helpful strangers – Page 5 – FIRST DATE, WORST DATE EVER!

Queen Victoria, the Cat

July 20, 2018 Posted in animal adoption, California, cats, helpful strangers, humor, mom, Nashville, relationships, survival, worstLeave a comment

Renee, the artist, already had three cats. She wasn’t looking for another. So when her daughter-in-law called and said, “Mom, you need to adopt this cat,” Renee was thinking, No way, Renee. But then she heard the kitty’s story, and she had to reconsider. Renee’s son Brian and his wife were moving to Tennessee from… Continue reading Queen Victoria, the Cat

The Tree Whisperer

July 13, 2018 Posted in California, gardeners, gardening, helpful strangers, humor, memoir, nature, outdoors, relationships, trees, worstLeave a comment

I walk my neighborhood once or twice most days. Since I am a tree hugger and have planted more than sixty trees at my various houses over the years, I will free a distressed tree when I see one. I carry scissors in my back pocket, the little ones used in kindergarten. That way, if… Continue reading The Tree Whisperer

Runaround Sue

April 28, 2018April 28, 2018 Posted in California, caregiver, drugstore, helpful strangers, hospital, memoir, rehab, sister, skilled nursing facilityLeave a comment

When a person has bilateral pneumonia (both lungs) and spends a week in the hospital and then two and half weeks in a skilled nursing facility, she needs breathing treatments after she goes home. So when the skilled nursing facility nurse handed me the meds during my sister’s discharge, including a box of liquid albuterol… Continue reading Runaround Sue

Hamburgers for Breakfast

April 14, 2018 Posted in California, cars, fireworks, food cravings, helpful strangers, humor, Maine, mom, Ohio, siblings, travelLeave a comment

Kelly and her husband went back to her home state of Maine for Christmas, but their trip was cut short when his mother went missing. They left their brown Chevy van in Maine and took the first flight home to help find her. It turned out she had gone down a ravine in a car… Continue reading Hamburgers for Breakfast

Grabby Guy’s Goodness

March 10, 2018March 9, 2018 Posted in bar fight, best, Boston, dancing, dating, friends, grad school, helpful strangers, humor, marriage, relationshipsLeave a comment

Brenda was a grad student at Tufts in Boston. She was tired of dating and was thinking of getting her doctorate in nutrition after she got her Master’s degree. Brenda’s two roommates, who were also a couple, told Brenda she needed a night out to go dancing. Brenda got ready and then waited for them… Continue reading Grabby Guy’s Goodness

Say What in Santa Cruz

February 20, 2018February 20, 2018 Posted in California, college, dating, friends, helpful strangers, high school, marriage proposal, relationships, Santa Cruz, siblings, vacationLeave a comment

Jennifer met Brad at San Leandro High school. She wasn’t allowed to date, but she was allowed to go to junior prom. The next year Brad asked Jennifer to Senior Ball. It was in San Francisco, and afterward, they went to Pier 39 with everyone else in their limo. Brad had gotten blue contacts for… Continue reading Say What in Santa Cruz

A Good Dog Neighbor

February 12, 2018February 12, 2018 Posted in animal rescue, California, caregiver, dog training, helpful strangers, humor, memoir, neighbors, relationships, sonLeave a comment

Yesterday my son and I had lunch together at the local sandwich shop. He brought his little dog, half Chihuahua, half terrier. I fed Violet scraps of lettuce under the table while we ate. She thinks she’s a vegetarian. Afterward, we followed the usual routine and came back to my house, where Violet could run… Continue reading A Good Dog Neighbor

The Tree Whisperer

February 7, 2018February 7, 2018 Posted in California, care giver, clueless, helpful strangers, humor, memoir, neighbors, relationships, treesLeave a comment

Grizzly Bear!

December 18, 2017December 18, 2017 Posted in Alaska, California, friends, grizzly bear, guardian angel, guns, helpful strangers, hiking, relationships, restaurant, survival, travel, trucks, vacation, worstLeave a comment

In 2008 you take your wife, Liza, and your teenaged kids to Alaska. You stay near the Princess Lodge in a fishing cabin on the Kenai Peninsula. It’s the third week of July, so it doesn’t get completely dark until around midnight. After dinner you suggest a hike in the woods along the Kenai River… Continue reading Grizzly Bear!