Category: childhood

Getting Away from all the No, No, No’s

Posted in animal adoption, bands, books, boyfriend, California, childhood, dogs, humor, memoir, outside the box, piano, relationships1 Comment

(re-run) My mother, bless her heart, had to keep five children in line, mostly by herself.  She did it by keeping everyone in his or her place, as in, “No, you can’t do that!” I just found out that my younger sister also wanted to play clarinet in the band, like I did. But I… Continue reading Getting Away from all the No, No, No’s

The Gun at Grandma’s House

Posted in bedroom, childhood, church, grandma, guns, memoir, relationships, religion, sister, Sunday dinner, Victorian1 Comment

The thing was cold, black, and heavy. Even though I was just a kid, maybe nine or ten, I knew a gun when I saw it. I’d been jumping on Grandma Nellie’s bed. The pillow had fallen on the floor. The gun was under the pillow. I put everything back the way I found it… Continue reading The Gun at Grandma’s House

Worst Kindergarten Teacher Ever

Posted in accident, books, childhood, chocolate milk, classmates, classroom, dairy, fieldtrip, humor, kindergarten, memoir, Urbandale, wetting my pantsLeave a comment

(re-run) She was thin, blond, and beautiful. When Mama left me in her care, I was enthralled with her, my very first teacher. Her name was Miss Tatz, and she was the lone teacher in the community building at Urbandale Lions Park, an overflow situation for the school district. Even though it was sixty years… Continue reading Worst Kindergarten Teacher Ever

Reflections on a Retired Thursday

Posted in childhood, chorus, Costco, COVID, dogs, errands, horse, horseback riding, memoir, memory, OCD, retirement, traffic, Zoom, ZumbaLeave a comment

You’d think retired people have seven days a week to reflect on their past lives. Not so, Smokey Joe.  There was chorus, plus a COVID booster shot on Tuesday which produced a huge headache. “Take Tylenol,” my adult child who lives down the hall said. “No, you’re supposed to let the vaccine do its thing,”… Continue reading Reflections on a Retired Thursday

Pontoon Boat Disaster

Posted in boat, childhood, Clear Lake, coffee, Iowa, lightning, OCD, pontoon boat, rental cottages, stomach, stomach issues, storms, summer, swimmingLeave a comment

(re-run) My parents didn’t swim. When we went on vacation at Clear Lake, Iowa, and Dad wanted to take us out in a rented pontoon boat, my mom objected.  Dad won in the end, and the five kids put on our life jackets. I think my mom did, too. I am sure my dad didn’t… Continue reading Pontoon Boat Disaster

Antique Dolls Get a Bad Rap

Posted in childhood, COVID, dance floor, dancing, dolls, girlfriends, Monterey county, Nancy Ann dolls, online dating, pandemic, robot, Rossmoor, store, texting1 Comment

Fifteen years ago, my second cousin died an untimely death. She left me all of her dolls that had passsed down on two sides of the family until they ended with her. She had no children, no one to pass the dolls to. I’ve been dragging around my childhood dolls for half a century. When… Continue reading Antique Dolls Get a Bad Rap

Behind Closed Doors

Posted in abuse, attitude, basement, brother, Catholic, childhood, Facebook, gender roles, high school, Iowa, junior high school, memoir, physical abuse, relationships, worstLeave a comment

(re-run) I read a memoir about a woman’s tough childhood, with violence, danger, and an abusive older brother. I recommended it to Facebook friends online. A friend said she didn’t like it because she didn’t think the book rang true. “The Mormon part or the survivalist part?” I asked her. “Neither.” She didn’t think anyone… Continue reading Behind Closed Doors

Grandma’s Basement

Posted in basement, childhood, confidence, dungeon, grandma, grandpa, kindergarten, memoir, playpen, sarcasm, shame, teacher, wringer washerLeave a comment

(re-run) My grandpa and his dad built a house into the side of a hill. The main floor had three small bedrooms, a bathroom, a living room and stairs to the kitchen below. The kitchen looked out over the hill down to the creek and had windows and a back door with a screen door.… Continue reading Grandma’s Basement

Getting Away from all the No, No, No’s

Posted in animal adoption, bands, books, boyfriend, California, childhood, dogs, humor, memoir, outside the box, piano, relationships1 Comment

(re-run) My mom, bless her heart, had to keep five children in line, mostly by herself.  She did it by keeping everyone in his or her place, as in, “No, you can’t do that!” I just found out that my younger sister also wanted to play clarinet in the band, like I did. But I… Continue reading Getting Away from all the No, No, No’s

Pontoon Boat Disaster

Posted in boat, childhood, Clear Lake, coffee, Iowa, lightning, memoir, OCD, pontoon boat, rental cottages, stomach, stomach issues, storms, summer, swimming, swimming poolLeave a comment

(re-run) My parents didn’t know how to swim. When we went on vacation at Clear Lake, Iowa, and Dad wanted to take us out in a rented pontoon boat, my mom objected.  Dad won in the end, and the five kids put on our life jackets. I think my mom did, too. I am sure… Continue reading Pontoon Boat Disaster