Susan

N is for Naming a Child

November 8, 2025November 8, 2025 Posted in adopting, babies, expecting, humor, hyphenate, IRS, names, pregnant, Uncategorized2 Comments

(re-run) I met a woman last week at a Meet-up dancing event. I asked her her name. It was Candy. Her last name is Kane. No joke. My older sister went to school with a girl named Candy Barr, and another girl named Sarah Darrah. Seriously? What were their parents thinking? Names are eve so… Continue reading N is for Naming a Child

To Flirt or Not to Flirt

November 7, 2025November 5, 2025 Posted in aging, California, Catholic, dating, deceased, funeral, humor, online dating, relationships, restaurantLeave a comment

(re-run) They found each other on Match.com. They had both lost their spouses. Don said he was looking for a good Catholic widow. He was involved with the arch diocese in Oakland. Sue was a recovering Catholic but thought maybe he was a solid guy. She agreed to meet him for coffee. He was good-looking… Continue reading To Flirt or Not to Flirt

The Best Ten Dollars Ever

November 6, 2025November 5, 2025 Posted in allowance, babysitting, beer, biking, Campfire Girls, car, dad, memoir, newspaper, siblings, Spain, want adsLeave a comment

(re-run) When I was a kid, I walked everywhere. I went to a Bluebird or Campfire Girls meeting a few blocks away from home, and one day, on the way back, I saw a pale green leaf fluttering on the street. I picked it up, un-wadded it and discovered it was money. A ten-dollar bill.… Continue reading The Best Ten Dollars Ever

Here Comes Trouble

November 5, 2025November 4, 2025 Posted in best, best friend, dogs, litter, puppies, rattlesnake, renovationLeave a comment

(re-run) I picked up some bathroom tile today, and Mark, the warehouse guy, told me that the floor tile for my bath reno was on back order. “It’s not that special,” I said. “It’s a bunch of colors spattered across the tile. I liked it because it’s forgiving and I have three dogs.” “I sure… Continue reading Here Comes Trouble

Writing It Down

November 4, 2025November 3, 2025 Posted in blog, boy, dancing, exercise, female issues, gender, gender roles, high school, humor, Iowa, memoir, relationshipsLeave a comment

(re-run) Yesterday, as I drove up the freeway to BART, where I would meet two girlfriends and one of their daughters to go to the city to see Hamilton again, I was composing my blog post, out loud, in the slow lane. I was on a roll, phrasing each sentence to perfection as other drivers… Continue reading Writing It Down

Six – Love

November 3, 2025November 2, 2025 Posted in dating, firsts, relationships, sports, sun tan, tennis, worsts1 Comment

(re-run) Alan went into a disco bar in San Jose on a November night. He asked Donna, the woman with an amazing tan, to dance. Had she been to Hawaii? Mexico? The Bahamas? Alan didn’t ask her but admired her bronzed skin. The topic of tennis came up. Alan loved to play. So did Donna.… Continue reading Six – Love

The Hill That Would Not Hold

November 2, 2025November 1, 2025 Posted in California, erosion, home value, flood, HOA, memoir, neighborhood, real estateLeave a comment

(re-run from 2024) My neighbors’ hill collapsed fifteen months ago in the crazy January rains of 2023. For months nothing was happening, and I concluded that a lot of guys had looked at the hill and had either refused to bid the job or had bid it way too high. A bulldozer appeared in November,… Continue reading The Hill That Would Not Hold

The Road Not Taken

November 1, 2025October 31, 2025 Posted in choices, GPS, house, memoir, neighborhood, neighbors, Prius, stop lights, stop signs, trafficLeave a comment

(re-run) GPS is a wonderful thing. I didn’t choose it; it chose me, being included with the 2014 Prius close-out car that I bought in November of that year. It was time to make way for the 2015 models. It was marked down. I bought it. If I’m coming back from a new place with… Continue reading The Road Not Taken

Phantom of the Halloween Party

October 31, 2025October 29, 2025 Posted in relationships, humor, dancing, Halloween, California, best, worst, one-night stand, flirting, loveLeave a comment

(re-run) Roberto put on the white mask and black cape and headed to WPLJ’s in Walnut Creek for his singles’ club annual Halloween party. Available middle-aged women milled around the bar in their skimpy alter-ego outfits. There were: Slutty witches Slutty fairy tale characters Slutty mermaids Slutty nurses and slutty vampires. Oh, which one to… Continue reading Phantom of the Halloween Party

Turning the Other Cheek

October 30, 2025October 28, 2025 Posted in antique store, antiques dealer, chorus, dresser, Girl Scout leader, Girl Scouts, inheritance, memoirLeave a comment

(re-run) This isn’t a Bible story. This is me telling you that seventeen years ago, I agreed to take a large antique dresser as a consignment piece from a Girl Scout leader friend. I sent my helper dude to her house to have him load it up and deliver it to my store. I paid… Continue reading Turning the Other Cheek