Being from the Midwest means I grew up with Iowa talk and Midwestern lingo. Some of it applies across the country, but none of it seems to have made it to California. Like the pioneers who had to discard their prized possessions alongside the trail as their tired oxen could no longer take the weight,… Continue reading Not One Iota of Truth!
Category: Iowa
The Two Perks of Social Media
I remember my birthdays during my childhood. School was already out, kids were on trips (the lake, the cabins in the woods, the Ozarks — not Hawaii, Paris, or Greece). My birthdays were lonely except for my siblings and one or two close friends. The Iowa weather could also be a bit iffy in mid-June.… Continue reading The Two Perks of Social Media
A Murphy’s Law Kind of Post
I love thrift stores. I buy pretty much everything there, which is great because that way I am not paying retail and usually don’t pay sales tax, either. I don’t get the extra packaging that is so hard to get off the retail things. It sometimes takes a team of rocket scientists to figure out… Continue reading A Murphy’s Law Kind of Post
Best Ed Sullivan Show Ever
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 see… Continue reading Best Ed Sullivan Show Ever
That One Exciting Childhood Friend
We all have one, the childhood friend that pushed us out of our comfort zone, for good or for bad. Mine moved in across the street in third grade. She was fun, she was daring, she was blond. That next summer before fourth grade we played and played. Troll dolls were all the rage. I… Continue reading That One Exciting Childhood Friend
Is That a Mouse, Mr. Milkman?
The world is far different today than when I was a kid. How many generations have said the exact same thing? Cave Man: Me cold. Cave Woman: Me cold cold. Next generation: Cave man: Me cold. Me strike rock against rock. Fire! Me warm! Cave woman: Me cold. Move over! You get the idea. Every… Continue reading Is That a Mouse, Mr. Milkman?
Worst Boss Ever
Aside from the old-guy boss I had for ten days at the Iowa State Fair, who took one look at my giraffe legs in my short culottes jumper I’d made in sewing class and demanded that I bend over to see if my butt would show (it didn’t), George was the worst boss ever. George… Continue reading Worst Boss Ever
A Corny Tale
It all started with a post on Facebook, showing how your average American doesn’t know how to shuck corn. If you are from Iowa in the 60’s, then you know how. We weren’t well off. As a matter of fact, people would give us bags of food, like homegrown apples, tomatoes, or corn. Our job… Continue reading A Corny Tale
The Racist and the Ficus Tree
When I was young, the one black boy in my elementary school was my classmate. His name was Teddy. This was white-white-white Iowa in the 60’s. My first grade teacher, Mrs. Van Cura, got angry at the class one day for misbehaving and said, “Whoever doesn’t behave will have to play with Teddy at recess.”… Continue reading The Racist and the Ficus Tree
Cornhole, some Critters, and a Ghost on her Phone
Yesterday was the annual singles’ club party/picnic at one guy’s lush estate in Hayward. I picked up my girlfriend, and we let the GPS woman’s voice direct us down Five Canyons Road to a bunch of turns until we finally found the place. I’d been there many times before but always as a passenger, never… Continue reading Cornhole, some Critters, and a Ghost on her Phone
FIRST DATE, WORST DATE EVER! 