Iowa – Page 9 – FIRST DATE, WORST DATE EVER!

Pontoon Boat Disaster

September 16, 2022September 16, 2022 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, Iowa, 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… Continue reading Pontoon Boat Disaster

Behind Closed Doors

September 8, 2022September 8, 2022 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 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 anyone… Continue reading Behind Closed Doors

Finances 101 and a Foamy Fountain

August 24, 2022August 24, 2022 Posted in California, Clorox, credit card fees, credit score, fountain, high school, Home Ec, Iowa, late fee, memoir, rebate, savings account, teachingLeave a comment

I took Home Economics long ago in high school. We learned how to cook, sew, and make a household budget. It was mostly girls back then in the 70s, but it’s something every teen should learn how to do, maybe not make an outfit from scratch but how to sew on a button. And cook.… Continue reading Finances 101 and a Foamy Fountain

Lola Meets Ricardo

August 19, 2022August 28, 2022 Posted in beer, college, fires, Iowa, marriage, military, sister, speech, women's studiesLeave a comment

Lola met her forever husband on the first day of college at the University of Iowa. She had signed up for a speech and composition class with an emphasis on women’s studies. When she got to the classroom, there was a note on the door saying that the class had been moved to another building.… Continue reading Lola Meets Ricardo

The Tennis Shoe and the Broken Window

August 18, 2022August 18, 2022 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. But not in PE. It alternated between a B and a C. I was feeling good. We were in our next-to last unit, the physical fitness… Continue reading The Tennis Shoe and the Broken Window

I Stole a Dilly Bar on a Dare

June 17, 2022June 14, 2022 Posted in civil rights, conscience, constitution, Dairy Queen, election, flirting, Iowa, junior high school, lactose intolerance, memoir, Portland, president, stealing, vandals, voteLeave a comment

(re-run) When I was fourteen I stole a Dilly Bar from the Dairy Queen on a dare, but it wasn’t easy. It was lunch break from my junior high school, and we had an open campus. That meant we could walk across Douglas Avenue to go to the corner drugstore for candy or the Dairy… Continue reading I Stole a Dilly Bar on a Dare

Pennies from Heaven

May 12, 2022May 12, 2022 Posted in college, drugs, Eric Clapton, firsts, head shop, high school, humor, Iowa, J.J. Cale, memoir, music, relationships, smokingLeave a comment

(re-run) When I was sixteen, I saved my babysitting money and went downtown to Cottage Grove Avenue in Des Moines, where there was a head shop filled with incense, hanging beads, roach clips, black light posters and tie dye. Although I wasn’t a pothead (I didn’t smoke cigarettes either), I enjoyed the ambience of the… Continue reading Pennies from Heaven

A Great Dane Story

April 24, 2022April 24, 2022 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 be 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

My Friend, the Thief

April 14, 2022April 12, 2022 Posted in babysitting, bus, cherry pie, department store, Des Moines, downtown, flat feet, Iowa, memoir, shoplifting, shopping center, store, store security, troll dollsLeave a comment

(re-run) We took the bus to go shopping downtown. We weren’t old enough yet to drive, and it was a boring Saturday. Debbie suggested the shopping trip. We had a shopping center (before malls) within walking distance of our houses. A bus trip was more adventurous. Debbie was always up for adventure. She had moved… Continue reading My Friend, the Thief

Fleetwood Who?

April 10, 2022April 10, 2022 Posted in 1970s, Beatles, Fleetwood Mac, Iowa, Iowa State University, memoir, Nebraska, Spain, Stevie Nicks, student teaching, Study abroad, teaching, travel, Venezuela1 Comment

Whenever a Fleetwood Mac song comes on, everyone around me goes gah-gah. I admit that the Rumours album is a good one, but I just don’t feel it like everyone else does. The other month, I tried to figure out why that is. At karaoke, many of my girlfriends want to sing Fleetwood Mac songs.… Continue reading Fleetwood Who?