Author: Susan

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

Suck It Up, Buttercup

Posted in antibiotics, California, dancing, flat feet, friends, hip replacement, kayaking, klutz, knee replacement, memoir, orthotics, Russian River, shoulder surgery, surgeryLeave a comment

It’s that chapter in life where many of my friends in their sixties and seventies are having hip, knee, and shoulder replacements.  Some are younger than me, most older, but all of them so far have seen the benefits of getting a bionic body part, aka titanium. One girlfriend mentioned that she is allergic to… Continue reading Suck It Up, Buttercup

Dancing, Diversity, and a Mole

Posted in California, culture, dancing, diversity, Mare Island, melanoma, memoir, mole, skin cancer, Vallejo, winery, Wobble, Zumba1 Comment

When you live in a lily-white suburban town like I do, it’s good to get out of it and see how diverse our country is becoming. Duh. It’s California.  After a summer of dancing in other lily-white towns (Clayton, Alamo, Moraga) it ‘s nice to be with other cultures, races, skin tones, whatever you want… Continue reading Dancing, Diversity, and a Mole

The Contractor and the Jet Setter

Posted in best, California, cars, chemistry, firsts, high heels, humor, jet setter, last, meet and greet, relationships, travelLeave a comment

(re-run) Tom, the contractor, set up his umpteenth date on Match.com.  The woman he matched with was from the same affluent town, was the same height as he was, and was ready to meet him at Bridges, the hot spot downtown with the best happy hour.  But when Ellen walked in, she had on three… Continue reading The Contractor and the Jet Setter

Total Eclipse of the Date

Posted in blind date, dating, firsts, Iowa, Midwestern, relationships, restaurant, worstsLeave a comment

(re-run) The last solar eclipse over the continental U.S. was on Monday, February 26, 1979.  Claudette worked in the x-ray department at Lutheran Hospital in Des Moines, Iowa.  She and her co-workers took some x-ray film and went outside to look at the sun through the film. They were not in the path of totality… Continue reading Total Eclipse of the Date

Escape

Posted in computer, dating, drugs, February, firsts, online dating, personal ad, relationships, restaurantLeave a comment

(re-run) Long before dating sites and the personal computer were invented, Scott answered a personal ad in the Contra Costa Times. Remember newspapers? They were ink-on-paper affairs that folded in half, but not shiny like a magazine (a magazine was a booklet of ads, stories, and photographs with a theme that was published weekly or… Continue reading Escape

A Good First Date

Posted in army, bar, dating, engagement ring, Facebook, hair plugs, kiss, North Beach, pandemic, San Francisco, set-up, Ukraine, Valentine's Day, wedding2 Comments

Harold was friends with Jack. Jack worked with Mary. Jack thought Harold and Mary should meet. “Come to the company luncheon with me,” Jack said.  “And it you don’t like Mary, you can meet Alice.” Harold went online and checked out the two women’s Facebook pages. He liked Mary’s page more than Alice’s page. But… Continue reading A Good First Date

One Guy’s Thoughts on the Big Break-up

Posted in break-up, divorce, empathy, ex-wife, exercise, getting hit on, relationships, romance, Rossmoor, senior center, seniors, tennisLeave a comment

(re-run) One guy friend of mine whom I don’t know very well except that he puts on free estate sales (lawyer) and he speaks his mind . . . “Nice pioneer outfit you’ve got on, Susan!” Okay, the dress was a bit ruffly, and ruffles aren’t in style like they were ten years ago .… Continue reading One Guy’s Thoughts on the Big Break-up

The Day We Were the Minority

Posted in abolition, bus, California, children, college, Frederick Douglass, integration, Midwestern, spring break, subway, Susan B. Anthony, travel, Twelve Years a Slave, Washington D.C.Leave a comment

(re-run) I’ve told the story before. I may have even written it, but that’s the downside of being old. You forget. It was 2014. My youngest was in college on the East Coast. For spring break, she proposed that her older brother and I fly across the country to meet her in DC for ten… Continue reading The Day We Were the Minority

He Wouldn’t Take Non for an Answer

Posted in baseball, best, dating, Europe, flirting, France, history, humor, marriage proposal, military, moving, relationships, travel, World War IILeave a comment

(re-run) Harry was an American soldier. He had survived D-Day. The war had just ended in Europe. He helped free the town of Reims, France, where she lived. She was so beautiful that when he met her on the street, he asked to/walked her/followed her home. She thanked him but wasn’t interested. “What is your… Continue reading He Wouldn’t Take Non for an Answer

The Turquoise Trailer and the Homeless Couple

Posted in camper trailer, camping, dogs, easement, flower bed, homeless, January, land survey, lawyer, Monterey Bay, neighbors, property line, railroad, shared driveway, storms, USPS, winterLeave a comment

(re-run) My little beach house sits on land bought back in 1929 from the railroad company.  The old deed shows the purchase price of $25.00. For some reason, the original owner didn’t want to buy the land up to the railroad tracks. Now, 95 years later, the land between my back fence and the old… Continue reading The Turquoise Trailer and the Homeless Couple