(re-run) When I was 20, I sold books door to door that summer in Ohio for Southwestern Company. The regional boss told me at our Sunday meeting to spend a day working with one of his ace sellers. The problem was, I didn’t have a car to get to the town where he worked. The… Continue reading Hitchhiking Story
Category: memoir
Morning During a Heat Wave
(re-run) The temps will soar to 105 degrees in my town today. Yesterday was 102. Tomorrow will be 100. I woke up in an air-conditioned house at 6:30 a.m. No open windows. I opened one to see what was what. Cool air streamed inside. The thermostat was set at 72, and AC wasn’t running, so… Continue reading Morning During a Heat Wave
Off the Power Grid
(re-run from 2021) The power is out. I was in the middle of a movie when everything shut off. One of my neighbors just texted me, asking me to report the outage to PG& E. The more the better, they said. A few minutes after that, I received a robocall. The outage was affecting 5000… Continue reading Off the Power Grid
Drinking, Dancing and Driving
(re-run from 2019) I am a happy version of a designated driver. Instead of abstaining completely, I drink two glasses of wine per dancing event. I drink early and then stop. I do this for two reasons. #1 — I am a lightweight with alcohol. #2 — I need to drive friends that drink more… Continue reading Drinking, Dancing and Driving
Sideshows are the New Running of the Bulls
(re-run) Watching the local news tonight, I saw that it was reported that many cities in the Bay Area had sideshows going on last night. Sideshows are entertainment involving people in cars and trucks spinning doughnuts in the middle of intersections while hundreds of people watch, ride, and take videos of the chaos. It happens… Continue reading Sideshows are the New Running of the Bulls
Bye-bye, Apple Tree
(re-run) It’s not supposed to be this windy in July. Not only was it a cool day, but wind gusts reached up to 50 miles per hour. I noticed my dog, Pepper, crunching on a small green apple this morning. I thought it was odd that the tree was dropping apples so soon. Little did… Continue reading Bye-bye, Apple Tree
Judging from the Trends
(re-run) I was asked to judge a picture book contest. I’m a picture book author of 29 books and also a mom of past picture-book fans. Picture books are books with both words and art, usually 28 to 64 pages, and usually for young children. The gift book people have figured out how to put… Continue reading Judging from the Trends
Water-ski Fail
(re-run) It’s funny how writing a daily blog can jog memories of long ago. Today, while taking a hot bath, I remembered this one. It was1984. My Omaha girlfriends were four younger women, one of them a sorority sister from Iowa State. Joan’s parents had a place at Lake Okoboji, and she invited us to… Continue reading Water-ski Fail
Worst Boss Ever
(re-run) Aside from the old-guy boss I had for ten days at the Iowa State Fair the summer after ninth grade, who took one look at my giraffe legs in my short culottes jumper I’d made in sewing class and demanded that I bend over to see if my butt would show (it didn’t), George… Continue reading Worst Boss Ever
Sometimes It’s Good to Be Clueless
Today I ran a bunch of errands, including the thrift store, grocery store, bank and pet store, in that order. The thrift store parking lot gets crazy at noon since there are many restaurants next to it, so I went there before noon to get a spot. The older volunteer at the thrift store was… Continue reading Sometimes It’s Good to Be Clueless
FIRST DATE, WORST DATE EVER! 