Brain Fog, Dementia, or Something Else?

(re-run) I lay on the physical therapist’s table, running names of L countries from the cubby hole in my brain that held them. Laos, Lichtenstein, Latvia . . . Why couldn’t I think of the name of the country where my youngest had sneaked off to see, the summer after her four months in Jordan?… Continue reading Brain Fog, Dementia, or Something Else?

Leopard in a Tree and OCD

My girlfriend and her husband went on safari in Kenya. “You should do it!” she said. “It’s amazing!  Just try it!” I have to admit that her photos were amazing – lions, lionesses, giraffes, elephants, some taken at very close range.  When I saw the leopard in the tree photo, I had to ask how… Continue reading Leopard in a Tree and OCD

Another Dog Story

My water bill for the beach house arrived. It was $2500. Someone had left the hose running in the front yard. It could’ve been me. It could’ve been my neighbor. At any rate, I finally got the adjusted bill with $1900 taken off. Yes, I still have to pay $600, but that is much more… Continue reading Another Dog Story

Take It Away, With My Blessing

My neighbor at the beach is a hoarder, but people who live in glass houses . . . We had a talk one day about it on our shared driveway. She was an only child, and her single mom would move around a lot, throwing away her daughter’s toys every time. She lost all her… Continue reading Take It Away, With My Blessing

X Marks the Spot, A Genetics Story

My chorus carpool buddy was amused that I took a college course called Baby Zoe. It was 300 women and two guys in a lecture hall, learning about the human reproduction system, pregnancy, and birth, one of the best college classes I ever took. And I took meteorology, horticulture, ice skating, and Swimming 101! Most… Continue reading X Marks the Spot, A Genetics Story

39 Gates and a Water Bottle

I only fly once or twice a year. This time it was for a family memorial service in the Midwest.  Tuesday thunderstorms over Denver delayed both the landing of the first leg and the taking off of the second leg of the trip. On my return trip through Denver, we arrived early, but the plane… Continue reading 39 Gates and a Water Bottle

Grandfather Clock

(re-run) I am waiting for my grandfather clock to be delivered. It’s from my friend’s aunt’s estate.  She didn’t want it. Her brother didn’t want it. It reminds me of my aunt and uncle’s clock in their house in Iowa. I’d spend the night with my cousin and listen to the clock chime every fifteen… Continue reading Grandfather Clock

Two Bird Baths, One Fountain

(re-run) I love my yard. When I first bought my fixer house on a fixer third acre, the yard was full of rocks and rose bushes. Now it has trees, plants, bushes, flag stone, one fountain and two bird baths. The fountain is an advertisement to creatures near and far to come into my fenced… Continue reading Two Bird Baths, One Fountain

Dieting, Body Image, and Stay Out of my Business

(re-run) “Are you going to eat all of that?” I was sitting at a table in the teachers’ lounge, my lunch spread out before me. There was a sandwich, a red apple, carrot sticks and a glass of juice, maybe a chocolate or two. Why was the teacher I barely knew commenting on my lunch?… Continue reading Dieting, Body Image, and Stay Out of my Business