C is for Choices

Life is a series of choices: what to eat for breakfast, what college to go to, which person to marry, whether to see the cup half full or half empty. It’s much easier to look back at life and say what choices were good or bad. Whatever they were, they got you to where you… Continue reading C is for Choices

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

Animals in my Life, Domestic and Wild

(re-run) It’s 8:30 p.m. The dogs are in their usual spot, glued to the twilight through the sliding glass door.  They are lying in wait for a rat.  The Jack Russell started this. The lab was happy to snooze in the chair before Daisy came along. Now they stand guard for their yard. When they… Continue reading Animals in my Life, Domestic and Wild

Worst Dog Sitting Ever

(re=run) When I was a newlywed, living in San Diego, my next door neighbor, Doreen, befriended me. She noticed I was home alone a lot, since my teaching job ended at 3:00, and my new husband didn’t come home from work until 7:00 or so. Doreen invited me over for food and chit chat. Once,… Continue reading Worst Dog Sitting Ever

Queen Victoria, the Cat

(re-run) Renee 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 from California… Continue reading Queen Victoria, the Cat

Just Another Wednesday

(re-run) Twice a month the senior hiking group takes a hike at a local spot – today it was Borges Ranch in Walnut Creek. The senior group is called DASH, but we don’t dash at all. We stroll, stop, stroll some more. It takes four hours to go five miles, by the time everyone has… Continue reading Just Another Wednesday

Weirdest First Date or Most Purrfect?

(re-run) Mary met him on Match.com. Luke had dark hair and eyes and was pale but cute. He drove a Mustang, and Mary loved Mustangs. She was a bit older, but they were both deep into their twenties. He was earning his PhD at Cal and was a teaching assistant, so that meant he was… Continue reading Weirdest First Date or Most Purrfect?

Two Bird Baths, One Fountain

(re-run) I love my yard. When I first bought my fixer house on a fixer third acre, the yard was full of rocks and rose bushes. Now it has trees, plants, bushes, flag stone, one fountain and two bird baths. The fountain is an advertisement to creatures near and far to come into my fenced… Continue reading Two Bird Baths, One Fountain