Susan

Hot (but not diverse) Guy Catalog

October 27, 2020October 27, 2020 Posted in catalog, diversity, facial hair, memoir, Midwestern, models, pandemic, This Is Us, TVLeave a comment

I receive many catalogs this time of year. One of them, for men’s clothing, came today. As I flipped through it, one of the models grabbed my attention. It was a pretty steamy look on his face for a family company. I flipped through the catalog again. Hmm, most of the guys have facial hair.… Continue reading Hot (but not diverse) Guy Catalog

Teddy Bear with Back Hair

October 26, 2020October 25, 2020 Posted in bears, dating, firsts, humor, Nebraska, relationships, restaurant, worstsLeave a comment

(re-run) When I lived in Omaha for eight years in my twenties, I dated almost all the eligible men I met in my age range, at least once — shorter guys, smokers, non-dancers, younger guys, poorer guys (I was a school teacher!) and guys with facial hair. But I NEVER dated a guy with back… Continue reading Teddy Bear with Back Hair

Memories Light the Corners of my Mind

October 23, 2020October 22, 2020 Posted in coupons, dogs, firsts, humor, memoir, memory, MS, names, neurologist, sexiest, sexiest manLeave a comment

(re-run) I used to be good at remembering people’s names and remembering to use coupons before they expired. Now I am lucky if I can find the coupon when I am at the store. Today, at CVS, I checked out and was given a long receipt with $6.00 of extra bucks on it. My new… Continue reading Memories Light the Corners of my Mind

Antiracist (Racist?) Memory

October 22, 2020October 22, 2020 Posted in antiracist, bicycles, comfort level, How to Be an Antiracist, memoir, Nebraska, Omaha, racist, racquetball1 Comment

I just picked up a book to read. It had a long preface, so I paged past it. Then there was a foreword, another preface, and then an introduction. Seriously? Chapter One didn’t start until page 25. I set that book down and picked up another one. The introduction ended on page 11, and the… Continue reading Antiracist (Racist?) Memory

Sorry About That

October 21, 2020October 20, 2020 Posted in Black Diamond Mines, California, firsts, hiking, humor, menopause, menstruation, mines, nature, relationships, surprise, worstLeave a comment

(re-run) Aileen had a date in her early fifties that neither she, nor the guy will ever forget. They met online. He suggested a hike out to the Black Diamond Mines in Antioch. She agreed, although she wasn’t much of a hiker. During the hike and while climbing in and out of the mine tunnels,… Continue reading Sorry About That

Grizzly Bear!

October 20, 2020October 19, 2020 Posted in Alaska, bears, California, church, friends, grizzly bear, guardian angel, guns, hunting, nature, relationships, travel, vacation, worstLeave a comment

(re-run) An Amazon robot punctured a can of Bear Mace, sending 80 employees to the hospital before Christmas. It reminded me of this true account told to me at a holiday party. In 2008 you take your wife, Liza, and your teen-aged kids to Alaska. You stay near the Princess Lodge in a fishing cabin… Continue reading Grizzly Bear!

Melanoma and Me

October 19, 2020October 19, 2020 Posted in biopsy, California, cancer, Carmel, dermatologist, equator, melanoma, memoir, skin, skin cancer, sunburn, surgery, UCSF, VenezuelaLeave a comment

This is the kind of post that is scary to write, knowing that melanoma is the deadliest type of skin cancer. When I got the call, I was hiking in one of the most beautiful places on Earth near Carmel, with two friends, a happy couple who happened to be in town. “I have melanoma,” I said… Continue reading Melanoma and Me

The Stars Have Aligned

October 18, 2020October 17, 2020 Posted in abolitionists, Arabic, Biden/Harris, Black Lives Matter, demonstration, dogs, hate, historical fiction, insurance, memoir, Republican, slave owners, slavery, Sue Monk Kidd, teens, The Invention of Wings, Trump 2020Leave a comment

Okay, maybe not stars, but three things happened today that are related enough to fashion a blog post from them. I was only ten pages away from finishing The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd when I closed it to go have lunch with two of my adult children. On the way back from… Continue reading The Stars Have Aligned

On Guardian Angels

October 17, 2020October 16, 2020 Posted in best, California, church, humor, last, memoir, nature, relationships, religion, worst1 Comment

(re-run) A friend and I had a glass of wine together the other night and reflected back on our lives and the times we should have been died but didn’t. Some would call it luck. Others would call it having a guardian angel. Some would say that was a weird way to spend an evening.… Continue reading On Guardian Angels

Jack London — Was He a Racist?

October 16, 2020December 10, 2020 Posted in Ayran, California, Call of the Wild, Coronavirus, Covid 19, culture, Dr. Seuss, Hitler, Jack London, John Wayne, pandemic, racism, racist, Spanish Flu, The Scarlet Plague, To Build a Fire, White Fang, white privilege, white supremacistLeave a comment

Who doesn’t love the story The Call of the Wild? I used to teach it and also Jack London’s doomsday story called To Build a Fire when I taught 7th grade in Council Bluffs, Iowa. White Fang is another Jack London story that my 8th grade remedial boys liked to check out from my personal… Continue reading Jack London — Was He a Racist?