flat feet

Chain Letters Then, and Now Online

December 12, 2025December 11, 2025 Posted in chain letters, Facebook, flat feet, friends, memoir, OCD, online chain letterLeave a comment

When I was a kid, a classmate slipped me a chain letter in 4th or 5th grade. It said that if I didn’t copy it five times and keep the chain going by giving it to five friends, something terrible would happen to me or my loved ones. Never give a chain letter to a… Continue reading Chain Letters Then, and Now Online

Suck It Up, Buttercup

February 21, 2025February 20, 2025 Posted in antibiotics, California, dancing, flat feet, friends, hip replacement, kayaking, klutz, knee replacement, memoir, orthotics, Russian River, shoulder surgery, surgeryLeave a comment

It’s that chapter in life where many of my friends in their sixties and seventies are having hip, knee, and shoulder replacements. Some are younger than me, most older, but all of them so far have seen the benefits of getting a bionic body part, aka titanium. One girlfriend mentioned that she is allergic to… Continue reading Suck It Up, Buttercup

Snowshoeing with the Girls

January 21, 2025January 20, 2025 Posted in California, Costco, flat feet, girl friends, lunch, memoir, Midwestern, Nevada, skiing, snow, snowshoe, Tahoe, trees, winterLeave a comment

(re-run) The last time I was in Tahoe in the winter, Valentina, Margo and I went snowshoeing. The guys went skiing, but we girls weren’t up for that. Maybe it was the house party the night before, or maybe it was a fear of snowboarders taking us out as we meandered down the slopes. Full… Continue reading Snowshoeing with the Girls

November 11, 2023November 10, 2023 Posted in Brazil, Canaima, chiropractor, flat feet, Korean War, memoir, skiing, South America, Spanish, travel, vacation, waterfallsLeave a comment

(re-run) I turned on my laptop the other day, and the ever-changing screen showed a photo of waterfalls, big wide ones somewhere in Brazil. I’ve never been to Brazil, but I have been to Venezuela, where there are seven wide falls and a resort below them called Canaima. I was student-teaching with another Iowa Stater.… Continue reading Flat Feet

Flat Feet

February 15, 2023February 15, 2023 Posted in Brazil, Canaima, chiropractor, flat feet, Korean War, memoir, skiing, South America, Spanish, travel, vacation, waterfallsLeave a comment

My Friend, the Thief

April 14, 2022April 12, 2022 Posted in babysitting, bus, cherry pie, department store, Des Moines, downtown, flat feet, Iowa, memoir, shoplifting, shopping center, store, store security, troll dollsLeave a comment

(re-run) We took the bus to go shopping downtown. We weren’t old enough yet to drive, and it was a boring Saturday. Debbie suggested the shopping trip. We had a shopping center (before malls) within walking distance of our houses. A bus trip was more adventurous. Debbie was always up for adventure. She had moved… Continue reading My Friend, the Thief

My Friend, the Thief

July 28, 2021July 27, 2021 Posted in babysitting, bus, cherry pie, department store, Des Moines, downtown, flat feet, Iowa, memoir, shoplifting, shopping center, store, store security, troll dollsLeave a comment

We took the bus to go shopping downtown. We weren’t old enough yet to drive, and it was a boring Saturday. Debbie suggested the shopping trip. We had a shopping center (before malls) within walking distance of our houses. A bus trip was more adventurous. Debbie was always up for adventure. She had moved in… Continue reading My Friend, the Thief

Snowshoeing with the Girls

February 4, 2021February 4, 2021 Posted in California, Costco, flat feet, girl friends, lunch, memoir, Midwestern, Nevada, skiing, snow, snowshoe, Tahoe, trees, winterLeave a comment

The last time I was in Tahoe in the winter, Valentina and Margo and I went snowshoeing. The guys went skiing, but we girls weren’t up for that. Maybe it was the house party the night before, or maybe it was a fear of snowboarders taking us out as we meandered down the slopes. Full… Continue reading Snowshoeing with the Girls

Somersault Fail

December 4, 2020December 3, 2020 Posted in cartwheels, cheerleading, couch potatoes, dancing, exercise, flat feet, gardening, gymnastics, high jump, hiking, Iowa, Jack La Lanne, life skill, OCD, somersault, sports, swimming, track and field, tumblingLeave a comment

The day that gymnastics struck terror into my heart was in 6th grade, when Mr. Cunion decided to have us do a tumbling unit for PE. I come from a long line of weekend-couch potatoes. We didn’t do sports as a family, watch sports as a family, or pretend that sports existed. We didn’t do… Continue reading Somersault Fail