Category: memoir

Dieting, Body Image, and Stay Out of my Business

Posted in anorexia, body image, bulimia, college, diet, Karen Carpenter, memoir, mental health, mental illness, pregnancy, restricting, teacher, teaching, weight loss1 Comment

(re-run) “Are you going to eat all of that?” I was sitting at a table in the teachers’ lounge, my lunch spread out before me. There was a sandwich, a red apple, carrot sticks and a glass of juice, maybe a chocolate or two. Why was the teacher I barely knew commenting on my lunch?… Continue reading Dieting, Body Image, and Stay Out of my Business

Why Do We Hide Mental Issues in America?

Posted in Asperger's, autism, Depression, epilepsy, exercise, memoir, mental disorder, mental health, mental illness, movie, Netflix, OCD, schizophrenia, weight-bearing exerciseLeave a comment

(re-run) It has come to my attention that if a person tells you that he has Asperger’s* and you tell another person that the guy has Asperger’s, that is a bad thing. We all know that If the guy had a broken leg or a bad heart, and you tell others of those things, it’s… Continue reading Why Do We Hide Mental Issues in America?

Falling, Falling, Falling

Posted in aging, broken bones, California, coffee, dancing, dog walks, dogs, endocrinologist, falling, humor, memoir, ocean, osteoporosis, scars, seniors, thrift storeLeave a comment

The first time it happened, one of my shoelaces was untied. I stepped on it with my other shoe, then picked up my foot in the untied shoe and fell over.  I was going over a berm along a busy street to get to  – you guessed it – a thrift store. That was a… Continue reading Falling, Falling, Falling

How my Bug Collection Changed a Generation

Posted in best, entymology, firsts, humor, insects, Iowa, junior high school, last, memoir, middle school, Midwestern, mouse, nature, parenting, relationships, science, scientist, worstLeave a comment

When my new science teacher announced on the first day of 7th grade that no one would get an A in his class if they didn’t make an insect collection, I was like, “NOOOOOOOO! I hate bugs!” My mother hated bugs. Her mother hated bugs. They hated mice, snakes, and dog poop, too. I walked… Continue reading How my Bug Collection Changed a Generation

Mac and Cheese, a Spicy Story

Posted in blaming, cooking, groceries, grocery store, humor, mac and cheese, memoir, moving, neighbors, newspaper, spicesLeave a comment

After nearly a week of no heat in my house, I finally feel warm enough to write a story, a spicy one, at that. This morning I made my usual run (with wet hair) to the grocery store for the Sunday Chronicle. But alas, there were none. I popped into the CVS next door and… Continue reading Mac and Cheese, a Spicy Story

Two Bird Baths, One Fountain

Posted in birds, cats, dogs, gardening, humor, insects, memoir, nature, relationships, treesLeave a comment

I love my yard. When I first bought my fixer house on a fixer third acre, the yard was full of rocks and rose bushes. Now it has trees, plants, bushes, flag stone, one fountain and two bird baths. The fountain is an advertisement to creatures near and far to come into my fenced yard.… Continue reading Two Bird Baths, One Fountain

Daydreaming on a Dog Walk

Posted in aging gracefully, animal rescue, animal training, astro turf, brain, dogs, language, memoir, neighborhood, neighbors, relationships, writing1 Comment

(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

Oh No, Not the Warriors!

Posted in aging, basketball, best, California, Golden State Killer, Golden State Warriors, helpful strangers, hospital, humor, memoir, newspaper, police officer, relationships1 Comment

(re-run) Last week I took Sis to the hospital for a Barium Swallow test. We had just settled into the waiting room when an elderly woman with a cane came in the door. She had to go around Sis’s wheelchair to get to the check-in window. “Am I at the right place?” she asked no… Continue reading Oh No, Not the Warriors!

Beware of Craigslist?

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

(re-run) 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… Continue reading Beware of Craigslist?