Getting Away from all the No, No, No’s

(re-run) My mom, bless her heart, had to keep five children in line, mostly by herself.  She did it by keeping everyone in his or her place, as in, “No, you can’t do that!” I just found out that my younger sister also wanted to play clarinet in the band, like I did. But I… Continue reading Getting Away from all the No, No, No’s

Playing Ball with Daisy, 2.0

A month or so ago, my three-time rescue Jack Russell terrier got overly excited and went after a loose Pomeranian in the park next to my house. Long story short, she’s no longer allowed off-leash. “I thought you didn’t play ball with her anymore,” my handywoamn said when I explained to her that she needed… Continue reading Playing Ball with Daisy, 2.0

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

The Dog That Everyone Wanted

(re-run) Scott heard from Joe, a college buddy, that someone was giving away a four-month-old puppy that had cost them $300, a mix of Jack Russell terrier and something bigger.  The family felt bad that they were gone all day, and the puppy was crated every day for hours. Scott thought about the puppy as… Continue reading The Dog That Everyone Wanted

Daisy vs. Squirrel – Guess Who Won

(re-run) The squirrel was attracted to the three bird feeders. It would jump down from the neighbor’s Valley Oak tree, run down the fence, across ten feet of mulch, then run up the plastic rain barrel to climb up the gutter or hang onto the stucco. This is when the dogs would see it as… Continue reading Daisy vs. Squirrel – Guess Who Won

The Weird World We Live In

(re-run) To stay informed, I read the paper each day and watch the news most nights. It’s amazing how many people don’t have a clue about what’s going on around them. Like the local nineteen year old woman who bit a female jogger on her arm because the jogger pepper-sprayed her loose dogs. In a… Continue reading The Weird World We Live In

Banana Split

(re-run)Every day I have my morning coffee break at 10:30ish.  I’ve done my Zumba class, wished everyone a happy birthday on Facebook, and exercised my dogs. One gets a neighborhood walk. The other gets a ball-throwing session. Daisy is seven and has never been trained to walk nicely. If I have an extra body, she… Continue reading Banana Split

Why Seniors Shouldn’t Multi Task

(re-run) I’ve been multi-tasking my whole life. Until today. No more. And this is why. I spent the last two days working with my handy woman/gardener/housecleaner at my beach house. We cleaned and organized the garage, donated furniture and stuff with her truck and moved rocks around in the front yard.  She left this morning,… Continue reading Why Seniors Shouldn’t Multi Task

A Great Dane Story

(re-run) When I was almost thirteen, I hung out at my neighbor Bonnie’s house, just one block away from mine, but it was different world.  Both her parents worked full time, so we teens could be there with no parental supervision. We were supervised, though, by the family’s Great Danes. I remember three dogs, but… Continue reading A Great Dane Story