(re-run) Jim’s job was to put the crunch in Jif, the new peanut butter to rival Skippy. One machine chopped the peanuts into slivers, and another machine used pistons to plug the slivers into the creamy product. Jim also had to taste test peanut butter that had been sitting on a shelf for three months… Continue reading Hold the Crunch
Category: California
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 I… Continue reading The Power of Nature
The Crack in my Face
(re-run) Because my adult child moved in, I changed bathrooms. They get the new one at the other end of the house, and I get the hallway one with the skylight and window (the master bathroom is a cave). I was putting on my make-up the other day with daylight coming in. There it was,… Continue reading The Crack in my Face
The Dancing Tribe
Different town. Different band. Same faces. We are the tribe of dancers, mostly in our fifties, sixties, and seventies, following rock and roll music wherever it goes. We might not know each other’s names, but we smile and wave. It’s been two years since some of us have seen each other. Last summer the venues… Continue reading The Dancing Tribe
Sorry About That
(re-run) Aileen had a date in her early 50s that neither she, nor the guy will ever forget. They met online. He suggested a hike out to the Black Diamond Mines in Antioch. She agreed, although she wasn’t much of a hiker. During the hike and while climbing in and out of the mine tunnels,… Continue reading Sorry About That
The Red-tailed Hawk and the Toddler Fence
(re-run) I am a bird lover. I feed the song birds and the finches. I have an ongoing water supply in the form of a fountain in my back yard. I’ve planted native plants for the hummingbirds. When I hike, I am thrilled to find a hawk feather to add to my hat. Twenty-odd years… Continue reading The Red-tailed Hawk and the Toddler Fence
Hat Trick
I have too many hats. Most of them were store inventory since I had a costume business for kids – field trips, book reports, etc. I sold on Etsy for five years until they became a corporate company with plans to streamline the buyer’s experience. Just click a button and order with your credit card.… Continue reading Hat Trick
He Met Her at Work
(re-run) Troy had the best job for meeting women. He was a parks worker for the city of Clayton, which contracted with the county for a workforce from the Work Alternative Program. In other words, drunk drivers and those with misdemeanors could work off their time instead of paying fines. He was their supervisor. Katie,… Continue reading He Met Her at Work
Cut Loose on a Saturday Afternoon
(re-run) “I like the way you dance,” he said to me that Saturday afternoon. Margo and I had gone to Vino Godfather, a cool little winery in an old Victorian house on Mare Island in Vallejo. The island used to be a naval base, judging from the abandoned barracks on the way to the winery.… Continue reading Cut Loose on a Saturday Afternoon
Uncle Frank and the Jar of Coins
(re-run) I grew up with three uncles, one in Colorado, another on the other side of the state, and one near my home town in Des Moines, Iowa. Uncle Frank was older than the other uncles, but since his daughter, Nina, was my age, I hardly noticed. He was married to my grandma’s younger sister. … Continue reading Uncle Frank and the Jar of Coins
FIRST DATE, WORST DATE EVER! 