Iowa – Page 14 – FIRST DATE, WORST DATE EVER!

Trading Up in Omaha

March 24, 2021March 23, 2021 Posted in Council Bluffs, dating, house, Iowa, Japan, military, Nebraska, Omaha, teaching, Virginia, weddingLeave a comment

(re-run) Alice got a teaching job in Council Bluffs, Iowa. She decided to live across the Missouri River in Omaha in an old Victorian that had been converted into apartments. A military guy from Maryland moved in upstairs. She ran into him in the hallway after a bike ride one evening when he was coming… Continue reading Trading Up in Omaha

The Beatles and Me

March 3, 2021March 2, 2021 Posted in Beatles, college, dancing, disco, Elton John, George Harrison, graduation, Grand Funk Railroad, high school, Iowa, J.J. Cale, John Denver, John Lennon, Led Zeppelin, Michael Jackson, Nebraska, Omaha, Paul McCartney, queen, Ringo Starr, The Lovin' Spoonful, Tommy James and the ShondellsLeave a comment

I just realized the other day that the Beatles have been in my life for 57 of my 65 years. My older sis was a fan when they first played for America on the Ed Sullivan show. I was 8, going on 9. Little did I know that our bedroom would soon be filled with… Continue reading The Beatles and Me

A Crazy Coyote Story

February 27, 2021February 27, 2021 Posted in Bay Area, California, coyote, Facebook, Fish and Wildlife, high school, humans, Iowa, memoir, newspaper, police officer, toddler, wild animalLeave a comment

The Bay Area has a nutty coyote that has, so far, bitten five humans. It started back in July in the town of Moraga, where it first bit a toddler in a park. It also bit a man running track in the dark at a high school. Then it bit a grocery store employee on… Continue reading A Crazy Coyote Story

Give Them a Chance

February 24, 2021 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 Give Them a Chance

Best Ed Sullivan Show Ever

February 9, 2021February 8, 2021 Posted in Beatles, best, Colorado, crush, fame, friends, humor, Iowa, junior high school, memoir, music, phlebotomist, relationships, sister, TVLeave a comment

(re-run) Carol grew up in in Pueblo, Colorado. They called it the little Pittsburg of the West. Her dad was a steelworker. Her mom was a lab tech phlebotomist at the hospital. Whenever one of the kids got sick, her mom would bring home a hypodermic needle in her purse to draw some blood. “To… Continue reading Best Ed Sullivan Show Ever

Lucky Thursday

January 23, 2021January 22, 2021 Posted in bank account, board and care, cake, cell phone, Costco, face masks, hair salon, Iowa, luck, memoir, pandemic, stimulus money, vaccine, VerizonLeave a comment

The week started off with its share of problems. My sister’s stimulus payment came in the form of a debit card, which is hilarious because she is in no position to shop. I took the debit card to my bank, and they would not let me deposit it into my account. Sis has no bank… Continue reading Lucky Thursday

Easy Rider

January 22, 2021 Posted in dating, drive-in movie, high school, Iowa, memoir, puppy love, relationshipsLeave a comment

(re-run) My neighbor, Joan, would roll her parents’ car out of the garage when we were in 9th grade so we could go driving in the middle of the night during her slumber parties. We’d fall into fits of hysterical laughter when Mr. Bast, the milkman, would go by in his milk truck. But we… Continue reading Easy Rider

A Mouse in the Bed

January 19, 2021January 18, 2021 Posted in childhood, grandma, Iowa, memoir, memory, mom, mouse, storms, trees, validation, voleLeave a comment

When my oldest was in 4th or 5th grade, she told me one morning that there was a mouse in her bed. “There’s no mouse in your bed!” I said. “There is,” she said. “I felt it crawling over my leg.” She went off to school, and I told my mother, who was visiting from… Continue reading A Mouse in the Bed

Government Cheese and Pinto Beans

January 10, 2021January 10, 2021 Posted in beans, dad, government, hospital, Iowa, memoir, mental health, moccasins, mom, secret, therapyLeave a comment

I was nine or ten when my mom took me and my younger siblings downtown to a place to get some free food for poor people. Our dad was out of work for six weeks. My mother was humiliated. We waited in line until it was our turn. As the worker handed Mom her block… Continue reading Government Cheese and Pinto Beans

Steele McClaren and Prayers

December 22, 2020December 22, 2020 Posted in accident, agnostic, atheist, church, duck hunting, ghosts, guardian angel, I Grew Up in Iowa, ICU, Iowa, Jesus, prayers, relatives, religion1 Comment

I grew up in Iowa, so it was a no-brainer to join a Facebook group called I Grew Up in Iowa. Facebook cleverly shows when my friends like a post on that page. I see my brother’s name, people I went to high school and college with, and teacher friends from my days at Lewis… Continue reading Steele McClaren and Prayers