Bricks, Ricks, & Cardboard

(re-run) The college mixer was hosted by the men of Lorch House in Friley Hall, in the heart of the Iowa State University campus. Tappan House, the top two floors of Barton Hall, was invited. Yes, I am old. Yes, dorm floors are co-ed now. This was in the days of the dinosaurs, girl dinosaurs… Continue reading Bricks, Ricks, & Cardboard

Worst Roommate Ever

(re-run) By the time I graduated college, I’d had somewhere close to 37 roommates: the first two in the triple room my freshman year, the next two in another triple when I changed dorms after one quarter, my solo roommate all of sophomore year, then the string of roomies after I moved into the sorority… Continue reading Worst Roommate Ever

February is the Longest Month

(re-run  from 2019) We all know February only has twenty-eight days or twenty-nine if the calendar year is divisible by the number four.  2019? No.  2020?  Yes, it is. Although the month only has four weeks to it, it can seem to be the longest month. Valentine’s Day was two weeks ago, it’s a long… Continue reading February is the Longest Month

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

V is for Veritable Quandary

When thinking of a post that starts with v, the most obvious choices would be vacation or victory. I haven’t had either in quite a while, so I had to dig deeper– way back, in fact, to my college days. I went to school in Ames, Iowa, and long about my junior year, a new… Continue reading V is for Veritable Quandary

How my Bug Collection Changed a Generation

(re-run) When my new science teacher announced on the first day of 7th grade that no one would get an A in his class if they didn’t make an insect collection, I was like, “NOOOOOOOO! I hate bugs!” My mother hated bugs. Her mother hated bugs. They hated mice, snakes, and dog poop, too. I… Continue reading How my Bug Collection Changed a Generation

Dive Bar Dancing

(re-run) I never imagined that I’d still be dancing in bars at this age. But hey, a girl’s got to dance, and in the winter the live music is in the bars. So here I sit, waiting for my girl friend, who is dumping her grumpy guy tonight to come dance with me. She’s got… Continue reading Dive Bar Dancing

Snow Day

Many of my Medicare friends are moving or contemplating moving to retirement communities.  A big one close to my town is called Rossmoor.  It’s a huge gated community built back in the sixties and contains 6700 residential units surrounded by open space.   At least one resident in each unit must be at least fifty-five years… Continue reading Snow Day

The Week of Love

My chorus is singing a love-themed concert this spring. The songs individually are all good except for the flowery Love is a Many Splendored Thing. It reminds me of 1970’s soap operas. The songs are running together in my brain.  Sure, they are different vintages, but none of them is current, and many of the… Continue reading The Week of Love