Author: Susan

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

If the Shoe Sticks, Wear It

Posted in COVID, dance floor, dancing, friends, friendship, humor, Medicare, memoir, toilet paperLeave a comment

Dancing as a Medicare senior has its challenges. Where to go? What to wear? Wear a mask?  Last night I found myself at a restaurant/bar called Wise Girl’s, where the owner had remodeled to make room for a stage and more tables. The live band, the Groove Doctors, were there, with two great female leads… Continue reading If the Shoe Sticks, Wear It

Pyracantha and the Path to School

Posted in California, deer, fences, gardeners, memoir, native plants, photinia, pyracantha, school, school district, shortcut, smoking, trash, weedLeave a comment

(re-run) When my kids were 14, 11 and 6, we moved into a huge house that bordered the school district’s property. The middle school sat to the right of our backyard, and the high school sat to the left. Only a chain-length fence and a hedge of Photinia separated its property from ours. I called… Continue reading Pyracantha and the Path to School

Fix Your Past Mistakes, or Get a Million Dollars?

Posted in a million dollars, California, chorus, Facebook, family, friends, memoir, relatives, retirement, The MartianLeave a comment

(re-run) A Facebook post asks if you’d rather go back in time and fix all of your mistakes or don’t do that and get $1,000,000 instead. That’s easy. People will take the money. What if the choice were, go back in time and fix all your mistakes or don’t (no money)?  I’d say no to… Continue reading Fix Your Past Mistakes, or Get a Million Dollars?

Return to the Scene of the Crime

Posted in animal rescue, animals, beach, bench, California, carbon monoxide alarm, dogs, donations, fences, Good Will, hard boiled eggs, memoir, Monterey Bay, Nordstrom, repurposing, smoke, smoke alarms, thrift store, yard, yard workLeave a comment

(re-run) Two weeks ago, I tried to burn my house down.  I came home in time to turn off the burner under the hard-boiled eggs. Eight of them had become missiles and hung in pieces from every surface in the kitchen. Four of them turned black in the Teflon pan. When I put the key… Continue reading Return to the Scene of the Crime

Poop on the Patio

Posted in California, creek, drought, feeding wildlife, flood, humor, memoir, mudslides, neighborhood, philosophy, rain, San Francisco, Seattle, wildlifeLeave a comment

It’s been raining ever since 2023 started, pretty much nonstop. We aren’t used to this in sunny California. We’ve been in a twenty-year drought for well, twenty years. Usually Seattle gets this weather, not us. I can’t walk the dogs. I can’t work in the yard. But I can feed the critters and watch them… Continue reading Poop on the Patio

When CPR Class Pays Off

Posted in baby, Camporee, college essays, CPR training, dogs, Eagle Scout Award, Girl Scout leader, Girl Scouts, Gold Award, Heimlich maneuver, memoir, sisterLeave a comment

(re-run) In my previous married life long ago, I was the Girl Scout leader for my youngest child and the girls her age at her elementary school.  As a leader, I was supposed to get CPR training, so I went to the classes and got certified.  Maybe someday I’ll need it while doing a scout… Continue reading When CPR Class Pays Off

WTF? Ring the Doorbell!

Posted in author, Beatles, children's books, cleaning, communication, doorbell, email, Facebook, friends, memoir, nextdoor, office, social conventionsLeave a comment

I have an older friend who has glommed onto texting as though it were the only way to communicate. She becomes impatient if I don’t respond within sixty seconds. She occasionally takes a walk and ends up in my front yard, asking for a glass of water. Don’t get me wrong. I’d be happy to… Continue reading WTF? Ring the Doorbell!

A Donner Party Winter

Posted in Donner party, Donner Summit Museum, Hastings Cut-off, history, pioneers, Sierra Nevadas, survival, Tahoe, winterLeave a comment

(re-run) Lake Tahoe has had record-breaking snowfall this year. It is falling so fast that the ski resorts have had to close some days because of the chance of avalanches. When was the last time Tahoe has seen twenty-five feet of snow in one month? I am not a meteorologist, but one equally snowy year… Continue reading A Donner Party Winter

Queen Victoria, the Cat

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

(re-run) Renee 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 from California… Continue reading Queen Victoria, the Cat

To Dye or Not to Dye

Posted in aging, blondes, California, dancing, divorce, memoir, menopause, relationships, romanceLeave a comment

(re-run) Driving to Monterey today, looking at the velvety green hills and the occasional sprinkles of white on the tallest ones, my mind started composing this blog post. I thought about how everyone in California dyes their hair – menopausal women (no surprise there), old guys, young women, teen-aged boys. Everyone, at least it seems… Continue reading To Dye or Not to Dye