(re-run) The farmhouse was next to the highway, close enough for me to hear the train come by every night, and far enough away from the tracks to get used to sleeping through it. No houses could be seen from any window — just trees, sky, and lots of cornfields. It was a peaceful place,… Continue reading Asparagus, Anyone?
Category: memoir
Highway Dog
(re-run) I’m in my little beach town, up the road a bit from Carmel. At the end of each month, the block of thrift stores in the Barnyard Shopping Center near Carmel Valley put their merchandise at 50% off for a day or two. Yellow Brick Road was on its second day of sale yesterday,… Continue reading Highway Dog
Today I Played the Old Lady Card
(re-run) When your rescue dog needs her teeth cleaned, because no one has brushed them for six years, you can bet it will be expensive. As in $650.00. Ouch! I’d put it off long enough. She’d even broken off an incisor at the gum line and didn’t want to eat. I knew it was time… Continue reading Today I Played the Old Lady Card
Waitresses Make the Best Tippers
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 Waitresses Make the Best Tippers
It’s the Little Things
(re-run) A morning sunrise, skies streaked pink and blue. A warm dog cuddled under the afghan throw as I read a book. A hot cup of fake mocha coffee and a Madeleine cookie. A bunch of texts from an adult child 3000 miles away. A photo of my smiling grandson in his high chair. The… Continue reading It’s the Little Things
State Fair Memory
(re-run) The Iowa State Fair is the biggest in the country, with 165 food items on a stick! and the butter cow. But the fair was expensive for a family of seven, plus Dad had had polio as a late teen and walked with a limp. The fairgrounds covered a lot of acreage, so we… Continue reading State Fair Memory
Don’t Stand Up!
(re-run) It was a long train ride from Lima to Cuzco, or maybe it was from Cuzco to Machu Picchu. At any rate, I was on a train with a bunch of Peruvians and my roommate, Kristy. Trains give me motion sickness, as do boats, cars, planes, swings, and carnival rides. It’s a miracle that… Continue reading Don’t Stand Up!
Where’s My Fish?
(re-run) During the 2020 pandemic, it was easy running down to the beach house for a few days since nothing was going on. The freeways were deserted while everyone stayed home. Now that life is somewhat back to normal, I have to give up fun things to make room for a beachy weekend. I left… Continue reading Where’s My Fish?
It’s Never Too Late
(re-run) Three weeks ago, I made a summer playlist. Does that seem silly? The last day of summer is the day after tomorrow. I included songs with summer in the title, like Hot Fun in the Summertime by Sly and the Family Stone, Summer Breeze by Seals and Croft, Summer in the City by the… Continue reading It’s Never Too Late
Hook, Line and Sinker
On my date yesterday listening to the Beatles band with a new guy I had the unfortunate experience of sitting directly behind my ex bf. For the purpose of this blog I am going to call him John. John was charming and came at me one night a year and a half ago, saying, “I’ve… Continue reading Hook, Line and Sinker
