Yesterday my son and I had lunch together at the local sandwich shop. He brought his little dog, half Chihuahua, half terrier. I fed Violet scraps of lettuce under the table while we ate. She thinks she’s a vegetarian. Afterward, we followed the usual routine and came back to my house, where Violet could run… Continue reading A Good Dog Neighbor
Category: memoir
Escape
Scott answered a personal ad in the Contra Costa Times for a woman looking for a date. People used to run personal ads in newspapers to acquire dates, the same way they advertised open houses and garage sales. This was long ago, before the internet and before online dating. An ad was a commercial, a… Continue reading Escape
Prince Not So Charming
He was dressed as Prince Charming. I was dressed as a 1930’s nurse from Samuel Merritt Nursing School in Oakland, admittedly a weird Halloween costume, but the woman at the estate sale had practically given it to me after I bought $200 worth of antiques for my vintage shop. My friend, Nancy, her niece, and… Continue reading Prince Not So Charming
Cowgirl Tips
After moving to Omaha and teaching for a couple of years across the Missouri River in Council Bluffs, Iowa, I grew tired of driving a car that smelled like a mildewed basement. My poor Chevy Monza had suffered through a Nebraska flood back at the farmhouse, and the car stank. I couldn’t afford a new… Continue reading Cowgirl Tips
The Tree Whisperer
I walk my neighborhood once or twice most days. Since I am a tree hugger and have planted more than sixty trees at my various houses over the years, I will free a distressed tree when I see one. I carry scissors in my back pocket, the little ones used in kindergarten. That way, if… Continue reading The Tree Whisperer
Bowl Highlights
Yes, the game was exciting. Yes, the underdogs won. Yes, it was a high-scoring game with many firsts: most total yards in Super Bowl history, gutsiest play in Super Bowl history, highest loser score in Super Bowl history. I could’ve done something more educational and important. But those commercials! So funny or so sincere. Every… Continue reading Bowl Highlights
Crazy Daisy
Now in my second month with the crazy rescue dog (she has lots of issues), I realized that my other dog acts worse when on a walk with the rescue girl. It didn’t dawn on me until one day my right hand wouldn’t grip anything. I had sprained it while walking the two dogs together.… Continue reading Crazy Daisy
How to Relax for Bed
I decided to close my online costume shop this past summer. I donated 500 dresses to a charity for 3rd world girls and sorted through my aprons, pulling out all the hostess ones, the sheer ones not for cooking. I had 150 of them. I gave them to my local thrift store, the one that… Continue reading How to Relax for Bed
An Ode to the West Coast
Earthquakes, fires, and mudslides aside, California is an awesome state. You’ve lived at both ends, and it is like leaving one country and entering another. San Diego is warm, sunny, and filled with swaying palm trees. You were only there for 18 months, long enough to visit every beach and experience every tourist attraction. You… Continue reading An Ode to the West Coast
Rocky Mountain Low
He was the good-looking cousin of my best friend. Tall, tan, and bearded, with a killer smile, it was love at first sight. Marcus had moved from Minnesota to Colorado to be near his sister. He asked if I wanted to come out and go backpacking with him. I said yes but that my girlfriend… Continue reading Rocky Mountain Low
