Susan

A Non-starter First Date

August 4, 2023August 3, 2023 Posted in dating, dinner, jerk, pay phone, restaurant, snow, Tahoe, truck, waiter, worstLeave a comment

(re-run) Pat met Celeste when they both worked at Harrah’s in South Lake Tahoe. He took her to Zephyr Cove, to an expensive fancy restaurant with a view. Pat had big hopes for the date since he had a bit of a crush on Celeste. But Celeste flirted with the GQ waiter, a ski patrol… Continue reading A Non-starter First Date

Pepper Might’ve Saved my Life Today

August 3, 2023 Posted in beach, California, dog behaviors, dog walks, garden hose, gardening, guardian angel, memoir, neighbors, old lady card, timing, tree trimmer, treesLeave a comment

(re-run) When I got back from the beach walk where I froze as Pepper smelled every bush and tree along the way, I went inside, put a pot of water on to heat, gave each dog a treat and took Daisy outside to play ball in the front yard. After I’d thrown the first ball,… Continue reading Pepper Might’ve Saved my Life Today

Participation Trophy

August 2, 2023August 1, 2023 Posted in Beanie Babies, childhood, children's books, dehydration, doctor, donations, Duplos, ER, memoir, Millennials, pillow fight, sports, stitches, toad, toys, trophyLeave a comment

(re-run) My millennial children like to make fun of themselves for all the participation trophies they earned in childhood for soccer, basketball, softball, baseball. Two of them recently ditched the trophies. One of them kept hers. “Why did you guys give us trophies for everything?” Child # 3 asked. “The pendulum swung the other way… Continue reading Participation Trophy

The Bad-date Picnic

July 30, 2023July 29, 2023 Posted in attitude, dating, daughter, Dracula, mom, picnic, racist, romance, Seattle, worstLeave a comment

(re-run) Laurie graduated college and had boomeranged back home to Seattle. She met a cute guy with horn-rimmed glasses. He invited her on a picnic at the beach. She said yes. “Have fun,” her mom said when Greg came to the house. Greg drove to a sandy spot with a view of the city. They… Continue reading The Bad-date Picnic

Wasabi on a First Date

July 29, 2023July 28, 2023 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

One Guy’s Thoughts on the Big Break-up

July 24, 2023July 22, 2023 Posted in break-up, divorce, empathy, ex-wife, exercise, getting hit on, relationships, romance, Rossmoor, senior center, seniors, tennisLeave a comment

A 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

Survey, App, and QR Code Overload

July 23, 2023July 22, 2023 Posted in app, memoir, QR code, quilt, surveyLeave a comment

“How was your experience at CVS? Did you enjoy your visits at the chiropractor’s office? Pease rate how friendly your representative was at Verizon. Did you enjoy driving past In and Out? It has gotten ridiculous. In a given week, I get 3 to 5 texts on my phone to complete a short, five-minute survey.… Continue reading Survey, App, and QR Code Overload

Love of her Life

July 22, 2023July 21, 2023 Posted in alcohol, high school, HIV, relationships, Rio, romance, travelLeave a comment

(re-run) Connie was only fourteen when she went to her first dinner dance at the country club. Brad was two years older, already driving, and as handsome as could be. Connie had been smitten since the day they met at school. She had been at her locker. He had come by and said hello. She’d… Continue reading Love of her Life

Daisy’s New Perch

July 21, 2023July 20, 2023 Posted in animal rescue, animal training, barking, Christmas, dog behaviors, dogs, gardeners, memoir, park, quiltLeave a comment

(re-run) My suburban house is cozy but dumb. The small bedrooms are on the front of the house, with the family room tucked behind the garage. There are no good windows for Daisy to see out of, no couch to jump upon to watch the street. Until the day I cleaned my office. I ended… Continue reading Daisy’s New Perch

Weirdest First Date or Most Purrfect?

July 19, 2023 Posted in beach, Berkeley, Cal, California, cats, dating, firsts, grad school, Match.comLeave a comment

(re-run) Mary met him on Match.com. Luke had dark hair and eyes and was pale but cute. He drove a Mustang, and Mary loved Mustangs. She was a bit older, but they were both deep into their twenties. He was earning his PhD at Cal and was a teaching assistant, so that meant he was… Continue reading Weirdest First Date or Most Purrfect?