(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
Category: Iowa
It’s All About the Bacon
(re-run) I grew up in Iowa, and I’ve always loved a BLT, but now that I’m living in California, it has to be a BLTA, with avocado. Of my three kids, none of them eats pork anymore. One eats poultry and fish, one eats fish, and one is a true vegetarian. No vegans, though. They… Continue reading It’s All About the Bacon
Getting a New Perspective While Getting There
I am retired, two years away from the big 7-0, flying for the second time in two months, a record for me. Traveler’s Tip: Don’t fly in the summer if you can help it. EVERYONE is flying, and the weather across the U.S. can be bad and will delay your flight. My daughter drove me… Continue reading Getting a New Perspective While Getting There
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
Feeling Better
(re-run) I have some down days once in a while, but mostly I don’t. I know I’m lucky. I have 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. Then, if you still feel like crap, go see a… Continue reading Feeling Better
How my Bug Collection Changed a Generation
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 walked… Continue reading How my Bug Collection Changed a Generation
Best Ed Sullivan Show Ever
(re-run) Carol grew up in in Pueblo, Colorado, which was called 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
A Great Dane Story
(re-run) When I was 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 be there with no parental supervision. We were supervised, though, by the family’s Great Danes. I remember three dogs, but there… Continue reading A Great Dane Story
The Tennis Shoe and the Broken Window
(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
Typical Tuesday
Today’s entire front page is about the two mass shootings over the past three days, one in Southern California, and the other one fifty miles from my house. We can continue to believe that it won’t affect any of us, that mass shootings happen to other people. It’s getting to the point where we can… Continue reading Typical Tuesday
FIRST DATE, WORST DATE EVER! 