neighbors – Page 3 – FIRST DATE, WORST DATE EVER!

Neighborhood Pack Rat

February 28, 2025February 27, 2025 Posted in Amazon, antique store, Coronavirus, Costco, Covid 19, Depression, elastic, fabric, face masks, garage, grandma, memoir, neighborhood, neighbors, pack rat, recycle, scavenger, sewing, sewing room, shelter in place, social distancing, thrift storeLeave a comment

(re-run) You know our kind. We save everything, just in case. I might need that someday. I’m going to wear that size again. That thing on the side of the road still has use left in it, and it’s free. That has a good memory for me. Who keeps stuff that evokes bad memories? No… Continue reading Neighborhood Pack Rat

The Turquoise Trailer and the Homeless Couple

February 7, 2025February 4, 2025 Posted in camper trailer, camping, dogs, easement, flower bed, homeless, January, land survey, lawyer, Monterey Bay, neighbors, property line, railroad, shared driveway, storms, USPS, winterLeave a comment

(re-run) My little beach house sits on land bought back in 1929 from the railroad company. The old deed shows the purchase price of $25.00. For some reason, the original owner didn’t want to buy the land up to the railroad tracks. Now, 95 years later, the land between my back fence and the old… Continue reading The Turquoise Trailer and the Homeless Couple

Take It Away, With My Blessing

February 5, 2025February 5, 2025 Posted in Africa, beach, Dress A Girl, dresses, Eiffel Tower, fabric, French, hoarder, memoir, neighbors, non-profit, Philippines, seamstresses, serendipity, tea cups, thriftingLeave a comment

My neighbor at the beach is a hoarder, but people who live in glass houses . . . We had a talk one day about it on our shared driveway. She was an only child, and her single mom would move around a lot, throwing away her daughter’s toys every time. She lost all her… Continue reading Take It Away, With My Blessing

Dating the Neighbor

January 24, 2025January 21, 2025 Posted in California, cars, children, control freak, divorce, dogs, neighbors, relationships, worstLeave a comment

(re-run) Julie got divorced and moved into her new townhouse with her six-year-old son. One day, when she was out walking her dog, a guy mowing his lawn turned off the mower and said hello. They chatted about her dog, and Julie mentioned that she had just moved in. Doug rode his bike a lot… Continue reading Dating the Neighbor

What to Do instead of Going Online

January 11, 2025January 11, 2025 Posted in animal rescue, architecture, beach, books, cookies, dogs, ghosts, going online, ice cream, internet, memoir, neighbors, painting, thrift store, VictorianLeave a comment

(re-run) It’s amazing once a person takes the internet out of the daily equation, just how much she can get done. And how she doesn’t miss it all that much. And how she has time to write about not missing it. As technology goes, I could take it or leave it. I still shop at… Continue reading What to Do instead of Going Online

Highway Dog

January 9, 2025January 8, 2025 Posted in animal rescue, back ache, Carmel, dogs, highway, interstate, Iowa, memoir, Min Pin, neighbors, Orange County, sale, shopping, thrift storeLeave a comment

(re-run) I’m in my little beach town, up the road a bit from Carmel. At the end of each month, the block of thrift stores in the Barnyard Shopping Center near Carmel Valley put their merchandise at 50% off for a day or two. Yellow Brick Road was on its second day of sale yesterday,… Continue reading Highway Dog

New Guy in Town

December 28, 2024December 28, 2024 Posted in beach, Brad Pitt, Carmel, celebrities, famous people, Hollywood, JK Rowling, memoir, movie, neighbors, Pebble Beach, Sully, thrift storesLeave a comment

(re-run from 2022) I fell in love when he played the cowboy thief in Thelma and Louise. He’s still a heart throb, only eight years younger than I am. And now he’s bought a mansion in a town down the road from my little beach house. I read it in Carmel magazine this week. His… Continue reading New Guy in Town

Things That Go Flash in the Night

November 21, 2024November 20, 2024 Posted in 911, burglaries, car, dogs, flashlight, memoir, neighbors, yard workLeave a comment

I was so tired from all the yardwork that I didn’t sleep well. I had tried to heat up the cold beach house, first by opening the windows and letting in the warmer air, and then in the evening, by turning on the heat. The thermostat wasn’t working and indicated I needed to replace the… Continue reading Things That Go Flash in the Night

Runaway Daisy

November 12, 2024November 11, 2024 Posted in animal rescue, dogs, Eagle Scout Award, girlfriends, memoir, neighbors, walking1 Comment

(re-run) My girlfriend has been coming over to walk a couple times each week. Since I have two dogs (and she’s not a dog person), I alternate which dog walks on each day. Tuesday it was Daisy’s turn to walk. I got her harness on her and was ready to go before Tess pulled up. … Continue reading Runaway Daisy

The First Day of Summer

July 10, 2024July 9, 2024 Posted in dogs, high school, kitchen remodel, lawn chair, live music, middle school, Millennials, neighbors, police officer, relationships, shorts, swimming pool, ticket, traffic school2 Comments

(a pre-multiple-skin cancers post) Okay, it’s not really the first day of summer, but school got out yesterday, and the kids in my neighborhood are running around in their new-found freedom. I walked the big dog and saw the parking lot to the pool, at the top of the green belt, filled with cars. It… Continue reading The First Day of Summer