My cars sit out in the summer. There’s no way they can go into the garage. Fires are burning north of here and have been for weeks. The Bay Area air is smoky. I look at the blue plastic tubs of flammable clothing and think, “It would take days for all of this to burn.”… Continue reading Letting Go
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Popsicles, Light Carpet, and Stitches
(re-run) It was Labor Day weekend. We needed to get a handle on the mess in the garage. I asked my oldest to watch my youngest while we parents worked outside. She was nine, in 4th grade already for a week, and the baby was almost two and a half. Then a series of unfortunate… Continue reading Popsicles, Light Carpet, and Stitches
The Not So Trivial Trivia of Paul McCartney
Three years ago Philip Norman published his book, Paul McCartney: The Life. I checked it out from the library for my Sis in large print. The book is twenty-nine pages short of 1200! Sis took one look at the book and said, “It’s too heavy.” I had it in the return pile but then decided… Continue reading The Not So Trivial Trivia of Paul McCartney
Bad Things that Come in Small Packages
(re-run) They met online on Okay Cupid. The horizontal happened fast. Things were going well, so after six months, Barry gave up his ugly apartment and bought a condo. She moved in right away. Then he started to notice her temper: 1. If the house wasn’t perfectly clean at all times. 2. If his son’s… Continue reading Bad Things that Come in Small Packages
A Girl, A Creek, and an Hour to Spare
(re-run) When my worker woman showed up Monday morning after having been gone for a two-week long vacation, I had a long list of to–do’s for her. I answered the door and found her nine year old daughter standing next to her. I said hello and went over the list with Kelly. I left to… Continue reading A Girl, A Creek, and an Hour to Spare
Shop Till You Drop
(re-run) We had already hit two thrift stores and were heading for a third. Then I remembered that Vicky wanted to go to the ones in Carmel. I turned onto Forest Avenue and took the winding highway 68 through the Monterey pines. It would lead to the new roundabout that would send the traffic north… Continue reading Shop Till You Drop
Second Time Around
Suzanne needed a date for her Alpha Delta Phi sorority party that was being held off campus at one of the sister’s parents’ house. She invited a guy from her old high school, Mark. When they got there, Mark knew the physician dad, because they’d been on ski patrol together one winter in Tahoe. Mark… Continue reading Second Time Around
The Power of Nature
(re-run) Sun, trees, dirt, flowers — my nose is full of the smell of Eucalyptus leaves. I used to hike twice a month with my senior hiking group called DASH. Then my sis moved in with me so that I could be her care giver. My hiking days stopped except for once last summer when… Continue reading The Power of Nature
Happily Never After
There it was on my Facebook feed. A writer friend I barely knew saying the best day of her life was the day she met her husband. And a chorus friend telling her spouse “Love you, Babe” on their 30+ anniversary. It stings a little. It used to sting a lot. While going through an… Continue reading Happily Never After
Best Aquarium Ever
I am a little bit biased. My beach town is right next to Monterey, so my fave aquarium is the Monterey Bay Aquarium. I hadn’t been inside for over two years, even though I always buy a yearly pass. Today I needed to check out the gift shop to see if the book I am… Continue reading Best Aquarium Ever
