(re-run) When I was a third-year teacher in 1979, I had a new school and a new classroom. One wall was white concrete blocks, cold and uninviting. Nothing would stick to it, so I couldn’t hang up posters, classwork, decorations, anything. That wall really bugged me. At the time, I was dating an artist, a… Continue reading It’s Easier to Ask for Forgiveness
Category: California
Stray Dog, Happy Ending
(re-run) Julie’s beautiful golden retriever lab mix, Sadie, lived to be thirteen years old. But when she passed, Julie’s other dog, Finn, started getting mopey. It wasn’t like the Jack Russell mix to act that way, so when Julie saw a big scraggly dog on the Placer County Animal Shelter website, she knew she had… Continue reading Stray Dog, Happy Ending
Lolita and the Guy of Lies
Lolita met a guy on eHarmony. They agreed to have their meet and greet at Starbucks in Pleasant Hill. Fred was already seated when Lolita got her coffee. When he stood up, Fred was much shorter than he’d said on his profile. Instead of 5’ 9″, he was more like 5 foot, four. He had… Continue reading Lolita and the Guy of Lies
Bossy Pants
KC met a guy online on eHarmony who said he liked to hike and read. She met him at Jack’s Restaurant in Pleasant Hill. He was ten years older than his online photo. When the waiter came to the table and asked her what she’d like to drink, her date said, “She’ll have a cup… Continue reading Bossy Pants
Red Flags Popping Up All Over
(re-run) Nancy met online at Our Time. Alan liked her profile and her pictures and contacted Nancy. He offered up his phone number. She called him and got to know him a little bit. They made a date for a Monday night. They met at the Lafayette Park Hotel for dinner and drinks. He was… Continue reading Red Flags Popping Up All Over
How to Get your Dog to Come to You
(re-run) On a recent meet-up hike, there were four small dogs with 15 or more people. One person was saying how hard it was to get his one-year-old dog to come to him. I remembered back to one of the many dog training sessions I’ve attended in my life – training Tess, the spaniel/heeler, Penny,… Continue reading How to Get your Dog to Come to You
Interfacing with Nature
(re-run) I live in a town that backs up to a gorgeous mountain in the middle of an otherwise-flat part of the San Francisco Bay Area. Bicyclists come from all over to climb Mt. Diablo and then get their joy ride on the way down the winding road. The hiking here is phenomenal, and the… Continue reading Interfacing with Nature
The Single Dad and the Dental Hygienist
(re-run) Bob’s friend had a dental office, and Bob would often stop by to visit. Joy, the married dental hygienist, offered to fix him up with single clients getting their teeth cleaned. If the women were game for a blind date with Bob, he was game, too. Joy would call Bob with the woman’s phone… Continue reading The Single Dad and the Dental Hygienist
Oopsy Daisy: Month 3 with the Rescue Dog
(re-run from 2018) Month number three with the rescue dog has revealed more reasons why she was surrendered. When it’s cold and rainy, Daisy prefers to pee indoors, especially in a dark room when no one is watching. Daisy is agile enough to jump on and walk across the table, as in, where we eat.… Continue reading Oopsy Daisy: Month 3 with the Rescue Dog
Ten-year-old Girl Meets Fire
(re-run) It was a Saturday night, and the woman who works for me was extra tired from her long honey-do list. We had just put on Footloose when she said, “I’m going to bed.” “Good night,” I said, looking at her ten year old daughter who was wearing my boots from forty years ago and… Continue reading Ten-year-old Girl Meets Fire
FIRST DATE, WORST DATE EVER! 