When you have a Jack Russell terrier for a pet, nothing is business as usual. Daisy is so smart and high-strung that she witnesses everything I do and plans ahead, as in, she’s going to open the door soon, so I will be ready to escape. Or, she’s coming in the front door now, so… Continue reading Five Zippers
Category: dogs
Stray Dog, Happy Ending
(re-run) Julie’s beautiful golden retriever lab mix, Sadie, lived to be thirteen years old. But when she passed, Julie’s other dog, Finn, started getting mopey. It wasn’t like the Jack Russell mix to act that way, so when Julie saw a big scraggly dog on the Placer County Animal Shelter website, she knew she had… Continue reading Stray Dog, Happy Ending
Surprise in the Porch Stove
I just got home from the beach with temps up to 70 degrees. “Why am I coming back?” I asked myself as the car’s outside temp rose to 82, then 88 then 92 as I pulled off the freeway in San Ramon. When I got home, the dogs went ballistic as they always do. We’re… Continue reading Surprise in the Porch Stove
Don’t Date the Neighbor
Julie got divorced and moved into her new townhouse with her six-year-old son. One day, when she was out walking her dog, a guy mowing his lawn turned off the mower and said hello. They chatted about her dog, and Julie mentioned that she had just moved in. Doug rode his bike a lot while… Continue reading Don’t Date the Neighbor
Daisy the Rescue Dog, Month # 9
Today is Daisy’s ninth month with me and my younger dog, Pepper. Two females is never the best idea for dog-mates. I thought Pepper would retain her Alpha position because she is bigger. But Jack Russells are born with attitude to spare, and Daisy has managed to boss both of us around. I’ve never had… Continue reading Daisy the Rescue Dog, Month # 9
The Grass is Always Greener
(re-run) I had a meeting tonight with two girlfriends in solid hard-core relationships. One is married, the other is living with her guy. My relationship is with two roommates who fight a lot over squeaky toys and over who gets to go out the door first. They are roommates of the furry kind. So imagine… Continue reading The Grass is Always Greener
Peace Corps Fail
(re-run) It was in the spring of my first year of teaching when the call came. I was at Greenwood Elementary in Greenwood, Nebraska. I had applied to the Peace Corps the year before. They had just seen my application. They wanted to fly me to Chicago for an interview that weekend. They gave me… Continue reading Peace Corps Fail
Car Shows, Men, and Elvis
(re-run) It’s funny how memories of one thing lead to memories of other things happening in the same time period. Like the Twin Towers falling, or JFK getting assassinated. Or Elvis dying. Today is the anniversary of Elvis Presley’s death (August 16th). Forty-five years ago, I was stepping off an airplane from Spain (by way… Continue reading Car Shows, Men, and Elvis
Memories Light the Corners of my Mind
(re-run) I used to be good at remembering people’s names and remembering to use coupons before they expired. Now I am lucky if I can find the coupon when I am at the store. Today, at CVS, I checked out and was given a long receipt with $6.00 of extra bucks on it. My… Continue reading Memories Light the Corners of my Mind
How to Get your Dog to Come to You
(re-run) On a hike the other day, there were four small dogs with fifteen or more people. One person was saying how hard it was to get his one-year-old dog to come to him. I remembered back to one of the many dog training sessions I’ve attended in my life – training Tess, the spaniel/heeler,… Continue reading How to Get your Dog to Come to You
FIRST DATE, WORST DATE EVER! 