neighbors – Page 13 – FIRST DATE, WORST DATE EVER!

Worst Dog Sitting Ever

May 13, 2018May 14, 2018 Posted in California, cats, dogs, humor, memoir, moving, neighbors, worst10 Comments

When I was a newlywed, living in San Diego, my next door neighbor, Doreen, befriended me. She noticed I was home alone a lot, since my teaching job ended at 3:00, and my new husband didn’t come home from work until 7:00 or so. Doreen invited me over for food and chit chat. Once, she… Continue reading Worst Dog Sitting Ever

Afternoon Delight

April 16, 2018 Posted in biking, children, crush, flirting, humor, junior high school, lust, middle school, neighbors, newspaper boy, paper boy, relationshipsLeave a comment

If you were in eighth grade and you had a weekly afternoon paper route delivering the Detroit News in Saginaw, Michigan, and you rode your red Schwinn with the basket to do your route and then rode it again on collection day, what would your fantasy be? If you were Chet, it would be Mrs.… Continue reading Afternoon Delight

Mornings Are Best

April 1, 2018March 31, 2018 Posted in California, caregiver, dancing, friends, gardening, humor, memoir, nature, neighbors, relationships1 Comment

It’s the end of the month. I need to pay the bills. But not right now. I am sitting at the kitchen table with my cup of tea and two dogs under my feet. The house is quiet. Only the sound of the refrigerator is in my ear. Since it’s the weekend, the freeway noise… Continue reading Mornings Are Best

This Little Piggy

February 21, 2018February 22, 2018 Posted in car salesman, college, dating, high school, humor, last, memoir, Midwestern, Nebraska, neighbors, pick-up lines, relationships, restaurant, teaching, worstLeave a comment

After college, I lived in a town with 2000 people and a bunch of pigs — real ones, the kind that grunt and poop and lift the gate latch with their noses. I saw something run past the window of my rented farmhouse. At first I thought it was a deer until I put on… Continue reading This Little Piggy

A Good Dog Neighbor

February 12, 2018February 12, 2018 Posted in animal rescue, California, caregiver, dog training, helpful strangers, humor, memoir, neighbors, relationships, sonLeave a comment

Yesterday my son and I had lunch together at the local sandwich shop. He brought his little dog, half Chihuahua, half terrier. I fed Violet scraps of lettuce under the table while we ate. She thinks she’s a vegetarian. Afterward, we followed the usual routine and came back to my house, where Violet could run… Continue reading A Good Dog Neighbor

The Tree Whisperer

February 7, 2018February 7, 2018 Posted in California, care giver, clueless, helpful strangers, humor, memoir, neighbors, relationships, treesLeave a comment

I walk my neighborhood once or twice most days. Since I am a tree hugger and have planted more than sixty trees at my various houses over the years, I will free a distressed tree when I see one. I carry scissors in my back pocket, the little ones used in kindergarten. That way, if… Continue reading The Tree Whisperer

Crazy Daisy

February 4, 2018February 4, 2018 Posted in animal adoption, animal rescue, California, caregiver, dog training, dogs, humor, memoir, neighbors, relationshipsLeave a comment

Now in my second month with the crazy rescue dog (she has lots of issues), I realized that my other dog acts worse when on a walk with the rescue girl. It didn’t dawn on me until one day my right hand wouldn’t grip anything. I had sprained it while walking the two dogs together.… Continue reading Crazy Daisy

Will You Marry Me?

November 25, 2017November 25, 2017 Posted in Black Friday, California, care giver, caregiver, hiking, holidays, humor, marriage proposal, neighbors, relationshipsLeave a comment

Holidays can be depressing. When you first wake up and think, Today is Black Friday, but I don’t have anything planned, and I can’t go anywhere, it’s a downer. When you’re a care giver, everything revolves around that. You can’t run to exercise class today, because it’s been cancelled. You can’t go hiking today, even… Continue reading Will You Marry Me?

Worst Dog-sitting Ever

November 17, 2017November 17, 2017 Posted in California, cats, dogs, marriage, memoir, neighbors, pet death, Pollotarian, relationships, worstsLeave a comment

Worst Neighbors Ever

November 3, 2017November 3, 2017 Posted in abuse, alcohol abuse, dogs, Nebraska, neighbors, relationshipsLeave a comment

When I was twenty-eight I bought my first house, in Omaha, on 50th Avenue, south of Leavenworth. It was a cute little two bedroom, one bath with a full basement and big fenced-in backyard. Since I wanted to get a dog, it seemed perfect. I had a budget, and this house was in my price… Continue reading Worst Neighbors Ever