PK lived in Jersey when her friend’s mum was terminally ill in Boston. When her friend called to say her mother had died, PK woke up feeling bad but thought it was the heat. She wanted to go to the funeral and surprise her friend. She loaded up her three-year-old daughter and took off for… Continue reading Worst Husband Ever
Category: children
The Uses for a Nine Year Old
My Girl Friday (who works for me on Mondays) has a daughter, who sometimes comes along with her to work. Now that her daughter is nine, she is useful in many ways. 1. She entertains my dogs. 2. She entertains my sister, giving her someone to watch. 3. She brings music into the house, since… Continue reading The Uses for a Nine Year Old
Worst Neighbors Ever
When I was twenty-eight I bought my first house, in Omaha, on 50th Avenue, south of Leavenworth. It was a cute little two bedroom, one bath with a full basement and big fenced-in backyard. Since I wanted to get a dog, it seemed perfect. I had a budget, and this house was in my price… Continue reading Worst Neighbors Ever
Queen Victoria, The Cat
Renee, an 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 kitten,” 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… Continue reading Queen Victoria, The Cat
Two Dates, Two Dolls
He was tall and lanky. She was short with a great smile. They were the leads in the high school play at Des Moines Tech in 1948. They flirted on and off stage. They even had a kissing scene. Joanne knew Bill was the one. Bill asked her out. On their first date, he showed… Continue reading Two Dates, Two Dolls
Afternoon Delight
If you were in eighth grade and you had a weekly afternoon paper route delivering the Detroit News in Saginaw, Michigan, and you rode your red Schwinn with the basket to do your route and then rode it again on collection day, what would your fantasy be? If you were Chet, it would be Mrs.… Continue reading Afternoon Delight
They Told Her to Go to Rehab
It’s my sister’s second day of rehab after a one-week hospital stay, and I need to vent about the woman in the next bed. Actually, about her family. She has had a medical event that has changed her life. She is moving to a new place closer to one of her daughters. I found this… Continue reading They Told Her to Go to Rehab
The Daycare Quandary
When my kids were young, I had a hard time finding sitters for them in my affluent bedroom community near San Francisco. The local kids didn’t need the money, and my then-husband wouldn’t spring for a nanny. Not that I wanted one. I wanted to raise my own kids. Every now and then, it was… Continue reading The Daycare Quandary
It’s Up to You, Millennials
The shooting at the Parkland, Florida high school is more rotten news you don’t want to think about. But it happened, and those kids are pissed. They lost 14 friends, two coaches, and a young teacher who was engaged to be married. A disgruntled nineteen year old with an assault weapon took them out in… Continue reading It’s Up to You, Millennials
Door Number One or Door Number Two?
It was all because of a blizzard. Well, sort of. I wanted to go to Minnesota to see the boyfriend I’d broken up with five months before while we were in Europe. We had bought Eurail passes and had made our way across the continent, sleeping on trains, in tents, and youth hostels, even though… Continue reading Door Number One or Door Number Two?
FIRST DATE, WORST DATE EVER! 