memoir – Page 5 – FIRST DATE, WORST DATE EVER!

Stolen Purse

August 3, 2026August 2, 2026 Posted in dancing, dishes, driver's license, homeless, Medicare, memoir, purse, seniors, thriftingLeave a comment

I had a busy day yesterday. My first customer came at 9:30 and bought ten sets of tea cups and saucers. Then the second customer (a dealer) came at 12:30 and bought $200 worth of dishes. After she and her husband left, I left to run three errands – thrift store, Mc Calous Department store… Continue reading Stolen Purse

Beware of Craigslist?

August 2, 2026August 1, 2026 Posted in best, boat, California, Craigslist, dogs, fishing, humor, memoir, neighbors, parking lot, relationships, Santa, tea cups, texting, worstLeave a comment

I’d sold a thousand dollars’ worth of tea cups and dinner plates the year before. When Sis moved in with me, I had to let all that inventory go. It hadn’t been selling that well on Etsy anyway, and Etsy had just changed its policies and had kicked me off their site. Why? Because they… Continue reading Beware of Craigslist?

Jesus! Jesus! Jesus!

July 31, 2026July 30, 2026 Posted in church, divorce, family, Jesus, memoir, memory, religion, Sunday, Sunday school, volunteerLeave a comment

(re-run) As I was outside watering this morning, preparing my drought-resistant plants for an onslaught of high temperatures for the holiday weekend and beyond, I discovered acorns all over the back yard. As I picked up the acorns and the dog poo of a medium dog and a small dog and some neighborhood cats as… Continue reading Jesus! Jesus! Jesus!

Black Jamaicans or African Americans?

July 30, 2026July 29, 2026 Posted in Blacks, Central Americans, Cuba, history, Jamaicans, Jeopardy, Kamala Harris, memoir, North Americans, Portuguese, slavery, South America, Spanish, teacher, textbooks3 Comments

(re-run) Someone on Facebook said that Kamala Harris isn’t really African-American because her black father was from Jamaica. Here’s a news flash. Blacks in Jamaica are descendants of slaves, just as blacks from Venezuela, Brazil, Barbados, anywhere in the Americas are, as well. Jeopardy the other night had an answer that said: 40% of all… Continue reading Black Jamaicans or African Americans?

A Week in the Woods

July 28, 2026July 27, 2026 Posted in August, Car Week, care giver, dogs, lunch, memoir, mountain lion, mountains, shopping, travel, woodsLeave a comment

(re-run from 2023) When both my mom and sis started having big health problems at the same time, I flew back to Iowa to collect my older sister and bring her to California to live with me. Eighteen months later, my younger sister flew back to Iowa to get our mom and bring her to… Continue reading A Week in the Woods

A Tale of Two Trees

July 27, 2026July 26, 2026 Posted in apples, asphalt, children, dogs, greenbelt, HOA, Home Owners' Association, memoir, park, playground, shade trees, trees1 Comment

Eight years ago I moved into my cozy house next to a park. When I hear the squeaky swings I know that someone is in the greenbelt. My dogs run to the park to play ball or go for a walk. They always head right once out the front door, never left. They know where… Continue reading A Tale of Two Trees

Thirteen White Vehicles

July 26, 2026July 26, 2026 Posted in climate change, dog walks, dogs, jet stream, memoir, November, Santa Cruz, Thanksgiving, therapy, tornadoLeave a comment

(re-run) On our early dog walk this morning, Pepper and I passed thirteen white vehicles in one block. Since it was a Sunday, all the cars for each household were there, parked in driveways and on the street. There are no basements in California, because there are no tornados? Actually, climate change has brought a… Continue reading Thirteen White Vehicles

Breaking Bad in Blackhawk

July 25, 2026July 23, 2026 Posted in California, drugs, firsts, helpful strangers, humor, memoir, music, navy, online dating, singingLeave a comment

(re-run) My right ear was plugged up, and I had a two hour singing rehearsal in front of me. I grabbed my chorus bag, my iced tea, some recycle bags and my jacket and headed out the door. I’ll stop at CVS on the way and pick up some Sudafed, so I can hear tonight.… Continue reading Breaking Bad in Blackhawk

Attention, Shoppers!

July 24, 2026July 23, 2026 Posted in angel, cartoons, dancing, devil, grocery store, humor, memoir, music, newspaper, OCD, seniors, Spanish, To Be Real, voice in your headLeave a comment

This morning I ran out to get the Sunday S.F.Chronicle, like I do every week. The sun was shining, the oranges woman was not at her corner (she’s at church, I’ll bet), and my favorite grocery store checker was on duty. I filled up my cart with everything on my list and turned down the… Continue reading Attention, Shoppers!

Chinese Fire Drills and Other Politically Incorrect Things from my Past

July 22, 2026July 21, 2026 Posted in best, ethnicity, family, friends, gender roles, girlfriends, high school, hitch hiking, humor, husband, Iowa, joke, memoir, Midwestern, political correctness, relationships, summer, trouble1 Comment

(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