(re-run) When I was in high school and bought some of my clothes at the DAV (Disabled American Vets) thrift store, they called me quirky. When I made a cool pair of bell bottom jeans out of my dad’s old work pants, they called me quirky, but they also asked me where I got them.… Continue reading Imitation is the Sincerest Form of Flattery
Category: California
My Home-town Report
Last night at chorus rehearsal, I had to say something about my hometown, since I missed the retreat due to COVID. He called on me last, so I had some time to figure out what I was going to say. What I said was, “I’m from Urbandale, Iowa, a suburb of Des Moines.” Soprano Rebecca… Continue reading My Home-town Report
Let it Rain
(re-run from 2019) If you live in California, it’s the time of year that you pray for rain. With no precipitation since May, the hills are bone dry, so brown they are white. I hiked the hills yesterday. Not one green sprout of anything could be found anywhere. The trees are green, but that is… Continue reading Let it Rain
Laugh More, Worry Less
(re-run) The state is on fire, again. It seems that three of the last four years have been off the charts for wild fires. 2017 – Napa and Santa Rosa burned. Santa Barbara County, too. 2018 – Paradise, the town, was wiped off the map. 2019 – Because of heavier winter rainfall, the fires weren’t… Continue reading Laugh More, Worry Less
Street Dance
(re-run) After hiking six miles with the senior group called DASH, which does not dash at all, but rather hikes slowly through the woods with plenty of stops for bathroom breaks, snack breaks, or count-up-and-regroup breaks, I was too pooped to go out dancing. But my friends were going, it was close (just one town… Continue reading Street Dance
Fear of Bridges? Me, Too
(re-run) Gephyrophobia is the anxiety disorder of fear of bridges. The Bay Area might not be the best place to live if you have it. To get to San Francisco, you either have to take the San Mateo Bridge or the Bay Bridge. To get to Sausalito and Marin County, you have to take the… Continue reading Fear of Bridges? Me, Too
People Watching
(re-run) An 80s band was set to play in a small park one town away. I’m not a big fan of 80s music, but it was the last concert of the summer in that town, so why not? My girlfriend agreed to meet me there. I got there first and chose a corner of a… Continue reading People Watching
The Tree Trimming Post
(re-run from 2021) The beach town where I have an almost -100-year-old house has Draconian tree removal laws. In other words, you can’t. You can trim your tree up to 25%, but good luck trying to remove it. I found this out the hard way when I applied for a tree removal permit ($181.00) and… Continue reading The Tree Trimming Post
Pyracantha and the Path to School
(re-run) When my kids were 14, 11 and 6, we moved into a 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 the… Continue reading Pyracantha and the Path to School
He Ain’t Heavy, He’s my Match Date
(re-run) Ingrid had been on the online website for a little over a month. She had tried meeting a few guys but only if they were willing to email back and forth and actually pick up a phone and call. Fred had flirted and called, and now it was time for them to meet. He… Continue reading He Ain’t Heavy, He’s my Match Date
