A Lasting Love

(re-run) Maurice was a sophomore at Riordan Catholic High School for Boys in San Francisco. He played tenor sax in the marching band. His buddy, Dave, was dating a girl named Sheila from Mercy Catholic High School for girls, and he suggested that Maurice date her older sister, Colleen. The foursome went to the football… Continue reading A Lasting Love

Old People Perks at Costco

(re-run) I went to Costco this morning, my monthly grocery run. I got there at 8:30, and the doors were already open. The sign said Seniors over 60- only. I got my cart and headed inside. “Are you 60?” the dude at the door asked. “65!” I said, a new bounce in my step. I’d… Continue reading Old People Perks at Costco

My Home-town Report

Last night at chorus rehearsal, I had to say something about my hometown, since I missed the retreat due to COVID.  He called on me last, so I had some time to figure out what I was going to say. What I said was, “I’m from Urbandale, Iowa, a suburb of Des Moines.” Soprano Rebecca… Continue reading My Home-town Report

The Gift of Music

(re-run from 2022) Yesterday I went to a local library to hear two members of a Beatles cover band do one hour of lovely harmonies while they sang song after song. All the old people in the audience sang along. There were chairs for us, and the young people with small children, who didn’t think… Continue reading The Gift of Music

The Friend Date

(re-run) He said he had a girlfriend but that she didn’t like to dance. Here he was, out dancing again. He loved to talk up a good game with the ladies, but would he ever act on it? He’d been with the same woman for over twenty years. He had insisted that I take his… Continue reading The Friend Date

Where’s the Beef?

(re-run) My sister fell out of her recliner at her nursing home (board and care home, actually) and landed on her face and glasses. The glasses were badly bent, so I needed to go to Costco on the DAY BEFORE THANKSGIVING to see if they would bend them back into shape with their magical optical… Continue reading Where’s the Beef?

Best Ed Sullivan Show Ever

(re-run) Carol grew up in in Pueblo, Colorado, which was called the little Pittsburg of the West. Her dad was a steelworker. Her mom was a lab tech phlebotomist at the hospital. Whenever one of the kids got sick, her mom would bring home a hypodermic needle in her purse to draw some blood. “To… Continue reading Best Ed Sullivan Show Ever

Best Album Ever, Rubber Soul

Twice a month I drive two hours to my beach town to do house maintenance, see the waves, and take a break from the day-in, day-out of retirement. Half the fun is the drive, the music, the scenery along 101, surrounded by fields and hills, trees and sky.  My old car still has a CD… Continue reading Best Album Ever, Rubber Soul

Dancing as Stress Therapy

(re-run from 2020) Someone in an introvert group on Facebook said he didn’t dance because it looks so dumb. Yes, it can look dumb, especially if you’re not doing it, just watching. I’m an old school dancer – shake what the good Lord gave you.  I’ve been rocking out to music for half a century.… Continue reading Dancing as Stress Therapy