Author: Susan

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

Superstitions

Posted in brain chemistry, chain letters, culture, evil spirits, Friday the 13th, full moon, German, Jack-o-lanterns, memoir, mirrors, mother-in-law, mothers, OCD, sneezing, supernatural, superstitionsLeave a comment

(re-run) She hated Friday, the 13th. She would turn the car around if a black cat crossed the street in front of her. And mirrors?  She once yelled at me when I held my baby up to one in a German restaurant. “That’s bad luck before her first birthday!” My mother-in-law, may she rest in… Continue reading Superstitions

Doggy Drama

Posted in adult children, Alpha, animal adoption, animal training, Bachelorette, Chihuahua, consistency, dog fights, dogs, drama, memoirLeave a comment

(re-run) When Violet, the Chihuahua, moved in along with my son, I was worried about how she’d get along with my two bigger dogs. Daisy, the Russell Terrier, is 20+ pounds, and Pepper, the lab mix, is 55 pounds. We have a system. Violet enjoys the added wing of the house with a child gate… Continue reading Doggy Drama

Dealing with Duff

Posted in beach, beach house, duff, fire prevention, fires, forest, gardening, insurance, memoir, Santa Cruz, urban fires, urban wildlife interface, woodsLeave a comment

What is duff, you ask? It’s decaying vegetable matter covering the ground under trees.  It’s what burns in a wild fire. It’s especially thick under evergreen trees because those pine needles build up and don’t necessarily get raked up like obvious leaves do. Insurance companies want those of us who live in California to get… Continue reading Dealing with Duff

July 13th x Three in the Obits

Posted in memoir, Richard Simmons, Dr. Ruth, Shannen Doherty, Shelley Duvall, obituary, travel, travel, dancing,Leave a comment

(re-run) Reading my Time magazine today (something I’ve been doing for 47 years), I noticed on the obits page that Shannen Doherty of 90210 fame, died on July 13th at the young age of 53 (breast cancer).  I didn’t watch 90210, but everyone knows who Shannen Doherty is (was). Then I saw that exercise guru… Continue reading July 13th x Three in the Obits

Best Summer Day Camp Ever

Posted in California, humor, insects, memoir, nature, parenting, parents, parking lot, rattlesnake, relationships, rescue, snakes, summer, summer camp, t shirtLeave a comment

(re-run) My two daughters were Girl Scouts and went to summer day camp at Twin Canyons in Lafayette, two towns over. In order to get them a slot, I volunteered to work the entire week. I did it for eleven years and enjoyed getting to meet every camper there (about 200 each year). I chose… Continue reading Best Summer Day Camp Ever

Doing the Wobble While Being Old

Posted in aging, August, dance floor, dancing, line dance, memoir, pandemic, senior center, seniors, sex, winery, Wobble, ZumbaLeave a comment

I just read the lyrics for the song, the Wobble, and I am blushing. It’s about sex.  It’s a really fun dance, though, mostly for women, although Saturday, as I wobbled with forty other people on a postage stamp of a dance floor at a Vallejo winery, there were at least four guys. We each… Continue reading Doing the Wobble While Being Old

My Newspaper-ritual Disaster

Posted in cocoa, dogs, March, Miss Manners, newspaper, rituals, Sunday, UncategorizedLeave a comment

(re-run) When I finally sat down to read my two Sunday newspapers in the evening, I opened up the bag that was supposed to be my local paper and found the New York Times. The delivery person left me the wrong paper? I’d already had trouble in the a.m. procuring the San Francisco Chronicle. I… Continue reading My Newspaper-ritual Disaster