My Inherited Dog, Boomer

(re-run) Boomer was never my dog, although he came into my care when I married his owner.  I’m not sure how old he was when I got him. My dog, Tess, was two and Boomer was older. A small, part-Beagle, part terrier, Boomer hadn’t had a regular dog’s life. He had never eaten dog food… Continue reading My Inherited Dog, Boomer

Theft of your Intellectual Property

If you are a writer, then what you write belongs to you as your intellectual property.  Be careful of critique groups and the people with whom you share your work. You must have an iron-clad agreement that your work is your work, and no one else is allowed to use it. This is a sad… Continue reading Theft of your Intellectual Property

Dating and other Things Over Fifty

(re-run) Sherry didn’t get her first colonoscopy when she turned fifty. She put it off instead. Did she have one done at 51?   No, she did not. 52?   Nope. Finally, Sherry scheduled it to be done at 53.  She was so nervous when she went in that the nurses asked Joe, a regular patient and… Continue reading Dating and other Things Over Fifty

It’s a Small World

Today was a meet-up hike, my third time with Randy as our fearless leader. It was sunny with little to no mud and lots of cows.  About twenty of us, plus four small dogs, walked five miles in two and a half hours. The great part is that the meet-up hikers go to places I’d… Continue reading It’s a Small World

Grizzly Bear!

(re-run) An Amazon robot punctured a can of Bear Mace, sending 80 employees to the hospital before Christmas. It reminded me of this true account as told to me at a holiday party by a friend’s daughter’s boyfriend’s father figure named Bob. In 2008 you take your wife, Liza, and your teen-aged kids to Alaska.… Continue reading Grizzly Bear!

A Good Dog Neighbor

(re-run) Yesterday my son and I had lunch at the local sandwich shop. He brought his little dog, half Chihuahua, half terrier. I fed Violet scraps of lettuce under the table while we ate. She thinks she’s a vegetarian. Afterward, we followed the usual routine and came back to my house, where Violet could run… Continue reading A Good Dog Neighbor

A Lasting Love

(re-run) Maurice was a sophomore at Riordan Catholic High School for boys in San Francisco. He played tenor sax in the marching band. His buddy, Dave, was dating a girl named Sheila from Mercy Catholic High School for girls, and he suggested that Maurice date her older sister, Colleen. The foursome went to the football… Continue reading A Lasting Love