Category: children

Best Friends of Days Gone by

Posted in 1970s, agent, children, children's books, friends, getting published, Maid of Honor, memoir, wedding2 Comments

On another day of reflection, I’m wondering how I lost track of two dear friends, one from high school, the other from college. I was maid of honor in the bridesmaid line-up at each of their weddings.  I’m still wondering how that ever could’ve happened, looking back over the past forty years. I got married,… Continue reading Best Friends of Days Gone by

The Neighbors, the Pit Bull, and the Daily Pooper

Posted in animal control, antique store, California, children, confrontation, dogs, Frisbee, high school, leash, memoir, middle school, neighbors, pit bull, poop, teaching1 Comment

(re-run) We bought a house on a street that was a long court with two courts coming off of it. We were up at the top, and it was a great and safe place for my kids to walk Penny, our greyhound-mix dog. Until it wasn’t. “That was a short walk,” I said when they… Continue reading The Neighbors, the Pit Bull, and the Daily Pooper

Musical Cleaning Day (waiting for plumber)

Posted in Bill Withers, CD player, children, cleaning, dogs, Isley Brothers, memoir, music, musicians, pandemic, plumber, poem, purge, reflux diseaseLeave a comment

(re-run) The plumber said he’d be here by mid-morning, but it wasn’t looking good.  I worked on a review for a new children’s book coming out next month. I watched some Dry Bar Comedy while I digested my breakfast.  That is no longer a multi-tasking feature of my aging body. Reflux. It’s best to let… Continue reading Musical Cleaning Day (waiting for plumber)

The Red-tailed Hawk and the Toddler Fence

Posted in birds, California, children, humor, hunting, Lindsay Wildlife Museum, memoir, Mount Diablo State Park, nature, outdoors, relationships, toddler, worstLeave a comment

(re-run) As 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

A Tale of Two Trees

Posted in apples, asphalt, children, dogs, greenbelt, HOA, Home Owners' Association, memoir, park, playground, shade trees, treesLeave a comment

(re-run) Eleven years ago, I moved into my cozy house next to a park. When I hear the squeaky swings I know that someone is in the greenbelt. My dogs run to the park to play ball or go for a walk. They always head right once out the front door, never left. They know… Continue reading A Tale of Two Trees

A Funeral, an Appendix, and a Dead Concert

Posted in Boston, brother, Catholic, children, daughter, deceased, family, friends, funeral, girlfriends, Grateful Dead, humor, pain, relationships, siblings, surgery, surprise, waiting room, worstLeave a comment

(re-run) PK lived in Jersey when her childhood friend’s mum was terminally ill in Boston.  Her friend called to say her mother had died, and PK woke up, wanting to go to the funeral and surprise her friend.  She felt bad but thought it was the heat.  She loaded up her three-year-old daughter and took… Continue reading A Funeral, an Appendix, and a Dead Concert

Dog Advice Regarding Kids

Posted in animal rescue, animal training, animals, Chihuahua, children, Dachshund, dog poop, dog training, dogs, Jack Russell terrier, memoir, neighbors, poop, tragedyLeave a comment

A friend with no children posted on Facebook yesterday that a child should never be allowed to do the following things, shown in photos. One was of a toddler sitting on the back of a big dog that was resting on the ground. Ok, I admit it. My youngest sat on my old dog, Tess,… Continue reading Dog Advice Regarding Kids

The Crack in my Face

Posted in bathroom, California, Central America, children, citizenship, clenching, DACA, doctor, Dreamers, drugs, ENT, forehead, furrowed brow, gangs, Guatemala, Honduras, immigrants, jaw therapist, memoir, mothers, mouthguard, welfareLeave a comment

(re-run) Because my adult child moved in, I changed bathrooms. They get the new one at the other end of the house, and I get the hallway one with the skylight and window (the master bathroom is a cave). I was putting on my make-up the other day with daylight coming in. There it was,… Continue reading The Crack in my Face

My Three-quarter Bike Ride

Posted in biking, California, children, exercise, handy woman, Iron Horse Trail, lunch, melanoma, memoir, pandemic, railroadLeave a comment

(re-run) I was the one that suggested the bike ride.  My adult children don’t spend enough time outdoors or get enough exercise, but they do like to ride the Iron Horse trail, an easy, shady railroad right of way that connects towns up and down the I- 680 corridor. I knew I had them when… Continue reading My Three-quarter Bike Ride