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. We’re… Continue reading Surprise in the Porch Stove
Category: memoir
The Tree Trimming Post
The beach town where I have an almost -100-year-old house has Draconian tree removal laws. In other words, you can’t. You can trim your tree up to 25%, but good luck trying to remove it. I found this out the hard way when I applied for a tree removal permit ($181.00) and was denied. A… Continue reading The Tree Trimming Post
When your Subconscious Self is Screaming at You
(re-run) I just unpacked my one-thousand-book collection. Ten years ago, I packed it up and stored it in Rubbermaid tubs in a damp garage two blocks from the ocean. I was in the middle of a divorce, and I sold all the bookcases in my divorce house so that I wouldn’t have to move them.… Continue reading When your Subconscious Self is Screaming at You
A Tale of Two Trees
(re-run) Eleven 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… Continue reading A Tale of Two Trees
Worst Professor Ever
(re-run) She taught the research class at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. I needed the course to earn my master’s degree. It would be easy. I’d written dozens of research papers at Iowa State. She said we could choose any topic. All we had to do was take a position, defend it with an… Continue reading Worst Professor Ever
The Bathroom Post
Nobody talks about it except those red bears on the toilet paper commercial. Everybody poops. Or they at least try to. Older folks often have trouble in this department because the body is less efficient, and everything slows down, especially the digestive system. My days of eating nachos for lunch are over, my friends. French… Continue reading The Bathroom Post
Rocky Mountain Low
(re-run) He was the good-looking cousin of my college best friend — tall, tan, and bearded. Throw in a killer smile, and he added up to gorgeous. For me, it was love at first sight. Marcus had moved from Minnesota to Colorado to be near his sister. He asked if I wanted to come out… Continue reading Rocky Mountain Low
Finances 101 and a Foamy Fountain
I took Home Economics long ago in high school. We learned how to cook, sew, and make a household budget. It was mostly girls back then in the 70s, but it’s something every teen should learn how to do, maybe not make an outfit from scratch but how to sew on a button. And cook.… Continue reading Finances 101 and a Foamy Fountain
Barbies or a Boyfriend?
(re-run) Facebook has done it again. When I think I have no ideas for a blog post, some Facebook exchange with a stranger will remind me of something in my past to write about. The post was a Ukranian girl sitting in a window, holding a weapon. The caption said, “While American tweens are playing… Continue reading Barbies or a Boyfriend?
Dog Advice Regarding Kids
A friend with no children posted on Facebook yesterday that a child should never be allowed to do the following things, shown in photos. One was of a toddler sitting on the back of a big dog that was resting on the ground. Ok, I admit it. My youngest sat on my old dog, Tess,… Continue reading Dog Advice Regarding Kids
FIRST DATE, WORST DATE EVER! 