movie when everything shut off.  Soon my neighbors texted me, asking me to report the outage to PG& E. The more the better, they said. A few minutes after that, I received a robocall. The outage was affecting 5000 customers. The power also… Continue reading Off the Power Grid

It’s Never Too Late

Posted in autumn, chorus, COVID, fall, live music, memoir, morning, music, musicians, pandemic, play list, summer1 Comment

(re-run) Three weeks ago, I made a summer playlist. Does that seem silly? The last day of summer is the day after tomorrow. I included songs with summer in the title, like Hot Fun in the Summertime by Sly and the Family Stone, Summer Breeze by Seals and Croft, Summer in the City by the… Continue reading It’s Never Too Late

It’s a Small World

Posted in Asperger's, Bay Area, California, cancer, COVID, cows, dogs, grief group, hiking, Meet-up, memoir, photographs, pollenLeave a comment

Today was a meet-up hike, my third time with Randy as our fearless leader. It was sunny with little to no mud and lots of cows.  About twenty of us, plus four small dogs, walked five miles in two and a half hours. The great part is that the meet-up hikers go to places I’d… Continue reading It’s a Small World

Apple Tree

Posted in apple tree, dog park, dogs, fences, foundation drain, gardeners, landscaper, memoir, tree hugger, trees, wheelbarrowLeave a comment

(re-run) When I bought the house, I inherited the apple tree. I didn’t realize how prolific it was until one day, after the gardeners left, I noticed a line of fat apples sitting on my side fence. One of the gardeners had picked them with the intention of taking them home, but he must’ve forgotten.… Continue reading Apple Tree