Category: California

Saying Good-bye to the Family Dog

Posted in animal training, attitude, brother, California, college, Dachshund, dating, daughter, divorce, dog training, doggie door, dogs, eulogy, ex-boyfriend, ex-husband, fame, family, hiking, memoir, moving, relationships, sister, trainer2 Comments

My son got a puppy on his twelfth birthday, a miniature dachshund, red in color.  He wanted to name him Schnitzel. Somehow he ended up with the name Wiener Dog. Nobody called him that except the vet. To the rest of us he was Wienie.  This made for some hilarious comments: Time to take Wienie… Continue reading Saying Good-bye to the Family Dog

Prom with an Older Woman

Posted in California, dad, dancing, dating, firsts, high school, humor, Monterey Bay, Prom, relationships, worstLeave a comment

(re-run) Alan was a sophomore when he got asked to junior prom by an older girl. He rented a tux from his date’s father, Mr. Cohen, at the local men’s shop in Monterey. Alan’s dad had to play chauffeur in his 1962 Chevy Bel Air, since Alan didn’t have his driver’s license yet. When they… Continue reading Prom with an Older Woman

Raindrops Keep Falling on my Head

Posted in antique, back ache, backache, Bay Area, California, cleaning, Coronavirus, Covid 19, dogs, moving, New York, news, rain, reading, roof, writingLeave a comment

A month ago, California hadn’t had a drop of rain in twenty-nine days.  It was the driest February since 1864.  Now it is “Miracle March,” and it seems to be raining every day. I’m not complaining. We need snow to build up in the Sierras to provide lots of snow pack melt-off in the early… Continue reading Raindrops Keep Falling on my Head

A Date with Jesus

Posted in Berkeley, Cal, California, dating, family, Italian, Jesus, mental health, movie, relationships, religion, worst1 Comment

(re-run) Gina was from a big Italian family, So was Vito, her same age. The families were good friends, and when they were both fifteen, Gina was in love with Vito. But they never dated, and once Gina left for Berkeley to go to school at Cal, she didn’t see Vito for several years. When… Continue reading A Date with Jesus

The Tree Whisperer

Posted in California, gardeners, gardening, helpful strangers, humor, memoir, nature, outdoors, relationships, trees, worstLeave a comment

(re-run) I walk my neighborhood once or twice most days while walking Dog A and Dog B (I can’t walk them together since the newest little weirdo is nuts). Because I am a tree hugger and have planted more than sixty trees at my various houses over the years, I will free a distressed tree… Continue reading The Tree Whisperer

Forget Toilet Paper – I Need Chocolate

Posted in California, chocolate, Coronavirus, Costco, Covid 19, desert island, humor, parking lot, shelter in place, toilet paper1 Comment

Last week I tried to go to Costco. I got there at 8:50 a.m. and the line to the front door was a block long. Because of Coronavirus. I turned around and left. Today, the second day of our shelter-in-place order, I ventured to Costco at 4:00 p.m. after a stealth visit with my sister… Continue reading Forget Toilet Paper – I Need Chocolate

The Upside of Self-quarantining — Is There One?

Posted in 401K, California, Caltrans, Coronavirus, doctor, dogs, extrovert, hair color, hair dye, humor, make-up, Medicare, memoir, nursing home, party, ski resorts, skiing, social distancing, socializing, symphony, thrift store2 Comments

I have a science friend who used the term social distancing a month ago. I listened to her. I thought of my sis in a nursing home situation, the sister I visit daily, and thought to myself, I need to do this. Two weekends ago, I skipped a Motown review at a large theater and… Continue reading The Upside of Self-quarantining — Is There One?