(re-run) Back in high school in a suburb of Des Moines, Iowa, we did whatever we could to stir up some fun and sometimes some trouble. It was a simple existence: go to school, do homework, think about and look for boys. With no cell phones or social media to organize anything, kids spent a… Continue reading Chinese Fire Drills and Other Politically Incorrect Things from my Past
Category: memoir
Five Errands and a Passport Photo
(re-run) My daughter is going to her college friend’s wedding in India. She discovered that her passport was about to expire, which got me to wondering if mine had expired. I hadn’t used it since I got divorced. I found it and saw the expiration date was 2019. That’s what the pandemic will do to… Continue reading Five Errands and a Passport Photo
Worst Dog Sitting Ever
(re=run) When I was a newlywed, living in San Diego, my next door neighbor, Doreen, befriended me. She noticed I was home alone a lot, since my teaching job ended at 3:00, and my new husband didn’t come home from work until 7:00 or so. Doreen invited me over for food and chit chat. Once,… Continue reading Worst Dog Sitting Ever
Weed Whacker Workout
(re-run) I’ve never owned or used a Weed Whacker. I’m an Iowa girl who pulls weeds by hand so they don’t come back. But this year is the exception. With record rainfall, the weeds are on steroids this spring. See photo. I ordered an electric weed whacker from my local hardware store since I didn’t… Continue reading Weed Whacker Workout
Neighborhood Watch and Biting Dogs
(re-run) Nine years ago, burglaries were happening all over my neighborhood. The burglars’ M.O. was to ring the doorbell, wait, then kick in the front door, find the jewelry, cash and drugs and get out in two minutes. They’d use a pillowcase from the master bedroom, where the jewelry was most likely to be. It… Continue reading Neighborhood Watch and Biting Dogs
Be Careful What You Wish For
(re-run) I’ve lived in my little house for seven years and four months. The neighborhood is about 48 years old, and the trees that are here are huge. My pie-shaped lot is wide and shallow in the back. Las Trampas Ridge is due west, beyond the freeway, but I could not see it because of… Continue reading Be Careful What You Wish For
Good Morning Stranger
As I was walking my 55-pound dog yesterday, I noticed an older woman with a cane waiting to cross the street to my side. A construction truck slowed down and waved her across, but she shook her head no. She knows she is old and slow. The truck passed, and I reduced my speed so… Continue reading Good Morning Stranger
Two Dolls in Two Days
I am in my beach town, and it’s foggy and gray. I pulled weeds the first afternoon so that I could put out a full green can this morning for the yard waste truck. More weeds await, but it’s another gray day. I took off for thrift stores both days at lunch time. Yesterday, after… Continue reading Two Dolls in Two Days
Two Dates, Two Dolls
(in honor of my parents) He was tall and lanky. She was short with a great smile. They were the leads in the school play at Des Moines Tech high school in 1947. They flirted on and off stage. They even had a kissing scene. Joanne knew Bill was the one. Bill asked her out.… Continue reading Two Dates, Two Dolls
Government Cheese and Pinto Beans
(re-run) I was nine or ten when our mom took me and my younger siblings downtown to a place to get some free food for poor people. Our dad was out of work for six weeks. My mother was humiliated. We waited in line until it was our turn. As the worker handed Mom her… Continue reading Government Cheese and Pinto Beans
FIRST DATE, WORST DATE EVER! 