Another Brush with Nature

(re-run) My beach town has a state-run conference center in it, with rustic buildings designed by the architect, Julia Morgan. It’s what got me here back in the late 80’s and 90’s, attending a writer’s conference next to the ocean. Over the years. I’ve seen brown state-issued signs posted for mountain lion sightings. I’ve never… Continue reading Another Brush with Nature

Wasabi on a First Date

(re-run) They had the same hair dresser.  She was coming in as he was going out. He asked for her phone number. She gave it to her hairdresser to give to him. There aren’t too many eligible men in their seventies, especially one that still had his hair! Garth took Gladys to a nice Japanese… Continue reading Wasabi on a First Date

Queen Victoria, the Cat

(re-run) Renee, the artist, already had three cats. She wasn’t looking for another. So when her daughter-in-law called and said, “Mom, you need to adopt this cat,” Renee was thinking, No way, Renee. But then she heard the kitty’s story, and she had to reconsider. Renee’s son Brian and his wife were moving to Tennessee… Continue reading Queen Victoria, the Cat

My Daily Work-out with Joe

Somehow I heard about a good-looking guy in England named Joe Wicks, who does exercise videos. He calls himself the Body Coach. He decided two weeks ago to post a new workout video every day as long as the lockdown is happening around the world. He calls it Body Coach PE. I used to go… Continue reading My Daily Work-out with Joe

My Two Gophers

Now before you tell me that gophers are solitary creatures and that I only have one gopher, let me explain that I have a little beach house with a gopher and my regular house with a gopher. I am an Iowa girl, living in California. So both houses were bought because of the property that… Continue reading My Two Gophers

Dog Training, the $100 Secret

(re-run) When I got a ten-week-old puppy the Monday before Christmas four+ years ago, I didn’t realize how hard it was going to be. I’d trained many a dog, but I did it within the context of my family, with my children at the ready to wear out the new pet. This time I was… Continue reading Dog Training, the $100 Secret

Thank God for Girl Scout Cookies

This is my 21st day in quarantine. I started early when my sister’s infectious disease doctor told me not to risk it. I sold my ticket to a Motown review and went to the beach house. When the nursing homes shut down all visitors, I saw my sis for another week. She lives in a… Continue reading Thank God for Girl Scout Cookies

Saying Good-bye to the Family Dog

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