The Sprinkler Man and the Glass Coffee Table

When my two oldest children were 5 and 2, we moved from one house in town to another. We didn’t gain any square footage, but the new house had a huge yard, front and back, and forty trees in a better neighborhood. The house had been vacant for months. The sprinklers weren’t working in the… Continue reading The Sprinkler Man and the Glass Coffee Table

The Scars of our Lives

(re-run) When you get to be my age, you’re bound to have a few scars. I haven’t had any big surgeries, but I have scars from burns, bumps, and scrapes along the way.  Right now it’s my thumb that is most noticeable. I broke it by pulling down a three-piece sectional garage door an sticking… Continue reading The Scars of our Lives

The Rain and the Long Ride Home

(re-run) After spending four nights in a the relatively pollen-free ocean zone, I was ready to come home and face a slew of doctor and tax appointments for me and my sister. I got up to wet pavement and sunny skies.  I showered, packed, and rolled my suitcase out to the gate, along with a… Continue reading The Rain and the Long Ride Home

Always Wear Clean Underwear

I was getting ready to walk the dog this morning when I noticed that the toilet bowl needed a swish. Doing it later isn’t a thing with me. What If I get hit by a bus and people see my dirty toilet? Swish, swish. My youngest is coming home for Thanksgiving? Dust the cobwebs, vacuum… Continue reading Always Wear Clean Underwear

Earthquake, Tsunami, Six Vehicle Accident Day

When I drive to the beach house from my regular house, it takes exactly two hours if there are no accidents, roadwork or bad weather. Today was not a two-hour-drive day. I pulled out of the driveway at 10:02, thinking I’d be there by noon. The dogs were in the back seat, Daisy on her… Continue reading Earthquake, Tsunami, Six Vehicle Accident Day

Guardian Angels on Call

(re-run) My two-hour drive from the beach back to suburbia can become longer if there’s an accident along 101, a two-lane (on each side) highway. Once I got past Gilroy, the garlic capital of the world, where the highway grows to four lanes each way through San Jose, I felt confident that I was going… Continue reading Guardian Angels on Call

Worst Kindergarten Teacher Ever

(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-three years… Continue reading Worst Kindergarten Teacher Ever

The Scars of our Lives

(re-run) When you get to be my age, you’re bound to have a few scars. I haven’t had any big surgeries, but I have scars from burns, bumps, and scrapes along the way.  Right now it’s my thumb that is most noticeable. I broke it by pulling down a three-piece sectional garage door an sticking… Continue reading The Scars of our Lives

Felony Hit and Run — Who Knew?

It was an ordinary Tuesday morning until it wasn’t. I drove home from the chiropractor a little earlier than usual because my chiropractor was on vacation (still had my massage), and I had people coming for teacups at 10:15. I pulled up to the stop sign. Only one more to go before I would get… Continue reading Felony Hit and Run — Who Knew?