(re-run) When my worker woman showed up Monday morning after having been gone for a two-week long vacation, I had a long list of to–do’s for her. I answered the door and found her nine year old daughter standing next to her. I said hello and went over the list with Kelly. I left to… Continue reading A Girl, A Creek, and an Hour to Spare
Category: mom
The Day Grandma Got Woke
My mom loves to watch Ellen. It’s usually fun and games, with hunky guys and Ellen playing tricks on her guests and staff. She rounds out the hour with lesbian jokes, a musical performance by some obscure band, and Ellen surprising some needy but giving person with $10,000 in cash. Then the death of George… Continue reading The Day Grandma Got Woke
Prairie Girl in the Woods
My mother grew up in Iowa and lived there for 88 years. Then she moved in with my younger sister and her hubby in the Santa Cruz mountains in California. It’s dark in the redwood forest, especially in the winter. Mom can’t see the sky, which is hard when you’ve looked at the sky every… Continue reading Prairie Girl in the Woods
Butt Dials and Other My-Bads
(re-run) I had lunch with my son yesterday. We were trying to figure out why I’d used up all my storage on my cell phone. He took a look, handed back my phone, and watched me put it in my pocket. “You need to hit the button on the side and turn off your screen,”… Continue reading Butt Dials and Other My-Bads
Queen Victoria, the Cat
(re-run) Renee, the artist, already had three cats. She wasn’t looking for another. So when her daughter-in-law called and said, “Mom, you need to adopt this cat,” Renee was thinking, No way, Renee. But then she heard the kitty’s story, and she had to reconsider. Renee’s son Brian and his wife were moving to Tennessee… Continue reading Queen Victoria, the Cat
The Bad-date Picnic
(re-run) Laurie had graduated college and had boomeranged back home to Seattle. She met a cute guy with horn-rimmed glasses. He invited her on a picnic at the beach. She said yes. “Have fun,” her mom said when Greg came to the house. Greg drove to a sandy spot with a view of the city.… Continue reading The Bad-date Picnic
Tattoos!
I look around and see athletes with tattoos, ex-military people with tattoos, mothers of small children with tattoos . . .
Memphis Sugar Mama
(re-run) After Robert’s family came to America, Robert went to college in Memphis. He met an older woman, Devon, in a liquor store. She had on a mink jacket and asked him out right there amongst the bottles of high-end scotches. She looked good for her age. She drove a Cadillac since her daddy had… Continue reading Memphis Sugar Mama
Almost Toast
(re-run) Marlene and her friend Beth came out to California from New Hampshire after college to work for Bank of America. They each made a new friend, and each new friend brought another friend to the party (plus one more) until they were a group of seven recent college graduates, living in the city of… Continue reading Almost Toast
Judging from the Trends
(re-run) I was asked to judge a picture book contest. I am a picture book author of 29 books and also a mom of past picture-book fans. Picture books are books with both words and art, usually 28 to 64 pages, and usually for young children. The gift book people have figured out how to… Continue reading Judging from the Trends
FIRST DATE, WORST DATE EVER! 