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
Category: dogs
Tough Wednesday
Being retired, my days are mostly eating breakfast, taking a shower, exercise, dog walks, coffee break, shopping and writing, lunch, reading, sewing and TV, sometimes dancing. Wednesday was different and tough. It started out with a contractor calling yet again to schedule the earthquake bolt and brace job under the house. Even though I loved… Continue reading Tough Wednesday
Daisy’s New Perch
(re-run) My suburban house is cozy but dumb. The small bedrooms are on the front of the house, with the family room tucked behind the garage. There are no good windows for Daisy to see out of, no couch to jump upon to watch the street. Until the day I cleaned my office. I ended… Continue reading Daisy’s New Perch
Daydreaming on a Dog Walk
(re-run) I get some of my best writing ideas while walking my dogs. My brain is free to think while my body is exercising. I am not listening to music or staring into my phone. I am enjoying the view. Today I walked Pepper, my almost four-year-old lab, while Daisy stayed home where she feels… Continue reading Daydreaming on a Dog Walk
Not your Normal Fishing Trip
(re-run) Really, folks, you can’t make this stuff up. My fisherman friend, we’ll call him Pete, took a buddy and his boat and spent a day on the Delta, where the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers meet Suisun Bay, which flows into San Francisco Bay and then the Pacific Ocean via San Pablo Bay. After… Continue reading Not your Normal Fishing Trip
Where’s My Fish?
(re-run) During the 2020 pandemic, it was easy running down to the beach house for a few days since nothing was going on. The freeways were deserted while everyone stayed home. Now that life is somewhat back to normal, I have to give up fun things to make room for a beachy weekend. I left… Continue reading Where’s My Fish?
It’s the Little Things
(re-run) A morning sunrise, skies streaked pink and blue. A warm dog cuddled under the afghan throw as I read a book. A hot cup of fake mocha coffee and a Madeleine cookie. A bunch of texts from an adult child 3000 miles away. A photo of my smiling grandson in his high chair. The… Continue reading It’s the Little Things
Stuck in Suburbia
My first dog, Pepper, eats breakfast, waits through Zumba for her walk, takes a nap, gets up for supper, and then takes another nap. She runs outside to bark at the neighbors’ dog and the dogs in the park, sometimes eating the fence. But other than that, she is a contented dog in Suburbia. Then… Continue reading Stuck in Suburbia
Reflections on a Retired Thursday
(RE-RUN) You’d think retired people have seven days a week to reflect on their past lives. Not so, Smokey Joe. There was chorus, plus a COVID booster shot on Tuesday which produced a huge headache. “Take Tylenol,” my adult child who lives down the hall said. “No, you’re supposed to let the vaccine do its… Continue reading Reflections on a Retired Thursday
Ketchup and Noodles
When my son was two and his big sister was in kindergarten, I saw a window of opportunity to go do child-free errands, if I could just find a place to park him for two or three hours. Enter my neighbor Peggy. She didn’t have a childcare license, which limits the caregiver to six children… Continue reading Ketchup and Noodles
FIRST DATE, WORST DATE EVER! 