Ying Ying is the panda in Hong Kong who just gave birth to twins one day before her 19th birthday. In panda years, that’s old. She’s the oldest first-time panda mom ever, because they keep track of that kind of stuff, you know. I was an old mom, too, having my first at 31 and… Continue reading Being an Older Mom
Category: memoir
Guardian Angels on Call
(re-run) My two-hour drive from the beach back to suburbia can become longer if there’s an accident along 101, a two-lane (on each side) highway. Once I got past Gilroy, the garlic capital of the world, where the highway grows to four lanes each way through San Jose, I felt confident that I was going… Continue reading Guardian Angels on Call
M is for Music
(re-run) In a stressed-out world, one of the best things I can do for myself is to relax and de-stress by either singing music or dancing to it. Once a week I go off and sing with my chorus of 130 people. During those two hours, I don’t think about world news, White House news,… Continue reading M is for Music
The Gun at Grandma’s House
(re-run) The thing was cold, black, and heavy. Even though I was just a kid, maybe nine or ten, I knew a gun when I saw it. I’d been jumping on Grandma Nellie’s bed. The pillow had fallen on the floor. The gun was under the pillow. I put everything back the way I found… Continue reading The Gun at Grandma’s House
Just for the Halibut
(re-run) Father’s Day has come and gone. I saw many black and white photos of men on Facebook, people my age honoring their deceased dads. I didn’t have a good photo of Dad to post, just silly ones or childhood ones. It never occurred to me 34 years ago that I would someday want a… Continue reading Just for the Halibut
Scary Pit Bull Encounter
(re-run) It was a beautiful winter day that Sunday morning. I took the greyhound rescue dog for a walk in the crisp air while my hubby stayed home with the three children. I walked uphill from my court and took Virginia Lane to Virginia Court, down to the creek. I took the bridge across it… Continue reading Scary Pit Bull Encounter
Challenger Explosion and Subbing in San Diego
(re-run) It was a Tuesday, my third week of substitute teaching in Ramona, California (January 28th). The Middle School Spanish teacher before me had left in October after a former student told her therapist that he had sexually molested her while on his high school track team. The teacher was terminated, and the string of… Continue reading Challenger Explosion and Subbing in San Diego
Daydreaming on a Dog Walk
(re-run) I get some of my best writing ideas while walking my dogs. My brain is free to think while my body is exercising. I am not listening to music or staring into my phone. I am enjoying the view. Today I walked Pepper, my almost four-year-old lab, while Daisy stayed home where she feels… Continue reading Daydreaming on a Dog Walk
Sully, A Famous Face
(re-run) Living in Northern California, I don’t run into celebrities too often. Once I met J. K. Rowling, the Harry Potter author, when she was touring the U.S. to promote her third book. Otherwise, I’d heard that Carlos Santana came to visit his restaurant, Maria Maria, every now and then, and that some famous ball… Continue reading Sully, A Famous Face
Surprise in the Porch Stove
(re-run) I just got home from the beach with temps up to 70 degrees. “Why am I coming back?” I asked myself as the car’s outside temp rose to 82, then 88 then 92 as I pulled off the freeway in San Ramon. When I got home, the dogs went ballistic as they always do.… Continue reading Surprise in the Porch Stove
FIRST DATE, WORST DATE EVER! 