The nine year old in my life has joined the Tweener set. She is a double digit girl now, on her way to teenager-hood. She is doing division now in math, although those pesky times tables continue to bother her. 7 x 9 is her nemesis. So is 9 x 7, 63 divided by 9,… Continue reading The Uses for a Ten Year Old
Category: California
Border Collies 2, Geese 0
(in honor of Tru, who died last week at the age of sixteen) She named you Tru. You are a member of the smartest dog breed on the planet, one that performs in sheep-herding trials, one that needs to work every day because you are so intelligent. You are happy to get into a golf… Continue reading Border Collies 2, Geese 0
The Red-tailed Hawk and the Toddler Fence
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 ago,… Continue reading The Red-tailed Hawk and the Toddler Fence
Pavlov’s Perfume
My girlfriend, who shall remain nameless, lest someone recognize her on this page, has a three-time rescue dog like me. Hers also started out as a voluntary surrender puppy after his owner first lost a home in the Redding fire. Or possibly he was at the Redding shelter and got shipped out to make room… Continue reading Pavlov’s Perfume
How to Train your Dog so He Won’t Bite You
Yesterday at the natural stone store where I went to look at their granite, the guy that helped me mentioned that his friend’s German Shepherd puppy kept biting his owner. Puppies do that because they are exploring their world. They are babies using everything as their personal teething rings. When my lab mix Pepper was… Continue reading How to Train your Dog so He Won’t Bite You
The Robin and the Chrome Bowl
(re-run) Every morning, as I sit at my kitchen table putting up my blog post and sipping on strong tea, a robin comes near the back porch to meet its reflection in an upside-down chrome dog bowl. The robin does a little dance in front of the bowl. The reflection does a dance back to… Continue reading The Robin and the Chrome Bowl
Drinking, Dancing and Driving
I am a happy version of a designated driver. Instead of abstaining completely, I drink two glasses of wine per dancing event. I drink early and then stop. I do this for two reasons. #1 — I am a lightweight with alcohol. #2 — I need to drive friends that drink more than I do.… Continue reading Drinking, Dancing and Driving
To Dye or Not to Dye
Driving to Monterey today, looking at the velvety green hills and the occasional sprinkles of white on the tallest ones, my mind started composing this blog post. I thought about how everyone in California dyes his or her hair – menopausal women (no surprise there), old guys, young women, teen-aged boys. Everyone, at least it… Continue reading To Dye or Not to Dye
How to Relax for Bed
I closed my online costume shop last summer. I donated 500 dresses to a charity for third world girls and sorted through my aprons, pulling out all the hostess ones, the sheer ones not for cooking. I had 150 of them. I gave them to my local thrift store, the one that knows vintage stuff.… Continue reading How to Relax for Bed
Lovely Rita, Meter Maid
Saturdays are best when they are busy. I like to have things to do. So yesterday was fun from morning to night. I spent most of the day in overly-metered Walnut Creek. The town of walnut orchards has turned into a buzzing destination for shoppers. It boasts a Nordstroms, Neiman Marcus (Needless Mark-up), Tiffany, Apple,… Continue reading Lovely Rita, Meter Maid
FIRST DATE, WORST DATE EVER! 