(re-run) Instead of my typical Sunday where I’d run out and buy the SF Chronicle, then go visit my sister for Facebook Sunday, I headed home from the drugstore. The party wouldn’t happen until 1:00 p.m. On the way home I saw an estate sale sign. I love estate sales because they are whole-house affairs,… Continue reading The Estate Sale and the Birthday Party
Category: memoir
Dancing as Stress Therapy
(re-run from 2020) Someone in an introvert group on Facebook said he didn’t dance because it looks so dumb. Yes, it can look dumb, especially if you’re not doing it, just watching. I’m an old school dancer – shake what the good Lord gave you. I’ve been rocking out to music for half a century.… Continue reading Dancing as Stress Therapy
Why I Love Saturday Mornings
(re-run) When I was a kid, cartoons made Saturday mornings great. We sat around in our pajamas and ate cereal in front of the TV. There was never time any other day of the week. Now that I’m grown and also retired, I still love Saturday mornings. I don’t have to Zumba, I don’t have… Continue reading Why I Love Saturday Mornings
A Crash Course in Feng Shui
I didn’t know much about Feng Shui when it became an issue for a married couple I know buying a house. There are rules. It’s all about the flow of energy, called the chi or the xi. Feng shui means wind and water. I’d read somewhere that a red front door is a good thing… Continue reading A Crash Course in Feng Shui
The Visitor from the Crawl Space
Two weeks ago, a plumber came over, crawled under the house, tried to sell me new pipes for the entire house and an overpriced water heater, then left without closing up the trap door in my master bedroom closet. When I discovered the open hole a few hours later, I was sure a rat had… Continue reading The Visitor from the Crawl Space
Living with OCD
(OCD) I always knew I was different in the way I perceived the world. I have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, but Instead of needing to do classic hand washing or constantly worrying about germs, I had other weird rituals, like never leaving the house without a Kleenex and needing to have a regular routine. I married… Continue reading Living with OCD
My Past Life as a Cat Burglar
(re-run) I was fifteen hundred miles away from home. It was the summer of 1975. I had my sample case with me from Southwestern Books. I’d worn my hot pants to stay cool. I had already rung three dozen doorbells. Selling books door to door wasn’t always a cake walk. It was lunchtime. I had… Continue reading My Past Life as a Cat Burglar
Pontoon Boat Disaster
(re-run) My parents didn’t swim. When we went on vacation at Clear Lake, Iowa, and Dad wanted to take us out in a rented pontoon boat, my mom objected. Dad won in the end, and the five kids put on our life jackets. I think my mom did, too. I am sure my dad didn’t… Continue reading Pontoon Boat Disaster
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!
Worst Weekend Getaway Ever
(re-run) While student teaching in Venezuela, I learned how to have fun with not much money. One of the American teachers had stolen a couple of striped beach towels from an upscale hotel, and she had been sneaking into the hotel pool for years. “Just carry the towel and act like you belong,” Linda said.… Continue reading Worst Weekend Getaway Ever
FIRST DATE, WORST DATE EVER! 