Author: Susan

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

Buffalo Bill Meets Annie Oakley

Posted in birds, California, dating, drinking, firsts, friends, guns, hiking, nature, online dating, relationships, restaurant, romance, worstLeave a comment

(re-run) Aaron met Katie on Plenty of Fish. She didn’t message him back for months. For their first date, he took her duck hunting. She brought her own gun. He brought a boat and the friend who owned it. The trio didn’t’ talk much because they had to be quiet to get a duck. It… Continue reading Buffalo Bill Meets Annie Oakley

Don’t Get a Sun Burn

Posted in airforce, California, dating, humor, military, Monterey Bay, relationships, travelLeave a comment

(re-run) You think you know someone. You’ve sat across from your brother-in-law at countless holiday meals. You raised your kids together, although far enough away that you only saw them four or five times a year. You know George loves Monterey, but you didn’t know the whole story. You knew he’d been in the military,… Continue reading Don’t Get a Sun Burn

Best Friends of Days Gone by

Posted in 1970s, agent, children, children's books, friends, getting published, Maid of Honor, memoir, wedding2 Comments

On another day of reflection, I’m wondering how I lost track of two dear friends, one from high school, the other from college. I was maid of honor in the bridesmaid line-up at each of their weddings.  I’m still wondering how that ever could’ve happened, looking back over the past forty years. I got married,… Continue reading Best Friends of Days Gone by

Flat Feet

Posted in Brazil, Canaima, chiropractor, flat feet, Korean War, memoir, skiing, South America, Spanish, travel, vacation, waterfallsLeave a comment

(re-run) I turned on my laptop the other day, and the ever-changing screen showed a photo of waterfalls, big wide ones somewhere in Brazil. I’ve never been to Brazil, but I have been to Venezuela, where there are seven wide falls and a resort below them called Canaima. I was student-teaching with another Iowa Stater.… Continue reading Flat Feet

The People I Meet When Thrifting

Posted in memoir, Oakland, people, shopping, therapy, thrift store, thrift stores, White Elephant saleLeave a comment

I have a deep need to thrift. I do it at least once a week, even on vacations. I’m not talking consignment stores where people bring in items, hoping to get some money back.  I’m talking about stores that take donations and sell things on the cheap because they got them for free. Last week… Continue reading The People I Meet When Thrifting

Spring Cleaning in February

Posted in air purifier, antique, Australia, cleaning, fundraiser, Jack Russell terrier, koalas, memoir, music, nursing home, pollen, rain, singing1 Comment

(re-run) It started with a koala bear.  A bunch of them.  Some musicians were having a fundraiser for Australia, the fires, and the koalas.  It was donation at the door.  Two and a half hours of music, and I knew three of the performers. We got there early and sat in the third row.  Two… Continue reading Spring Cleaning in February

Build Me Up, Buttercup

Posted in 1968, chorus, commercials, daughter, female bonding, Foundations, go-go boots, Gong show, judges, singles' club, sister, ski club, talent show, yellowLeave a comment

There’s a Geico commercial for motorcycle insurance that starts out with the introduction to one of my favorite songs – Build Me Up, Buttercup. Of course, I have to sing along. Why do you . . . build me up, buttercup baby, just to let me down, and mess me around . . . This… Continue reading Build Me Up, Buttercup

Best Ed Sullivan Show Ever

Posted in Beatles, best, Colorado, crush, fame, friends, humor, Iowa, junior high school, memoir, music, phlebotomist, relationships, sister, TVLeave a comment

(re-run) Carol grew up in in Pueblo, Colorado, which was called the little Pittsburg of the West. Her dad was a steelworker. Her mom was a lab tech phlebotomist at the hospital. Whenever one of the kids got sick, her mom would bring home a hypodermic needle in her purse to draw some blood. “To… Continue reading Best Ed Sullivan Show Ever

Worst Kindergarten Teacher Ever

Posted in accident, books, childhood, chocolate milk, classmates, classroom, dairy, fieldtrip, humor, kindergarten, memoir, Urbandale, wetting my pantsLeave a comment

(re-run) She was thin, blond, and beautiful. When Mama left me in her care, I was enthralled with her, my very first teacher. Her name was Miss Tatz, and she was the lone teacher in the community building at Urbandale Lions Park, an overflow situation for the school district. Even though it was sixty years… Continue reading Worst Kindergarten Teacher Ever