(re-run) My millennial children like to make fun of themselves for all the participation trophies they earned in childhood for soccer, basketball, softball, baseball. Two of them recently ditched the trophies. One of them kept hers. “Why did you guys give us trophies for everything?” Child # 3 asked. “The pendulum swung the other way… Continue reading Participation Trophy
Category: memoir
Survey, App, and QR Code Overload
“How was your experience at CVS? Did you enjoy your visits at the chiropractor’s office? Pease rate how friendly your representative was at Verizon. Did you enjoy driving past In and Out? It has gotten ridiculous. In a given week, I get 3 to 5 texts on my phone to complete a short, five-minute survey.… Continue reading Survey, App, and QR Code Overload
Daisy’s New Perch
(re-run) My suburban house is cozy but dumb. The small bedrooms are on the front of the house, with the family room tucked behind the garage. There are no good windows for Daisy to see out of, no couch to jump upon to watch the street. Until the day I cleaned my office. I ended… Continue reading Daisy’s New Perch
It’s All About the Bacon
(re-run) I grew up in Iowa, and I’ve always loved a BLT, but now that I’m living in California, it has to be a BLTA, with avocado. Of my three kids, none of them eats pork anymore. One eats poultry and fish, one eats fish, and one is a true vegetarian. No vegans, though. They… Continue reading It’s All About the Bacon
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
Uncle Frank and the Jar of Coins
(re-run) I grew up with three uncles: one in Colorado, another on the other side of the state, and one near my home town in Des Moines, Iowa. Uncle Frank was older than the other uncles, but since his daughter, Nina, was my age, I hardly noticed. He was married to my grandma’s younger sister. … Continue reading Uncle Frank and the Jar of Coins
Where’s My Fish?
(re-run) During the 2020 pandemic, it was easy running down to the beach house for a few days since nothing was going on. The freeways were deserted while everyone stayed home. Now that life is somewhat back to normal, I have to give up fun things to make room for a beachy weekend. I left… Continue reading Where’s My Fish?
Grandma’s Basement
(re-run) My grandpa and his dad built a house into the side of a hill. The main floor had three small bedrooms, a bathroom, a living room and stairs to the kitchen below. The kitchen looked out over the hill down to the creek and had windows and a back door with a screen door.… Continue reading Grandma’s Basement
Getting a New Perspective While Getting There
I am retired, two years away from the big 7-0, flying for the second time in two months, a record for me. Traveler’s Tip: Don’t fly in the summer if you can help it. EVERYONE is flying, and the weather across the U.S. can be bad and will delay your flight. My daughter drove me… Continue reading Getting a New Perspective While Getting There
Remembering my Gay Boyfriend
(re-run) My little beach house is kind of magical, in that I can get away from the rat race and think about stuff I haven’t thought of in a very long while. It’s partly due to the fact that my beach house is my dumping house, where everything to be sorted goes to live until… Continue reading Remembering my Gay Boyfriend
FIRST DATE, WORST DATE EVER! 