Category: Iowa

The Tennis Shoe and the Broken Window

Posted in classmates, college, high school, Iowa, Iowa State University, locker room, memoir, physical fitness, physical fitness award, softball, teacher, windowLeave a comment

(re-run) It was senior year in high school. I was on my last semester of PE, my least favorite class. I maintained a straight-A average in all other classes. Not PE. It alternated between a B and a C. I was feeling good. We were in our next-to last unit, the physical fitness award. I… Continue reading The Tennis Shoe and the Broken Window

Feeling Better

Posted in animals, birdfeeder, birds, Depression, dogs, exercise, food, Iowa, medications, melanoma, memoir, mood, nature, sunshine, Zumba1 Comment

(re-run) I have some down days every year, but mostly I don’t. I know I’m lucky. I have also aligned my life to feel better. Coincidentally, a relative’s therapist told her the five things she needs every day to get out of her funk. Nature – I grew up outside in Iowa. As kids we… Continue reading Feeling Better

Frostbite Memories

Posted in beach, California, college, dog walks, dogs, frostbite, gardening, Iowa, memoir, Monterey Bay, old lady card, tourists, tree trimmer, trees, wind, winter breakLeave a comment

Today the sun was shining, the ocean was royal blue and the wind was bitter cold. I had the dog on a choke chain since I couldn’t squeeze the prong collar back together (I’d taken it apart in the wrong place).  I headed down my street past a tree- trimmer truck that has just pulled… Continue reading Frostbite Memories

Feeling Better

Posted in animals, birdfeeder, birds, Depression, dogs, exercise, food, Iowa, medications, melanoma, memoir, mood, nature, sunshine, ZumbaLeave a comment

(re-run) I have some down days every year, but mostly I don’t. I know I’m lucky. I have also aligned my life to feel better. Coincidentally, a relative’s therapist told her the five things she needs every day to get out of her funk. Nature – I grew up outside in Iowa. As kids we… Continue reading Feeling Better

Where’s the Beef Going?

Posted in bacon, beef, Beyond Burger, California, climate change, Costco, cows, energy, food, Iowa, memoir, Millennials, nursing home, pescatarian, plants, sister, vegetarianLeave a comment

My sister fell out of her recliner at her nursing home (board and care home, actually) and landed on her face and her glasses. The glasses were badly bent, so I needed to go to Costco on the DAY BEFORE THANKSGIVING to see if they would bend them back into shape with their magical optical… Continue reading Where’s the Beef Going?

The Day Grandma Got Woke

Posted in 13th, Black Lives Matter, California, celebrities, documentary, Ellen, Emmett Till, George Floyd, get woke, history books, Iowa, Jewish, memoir, mom, racist, sister, Trail of Tears, White Fragility1 Comment

(re-run) My mom loves to watch Ellen. It’s usually fun and games, with hunky guys and Ellen playing tricks on her guests and staff. She rounds out the hour with lesbian jokes, a musical performance by some obscure band, and Ellen surprising some needy but giving person with $10,000 in cash. Then the death of… Continue reading The Day Grandma Got Woke

Behind Closed Doors

Posted in abuse, attitude, basement, brother, Catholic, childhood, Facebook, gender roles, high school, Iowa, junior high school, memoir, physical abuse, relationships, worstLeave a comment

(re-run) I read a great memoir about a woman’s tough childhood, with violence, danger, and an abusive older brother. I recommended it to Facebook friends online. A friend said she didn’t like it because she didn’t think the book rang true. “The Mormon part or the survivalist part?” I asked her. “Neither.” She didn’t think… Continue reading Behind Closed Doors

Pontoon Boat Disaster

Posted in boat, childhood, Clear Lake, coffee, Iowa, lightning, OCD, pontoon boat, rental cottages, stomach, stomach issues, storms, summer, swimmingLeave a comment

(re-run) My parents didn’t swim. When we went on vacation at Clear Lake, and Dad wanted to take us out in a rented pontoon boat, my mom objected.  Dad won in the end, and the five kids put on our life jackets. I think my mom did, too. I am sure my dad didn’t wear… Continue reading Pontoon Boat Disaster

Lime Vodka, Raisinets, and Cheesecake

Posted in 4th of July, alcohol, babysitting, cheesecake, Des Moines, drinking, driver's license, February, house party, Iowa, memoir, raisins, teens, vodka, winterLeave a comment

(re-run) It’s an American teenager’s rite of passage to get sick the first time they drink.  I was no exception. Aside from tasting different liqueurs on babysitting jobs after the kids went to bed, I had only tasted my dad’s beer, Schlitz. No thank you. I was not a fan of fizzy bitter fermentation. So… Continue reading Lime Vodka, Raisinets, and Cheesecake