Category: Iowa

A 4th of July to Remember, or Not

Posted in 4th of July, 9-11, Alex Jones, antique store, architects, children, conspiracy theory, dancing, divorce, engineers, Holocaust, humor, Iowa, parade, Sandy HookLeave a comment

(re-run) It wasn’t a typical 4th of July. I was getting divorced, and I had a boyfriend, although he was a conspiracy theorist. If you don’t believe me, you could just look at his wardrobe. He owned a collection of t-shirts that screamed, I am anti-government, anti-media, anti-logic of any kind. But he was cute,… Continue reading A 4th of July to Remember, or Not

The Day my Dog Herded Me to the ER

Posted in ambulance, California, chiropractor, concussion, dog behaviors, dogs, ER, headache, Iowa, memoir, Omaha, orthotics, paramedics, pregnancy, repair man, worstLeave a comment

(re-run) Way back when, I had two children and a rare free day. The kindergartener was going on an all-day field trip. The two-year-old was going to daycare for the day. I had hours ahead of me to do all the yard work and gardening that I could squeeze in.  I put on some old… Continue reading The Day my Dog Herded Me to the ER

Just for the Halibut

Posted in back ache, California, cancer, Christmas, Facebook, father, Father's Day, funeral, hospital, Iowa, memoir, punster, Spain, Spanish, student teaching, teaching, VenezuelaLeave a comment

(re-run) Father’s Day has come and gone. I saw many black and white photos of men on Facebook, people my age honoring their deceased dads. I didn’t have a good photo of Dad to post, just silly ones or childhood ones. It never occurred to me 34 years ago that I would someday want a… Continue reading Just for the Halibut

Water-ski Fail

Posted in boat, Camp Dodge, humor, inseam, Iowa, Iowa State University, Karma, lake, Lake Okoboji, legs, memoir, OCD, Omaha, sorority, sunburn, swimming pool, water skiLeave a comment

(re-run) It’s funny how writing a daily blog can jog memories of long ago. Today, while taking a hot bath, I remembered this one. It was1984.  My Omaha girlfriends were four younger women, one of them a sorority sister from Iowa State. Joan’s parents had a place at Lake Okoboji, and she invited us to… Continue reading Water-ski Fail

A Great Dane Story

Posted in animal training, Barbie, birds and bees, dog manners, dogs, friends, Great Danes, humor, Iowa, Ken, memoir, parents, relationships, teensLeave a comment

(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 hang 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

I Wish You Would’ve Died

Posted in accident, California, detention, English, ESL, highway, Hispanic, Iowa, memoir, Ramona, substitute teacher, teacher, teaching, UncategorizedLeave a comment

Imagine a white woman from Iowa teaching Spanish in a town that was one fourth Latino. Imagine coming into the classroom mid-year after a string of substitutes. On my first day, a student said, “You’re our 12th sub.  How long are you going to last?” It was a brand new middle school in Ramona in… Continue reading I Wish You Would’ve Died

Deciding for your Children

Posted in artist, books, California, children, Chinese food, Chinese restaurant, daughter, donations, garage sales, Iowa, library, memoir, parents, self-fulfilling prophecy, teacher, teaching, writersLeave a comment

(re-run) It’s funny how something pops into your brain and you think, that would make a good blog post. Today I mailed 100 books to a librarian in Menlo Park. They are old kids’ books that my children read back in the day.  My librarian Facebook friend asked for books for her students to read… Continue reading Deciding for your Children

The Gift of Music

Posted in 1960s, Beatles, British singing groups, childhood, Iowa, library, memoir, mom, music, records, sisterLeave a comment

(re-run from 2022) Yesterday I went to a local library to hear two members of a Beatles cover band do one hour of lovely harmonies while they sang song after song. All the old people in the audience sang along. There were chairs for us, and the young people with small children, who didn’t think… Continue reading The Gift of Music

Be Careful Who You Hike With

Posted in attitude, bobcat, boyfriend, bull, California, coyote, dogs, hiking, humor, Iowa, Mount Diablo State Park, mountain lion, nature, outdoors, Pebble Beach, relationships2 Comments

(re-run) First of all, the title should be Be Careful with Whom You Hike, but I figured only English teachers would read the post if I did it that way. An old bf asked me to go on a hike with him. I said yes a little too quickly. Looking back, Bob (not his real… Continue reading Be Careful Who You Hike With