Category: memoir

The Moon Landing and a Funeral

Posted in death, fishing, grandma, grandpa, high school, Home Ec, junior high school, memoir, moon landing, OCD, relationshipsLeave a comment

The day we landed on the moon, my parents took the family to a picnic/fishing spot at the Des Moines reservoir. I was going into high school in the fall, so it was a dorky thing to do on a Sunday, but hey? I couldn’t drive yet, and the food was always good on a… Continue reading The Moon Landing and a Funeral

Daisy Strikes Again

Posted in alarm, animal adoption, animal rescue, bucket, cell phone, flashlight, fountain, hiking, humor, memoir, rats, relationships, sleep1 Comment

After a five mile hike, my legs ached and wanted to go to bed. I turned off the news at 10:15, brushed my teeth, washed my face, and then headed down the hall to the main bathroom with the doggy door. Both dogs were outside barking. I turned around and went to the kitchen slider,… Continue reading Daisy Strikes Again

Playing the Internet/Cable Company Game

Posted in bills, cable company, California, Comcast, girlfriends, internet company, memoir, mothers, relationships, technologyLeave a comment

Everyone knows that if your cable bill goes up, you call them, and they will work with you to retain you as a customer. So when my Comcast bill went up $20.00 a month, making it $130 for cable and internet, I was not a happy camper. I am two years into retirement, and the… Continue reading Playing the Internet/Cable Company Game

The Power of Nature

Posted in act of God, aging, best, California, car accident, care giver, caregiver, hiking, humor, memoir, nature, outdoors, trees, turtlesLeave a comment

(re-run) Sun, trees, dirt, flowers — my nose is full of the smell of Eucalyptus leaves. I used to hike twice a month with my senior hiking group called DASH. Then my sis moved in with me so that I could be her care giver. My hiking days stopped except for once last summer when… Continue reading The Power of Nature

Sneaking into the Pool

Posted in airport, Angel Falls, beach, Canaima, dysentery, hotel pool, humor, Iowa State University, memoir, microbes, relationships, teaching, travel, Venezuela, worstLeave a comment

While student teaching in Venezuela, we learned how to have fun with not much money. One of the American teachers had stolen a couple of striped beach towels from an upscale hotel, and she had been sneaking into the hotel pool for years. “Just carry the towel and act like you belong,” Linda said. Christy… Continue reading Sneaking into the Pool

The Missing GPS Gene

Posted in basement, caveman, directions, dyslexic, evolution, GPS, humor, memoir, relationships, San Diego, Target, tornado3 Comments

The women in my family are spatially challenged, as in which way is south? West ? North? East? I remembered that the northwest corner of the basement was supposed to be the safest place in case of a tornado, but I had no idea which corner that would be. Now that I live near the… Continue reading The Missing GPS Gene

Saying Good-bye to Man’s Best Friend

Posted in California, college, dogs, euthanasia, family, Iowa, memoir, pet, pet death, quality of life, relationships, veterinarian2 Comments

The family Dachshund just turned eighteen on June 9th. He is a skeleton with fur (photo is from years ago).  My son brought him out to my car to to show me the other day, since Wiener now lives with my ex. I have been the one to do the hard job of taking the… Continue reading Saying Good-bye to Man’s Best Friend

The Appendix, the Funeral, and the Dead Concert

Posted in Boston, brother, Catholic, children, daughter, deceased, family, friends, funeral, girlfriends, Grateful Dead, humor, memoir, pain, relationships, siblings, surgery, surprise, waiting room, worst2 Comments

(re-run) PK lived in Jersey when her friend’s mum was terminally ill in Boston.  When her friend called to say her mother had died, PK woke up feeling bad but thought it was the heat. She wanted to go to the funeral and surprise her friend.  She loaded up her three-year-old daughter and took off… Continue reading The Appendix, the Funeral, and the Dead Concert