(re-run) When I moved to suburbia in the Bay Area, I joined the town’s Newcomer’s club and then joined the babysitting co-op within the club. We were all new mothers with one or two children, and the thirty of us traded babysitting with coupons while our little families grew bigger. My two-year-old daughter bonded with… Continue reading Worst Fake Friend Ever
Category: memoir
The Dog Whisperer
(re-run) My son moved in with me. He’s managed to get the super anxious, high-strung Jack Russell terrier to roll over onto her back when she sees him coming. She allows belly rubs to happen. This is huge. I’ve been massaging Daisy Dog ever since pandemic life went online with Zoom. She knows to sit… Continue reading The Dog Whisperer
The Tennis Shoe and the Broken Window
(re-run) It was senior year in high school. I was on my last semester of PE, my least favorite class. I maintained a straight-A average in all other classes. But not in PE. It alternated between a B and a C. I was feeling good. We were in our next-to last unit, the physical fitness… Continue reading The Tennis Shoe and the Broken Window
What Zillow Doesn’t Know
Every now and then, Zillow will send me an email telling me what my house is currently worth. It’s down $200,000 from last year. What Zillow doesn’t know is that the photo of my house on their website is woefully out of date. That green grassy lawn is long gone, replaced by drought tolerant plants… Continue reading What Zillow Doesn’t Know
The Dancing Tribe
(re-run) Different town. Different band. Same faces. We are the tribe of dancers, mostly in our fifties, sixties, and seventies, following rock and roll music wherever it goes. We might not know each other’s names, but we smile and wave. It’s been two years since some of us have seen each other. Last summer all… Continue reading The Dancing Tribe
Domino Effect
(re-run) My youngest just left for grad school on the East Coast. She had moved back home for ten months to ride out the winter months of the pandemic. In April her dad up and sold his big house (where she always stayed) and moved out of state. Suddenly I had a twin bed in… Continue reading Domino Effect
Gas Leaks, Plane Crashes and Tsunami Warnings
When you have property near the coastline of the deepest ocean on the planet, you might find yourself worrying about a variety of things that could happen to your house and property. Tonight it’s a tsunami worry. An 8.7 earthquake (ee gad) off the eastern coast of Russia has triggered a tsunami warning for the… Continue reading Gas Leaks, Plane Crashes and Tsunami Warnings
Superstitions
(re-run) She hated Friday, the 13th. She would turn the car around if a black cat crossed the street in front of her. And mirrors? She once yelled at me when I held my baby up to one in a German restaurant. “That’s bad luck before her first birthday!” My mother-in-law, may she rest in… Continue reading Superstitions
Doggy Drama
(re-run) When Violet, the Chihuahua, moved in along with my son, I was worried about how she’d get along with my two bigger dogs. Daisy, the Russell Terrier, is 20+ pounds, and Pepper, the lab mix, is 55 pounds. We have a system. Violet enjoys the added wing of the house with a child gate… Continue reading Doggy Drama
Dealing with Duff
What is duff, you ask? It’s decaying vegetable matter covering the ground under trees. It’s what burns in a wild fire. It’s especially thick under evergreen trees because those pine needles build up and don’t necessarily get raked up like obvious leaves do. Insurance companies want those of us who live in California to get… Continue reading Dealing with Duff
FIRST DATE, WORST DATE EVER! 