When I was just out of college and teaching in a small town in Nebraska, I rented a refurbished farmhouse from the superintendent. His dad was Doc. Doc’s wife was Lillian. They became my surrogate Nebraska grandparents. Doc used to be a dentist, and one day he presented me with a mood ring. Remember those?… Continue reading Doc and Lillian
Category: Spanish
My Fake-Coffee Half Hour
It’s funny how a person’s perception of what is good changes with the circumstances. I used to look forward to my can of Diet Coke every day until I reached my mid-forties. Then the stuff was too hard on my stomach, and I gave it up. I used to look forward to my cup of… Continue reading My Fake-Coffee Half Hour
Date with an Older Man
(re-run) I said yes. To a date. With a much older man. My girlfriend met him and didn’t approve. But she also said she wouldn’t dance with any guy she wouldn’t want to kiss. I dance with everyone – men, women, kids – many of whom I would never put my lips on. Does dancing… Continue reading Date with an Older Man
My Fake-Coffee Half Hour
It’s funny how a person’s perception of what is good changes with the circumstances. I used to look forward to my can of Diet Coke every day until I reached my mid-forties. Then the stuff was too hard on my stomach, and I gave it up. I used to look forward to my cup of… Continue reading My Fake-Coffee Half Hour
A Disco Era Story
The band room was a freezer. “Vamos a sentarnos en el pasillo, clase.” “What?” “We’ll sit in the hallway today.” It was zero degrees outside. The school district wanted a Spanish class but had no classroom for me. I’d complained a zillion times – when the band teacher held private tuba lessons in his office,… Continue reading A Disco Era Story
A Night in Napa
Three friends from the chorus got their first big gig as the opening act for Napa City Nights by the river front. There were a couple other things competing for my attention that night, but I arranged to meet my friend from Sonoma to hear my chorus friends sing as a trio called Jubilee Road.… Continue reading A Night in Napa
Four Blobs of Beige
(re-run) The lunch plate has a light beige blob, a medium beige blob, and a dark beige blob. One blob turns out to be pureed bagel. It is Sister’s rehab in a Jewish community home. The signs are in both English and Hebrew. The synagogue has gorgeous stained glass windows. The doors are all automatic.… Continue reading Four Blobs of Beige
I Said Yes
I said yes. To a date. With a much older man. My girlfriend met him and didn’t approve. But she also said she wouldn’t dance with any guy she wouldn’t want to kiss. I dance with everyone – men, women, kids – many of whom I would never put my lips on. Does dancing have… Continue reading I Said Yes
Four Blobs of Beige
The lunch plate has a light beige blob, a medium beige blob, and a dark beige blob. One blob turns out to be pureed bagel. It is Sister’s rehab in a Jewish community home. The signs are in both English and Hebrew. The synagogue has gorgeous stained glass windows. The doors are all automatic. The… Continue reading Four Blobs of Beige
One Flood, Two Fishermen
Kristy and I met at Iowa State University. We had been around the world together, at least to Venezuela where we did our student teaching, plus Ecuador, Peru and Colombia. Then we were roommates in the middle of nowhere, Nebraska. As the story goes, I applied for the third grade teaching job, the principal interviewed… Continue reading One Flood, Two Fishermen
FIRST DATE, WORST DATE EVER! 