The thing was cold, black, and heavy. Even though I was just a kid, maybe nine or ten, I knew a gun when I saw it. I’d been jumping on Grandma Nellie’s bed. The pillow had fallen on the floor. The gun had been under the pillow. I put everything back the way I found… Continue reading The Gun at Grandma’s House
Category: memoir
The Weakest Link – my Low Back
The good thing about the current Coronavirus Covid-19 lockdown is that I have a hundred projects to finish. Suddenly I have nothing but time to do it all. Everything was going along swimmingly yesterday. I exercised. I painted (spray-painted picture frames), I picked up dog poop. I did a heavy load of laundry. I rearranged… Continue reading The Weakest Link – my Low Back
Time to Get your Absentee Ballot for November
It’s that bewitching hour after lunch where I need to sit and digest while I write a blog post. During the lockdown (here in California) I have learned a few things today: Our school district, along with six counties, has called off physical classes for the rest of the year. My county has 442 cases… Continue reading Time to Get your Absentee Ballot for November
M is for Music
(re-run) In a stressed-out world, one of the best things I can do for myself is to relax and de-stress by either singing music or dancing to it. Once a week I go off and sing with my chorus of 130 people. During those two hours, I don’t think about world news, White House news,… Continue reading M is for Music
How God Figures into the Pandemic (Coronavirus)
While scrolling through Facebook this morning and consuming my simple breakfast of a packet of Belvita cinnamon breakfast biscuits and a cup of fake coffee, I saw a post from a high school friend back in Iowa, who said that the media is out of control. I am here to say that without the media,… Continue reading How God Figures into the Pandemic (Coronavirus)
My Crowded Park
Yesterday I walked my dog earlier than usual. The day was sunny and a bit windy. I avoided the park and headed up my court, turned the corner and said to my black lab, “Pull me up the hill, Pepper.” And she did. A boy on an electric scooter flew by, followed by a mom… Continue reading My Crowded Park
My Two Gophers
Now before you tell me that gophers are solitary creatures and that I only have one gopher, let me explain that I have a little beach house with a gopher and my regular house with a gopher. I am an Iowa girl, living in California. So both houses were bought because of the property that… Continue reading My Two Gophers
Dog Training, the $100 Secret
(re-run) When I got a ten-week-old puppy the Monday before Christmas four+ years ago, I didn’t realize how hard it was going to be. I’d trained many a dog, but I did it within the context of my family, with my children at the ready to wear out the new pet. This time I was… Continue reading Dog Training, the $100 Secret
Thank God for Girl Scout Cookies
This is my 21st day in quarantine. I started early when my sister’s infectious disease doctor told me not to risk it. I sold my ticket to a Motown review and went to the beach house. When the nursing homes shut down all visitors, I saw my sis for another week. She lives in a… Continue reading Thank God for Girl Scout Cookies
You Know It is Shelter in Place when . . .
You have four library books on hold at your local branch, but all libraries are closed. The gray stripe at your scalp is showing. You discover toilet paper in the back of your closet and get really excited. You start counting your avocados. You take time to comment on ALL of the Facebook posts you… Continue reading You Know It is Shelter in Place when . . .
