I invited my friend to my beach house, and she asked to bring her twelve-pound rescue dog. I was hesitant to answer. I wondered how it would work out with my two bigger dogs. Pepper, a mellow lab mix, would be fine. The wild card was Daisy, the twenty-pound Jack Russell terrier. Daisy is a… Continue reading When your Dog Wants to Kill your Friend’s Dog
Category: dogs
A Week in the Woods
(re-run from 2023) When both my mom and sis started having big health problems at the same time, I flew back to Iowa to collect my older sister and bring her to California to live with me. Eighteen months later, my younger sister flew back to Iowa to get our mom and bring her to… Continue reading A Week in the Woods
A Tale of Two Trees
Eight 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 where… Continue reading A Tale of Two Trees
Thirteen White Vehicles
(re-run) On our early dog walk this morning, Pepper and I passed thirteen white vehicles in one block. Since it was a Sunday, all the cars for each household were there, parked in driveways and on the street. There are no basements in California, because there are no tornados? Actually, climate change has brought a… Continue reading Thirteen White Vehicles
My Inherited Dog, Boomer
(re-run) Boomer was never my dog, although he came into my care when I married his owner. I’m not sure how old he was when I met him. My dog, Tess, was two and Boomer was older. A small, part Beagle-part terrier, Boomer had not had a regular dog’s life. He had never eaten dog… Continue reading My Inherited Dog, Boomer
The Dog Days of Summer
I haven’t written a new blog post for a few days, and it’s time. I’ve posted re-runs every day for a long string of hot days now. My computer is playing Neil Young’s Harvest Moon, which puts me in the mood for writing. That song keeps reappearing in my life. You probably have a song… Continue reading The Dog Days of Summer
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
Musical Cleaning Day (waiting for plumber)
(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)
Kuma, the Teddy-bear Akita
(re-run) Beth’s husband had two Akitas. She wanted to get one for their six-year-old son. She got Lee a puppy and named him Kuma, which is Japanese for Bear. The two older dogs kept attacking the puppy. The marriage wasn’t going well, either. Beth and her son moved out and got their own place and… Continue reading Kuma, the Teddy-bear Akita
The Day my Dog Herded Me to the ER
(re-run) Way back when, I had two children and a rare free day. The kindergartener was going on an all-day field trip. The two-year-old was going to daycare for the day. I had hours ahead of me to do all the yard work and gardening that I could squeeze in. I put on some old… Continue reading The Day my Dog Herded Me to the ER
FIRST DATE, WORST DATE EVER! 