Author: Susan

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

Another Brush with Nature

Posted in California, cell phone, guardian angel, humor, memoir, mountain lion, nature, nine year old, ocean, outdoors, police officer, relationships, summer, worst1 Comment

(re-run) My beach town has a state-run conference center in it, with rustic buildings designed by the architect, Julia Morgan. It’s what got me here back in the late 80’s and 90’s, attending a writer’s conference next to the ocean. Over the years. I’ve seen brown state-issued signs posted for mountain lion sightings. I’ve never… Continue reading Another Brush with Nature

Horseback Riding on a First Date

Posted in allergies, bar, dancing, Ecuador, horse, horseback riding, hospital, marriage, parachute pants, relationships, weltsLeave a comment

(re-run) Juan met two women one night while dancing in a bar. He had a matchbook with one of the Donna’s phone numbers on it and another matchbook with the other Donna’s name and number on it. He couldn’t remember which was which, so he picked a matchbook and called. “Hi, this is Juan. Are… Continue reading Horseback Riding on a First Date

The Gun at Grandma’s House

Posted in bedroom, childhood, church, grandma, guns, memoir, relationships, religion, sister, Sunday dinner, VictorianLeave a comment

The thing was cold, black, and heavy. Even though I was just a kid, maybe nine or ten, I knew a gun when I saw it. I’d been jumping on Grandma Nellie’s bed. The pillow had fallen on the floor. The gun had been under the pillow. I put everything back the way I found… Continue reading The Gun at Grandma’s House

Creative People Make Messes

Posted in art, children, computer, creativity, directors, doll house, dolls, illustrators, relationships, sewing, sewing machine, writers

(re-run) If you are an orderly person like Monk on the TV show of the same name, this column is not for you. You crave things in place, all the time. Otherwise, you are agitated. The other side of the coin is the person who is so busy creating that he/she doesn’t notice the mess.… Continue reading Creative People Make Messes

Creative People Make Messes

Posted in art, children, computer, creativity, directors, doll house, dolls, illustrators, relationships, sewing, sewing machine, writersLeave a comment

(re-run) If you are an orderly person like Monk on the TV show of the same name, this column is not for you. You crave things in place, all the time. Otherwise, you are agitated. The other side of the coin is the person who is so busy creating that he/she doesn’t notice the mess.… Continue reading Creative People Make Messes

The Weakest Link – my Low Back

Posted in bully, Coronavirus, Covid 19, dogs, exercise, female issues, low back pain, massage, memoir, newspaper, pandemic, relationships, shoes, Sunday Chronicle, Tinnitus1 Comment

The good thing about the current Coronavirus Covid-19 lockdown is that I have a hundred projects to finish.  Suddenly I have nothing but time to do it all. Everything was going along swimmingly yesterday. I exercised. I painted (spray-painted picture frames), I picked up dog poop. I did a heavy load of laundry.  I rearranged… Continue reading The Weakest Link – my Low Back

Wasabi on a First Date

Posted in attitude, bathroom, California, chemistry, dating, dinner, flirting, hairdresser, humor, poop, relationships, restaurant, romance, waiter, worstLeave a comment

(re-run) They had the same hair dresser.  She was coming in as he was going out. He asked for her phone number. She gave it to her hairdresser to give to him. There aren’t too many eligible men in their seventies, especially one that still had his hair! Garth took Gladys to a nice Japanese… Continue reading Wasabi on a First Date

Fun Seems like a Year Ago

Posted in art, Australia, Beatles, Covid 19, dancing, drinking, February, friends, gynecologist, koalas, live music, normal life, Orinda, silent auction, winery, winter1 Comment

In February, as I was coming out of my winter hibernation, I started going out to dancing venues. The first time it was a cold Saturday, but the Beatles cover band was a good one, and the winery in an old Victorian house was a fun and packed with people looking to dance. When my… Continue reading Fun Seems like a Year Ago

Time to Get your Absentee Ballot for November

Posted in absentee ballot, ATM, Coronavirus, Covid 19, dogs, Easter, election, Google, judges, lockdown, memoir, newspaper, school, school district, social distancing, Spanish Flu, Supreme Court, voter primary, WisconsinLeave a comment

It’s that bewitching hour after lunch where I need to sit and digest while I write a blog post. During the lockdown (here in California) I have learned a few things today: Our school district, along with six counties, has called off physical classes for the rest of the year. My county has 442 cases… Continue reading Time to Get your Absentee Ballot for November

Queen Victoria, the Cat

Posted in animal adoption, California, cats, helpful strangers, humor, mom, Nashville, relationships, survival, worstLeave a comment

(re-run) Renee, the artist, already had three cats. She wasn’t looking for another. So when her daughter-in-law called and said, “Mom, you need to adopt this cat,” Renee was thinking, No way, Renee. But then she heard the kitty’s story, and she had to reconsider. Renee’s son Brian and his wife were moving to Tennessee… Continue reading Queen Victoria, the Cat