(re-run) When you are of a certain age, and your two young dogs wear you out on a regular basis, it can be a delight to have a ten-year-old girl for the weekend while her mom works for you. The dogs have finally met their match. The ten-year-old wakes up at dawn to go to… Continue reading The Dogs Have Met their Match
Category: dogs
K is for Karma
(re-run) My second day at the beach house, the day after my work day of pulling too many weeds and also going to a street fair, was a thrift store day. I drove to Carmel and got there just after the 10:00 opening. I picked out $10.00 worth of stuff so that I could get… Continue reading K is for Karma
Worst/Best Dog Trainer Ever
(re-run) When Wiener, the ten-pound family Dachshund, was two, he started pooping in the upstairs hallway. This was not okay with me. I found a dog trainer named Sheila who came to the house and worked with the entire family. That first session was an eye opener. Sheila hooked Wiener’s collar to a leash, and… Continue reading Worst/Best Dog Trainer Ever
The Visitor from the Crawl Space
Two weeks ago, a plumber came over, crawled under the house, tried to sell me new pipes for the entire house and an overpriced water heater, then left without closing up the trap door in my master bedroom closet. When I discovered the open hole a few hours later, I was sure a rat had… Continue reading The Visitor from the Crawl Space
A Scavenger’s Life
(re-run from 2019) I see value in things that others don’t see. It can be blessing and also a problem. That paper bag? Take it to my favorite thrift store. The plastic bag the newspaper comes in? A poop bag on a dog walk. A cracked dinner plate? A water-catch for a ceramic pot. So… Continue reading A Scavenger’s Life
Having his Cake
(re-run) Fran and I sat at the bar at Il Vecchio’s next to the guy with the shaved head. Fran chatted him up while we waited for a table. We decided to have dinner at the bar. Adam was cute enough but not too tall. He seemed interested in petite Fran, so at the end… Continue reading Having his Cake
Help your Mood, Pull some Weeds
(re-run) Yesterday, I made the short trip to my little downtown beach town, got some cash from the ATM, picked up two newspapers, and headed back home. On the way into town, I saw two city workers spraying Roundup on the weeds in the median strip. They were still at it, in the very same… Continue reading Help your Mood, Pull some Weeds
First Dog, Lost Dog
After moving to farm country to teach high school Spanish, I watched my roommate Kristy come home one day with a German Shephard puppy. “Meet Shane!” she said. She hadn’t asked me. She hadn’t asked the landlord. When she did ask him, his response was, “Not in the house.” Kristy made Shane a bed of… Continue reading First Dog, Lost Dog
Daisy in the Spotlight
(re-run) Daisy’s favorite spot at the beach house is on the back of the couch. From there she can see the squirrels taunting her from the trees outside the window. She can see part of the street where dog walkers go by every five minutes or so. Pepper has taken over the antique silk wing… Continue reading Daisy in the Spotlight
A Tale of Two Trees
(re-run) Thirteen 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
FIRST DATE, WORST DATE EVER! 