Living in Two Worlds

I have a house in suburbia, where I sing in a chorus, go dancing with friends, and shop at amazing thrift stores and then resell to the public through Facebook Marketplace. Then there’s my beach town, where life is slower, the ocean is one shade of blue, the sky another. Deer wander in front of… Continue reading Living in Two Worlds

The Sprinkler Man and the Glass Coffee Table

When my two oldest children were 5 and 2, we moved from one house in town to another. We didn’t gain any square footage, but the new house had a huge yard, front and back, and forty trees in a better neighborhood. The house had been vacant for months. The sprinklers weren’t working in the… Continue reading The Sprinkler Man and the Glass Coffee Table

Why Seniors Shouldn’t Multi Task

(re-run) I’ve been multi-tasking my whole life. Until today. No more. This is why. I spent the last two days working with my handy woman/gardener/housecleaner at my beach house. We cleaned and organized the garage, donated furniture and stuff with her truck and moved rocks around in the front yard.  She left this morning, and… Continue reading Why Seniors Shouldn’t Multi Task

Don’t Call Me Sweetheart

(re-run) Twenty years ago, I was a dealer in an antique collective with 35 dealers. I was 45; everyone else was 65. My prices were so low that the other dealers shopped my room, bought my stuff, marked it up and put it in their rooms. One Sunday, I was working my required 12-5 shift… Continue reading Don’t Call Me Sweetheart

Daisy Gets a Rap Sheet

(re-run) Jack Russell Terriers get a bad rap for being hyper, alpha, and prey driven. Sometimes the reputation is earned. The last two weeks have been anything but easy. Two friends and a neighbor died. I hosted a party, lost a crown, had a $1300 dentist bill, took one dog to the vet for chewing… Continue reading Daisy Gets a Rap Sheet

Biggest Scavenger Day Ever

A friend of mine in a garden club knows that I like pots and plants. She called to say that one member was moving and offering her many potted plants to the club.  Nancy drove over to the woman’s house with me on Tuesday. I filled up my car with lots of little pots and… Continue reading Biggest Scavenger Day Ever

The Power of Nature

(re-run) Sun, trees, dirt, flowers.  My nose is filled with the smell of Eucalyptus leaves. I used to hike twice a month with my senior hiking group called DASH. Then my sis moved in with me so that I could be her care giver. My hiking days stopped except for once last summer when I… Continue reading The Power of Nature

Creative People Make Messes

(re-run) If you’re an orderly person like Monk on the TV show of the same name, this column is not for you. You crave things in place, all the time. Otherwise, you get agitated. The other side of the coin is the person who is so busy creating that he/she doesn’t notice the mess. When… Continue reading Creative People Make Messes

The Best Ten Dollars Ever

(re-run) When I was a kid, I walked everywhere. I went to a Bluebird or Campfire Girls meeting a few blocks away from home, and one day, on the way back, I saw a pale green leaf fluttering on the street. I picked it up, un-wadded it and discovered it was money. A ten-dollar bill.… Continue reading The Best Ten Dollars Ever