Category: summer

Chinese Fire Drills and Other Politically Incorrect Things from my Past

Posted in best, ethnicity, family, friends, gender roles, girlfriends, high school, hitch hiking, humor, husband, Iowa, joke, memoir, Midwestern, political correctness, relationships, summer, trouble1 Comment

(re-run) Back in high school in a suburb of Des Moines, Iowa, we did whatever we could to stir up some fun and sometimes some trouble. It was a simple existence: go to school, do homework, think about and look for boys. With no cell phones or social media to organize anything, kids spent a… Continue reading Chinese Fire Drills and Other Politically Incorrect Things from my Past

Just Another Wednesday

Posted in #MeToo, cats, fox, hiking, karaoke, Mexico, nature, rape, roommate, sexual assault, summer, worst1 Comment

(re-run) Twice a month the senior hiking group takes a hike at a local spot – today it was Borges Ranch in Walnut Creek. The senior group is called DASH, but we don’t dash at all. We stroll, stop, stroll some more. It takes four hours to go five miles, by the time everyone has… Continue reading Just Another Wednesday

My First Taste of California

Posted in Big Sur, California, church, church ladies, college, dogs, door-to-door salesperson, dorm room, friends, hot pants, Iowa, Iowa State University, Newark, perverts, pyramid scheme, Southwestern Company, summer, summer job, YosemiteLeave a comment

When I was in college, the spring of my sophomore year, I saw a poster for a summer job – “Earn $3000 in just three months.” Back in 1975, that was a lot of money. I went to the evening meeting on campus and found myself in a room with a dozen other “applicants.” After… Continue reading My First Taste of California

Rescue Dog Month # 7

Posted in animal adoption, animal rescue, ARF, best, California, dog training, humor, memoir, relationships, summerLeave a comment

(re-run from 2018) Daisy’s purple collar is missing. She had it on when she got up, but an hour later it is gone, along with her license and I.D. tag with my phone number on it. Where could it be? And how did it come off? I’ve walked the entire back yard and haven’t found… Continue reading Rescue Dog Month # 7

Just Me and the Pups

Posted in 2020, 2021, children, chorus, COVID, dancing, dogs, Facebook, fireworks, grandma, Halloween, January 6th, Jeopardy, memoir, New Year's Eve, party, Paul McCartney, summer, vaccineLeave a comment

(re-run) It’s New Year’s Eve and my adult children just left for a party. My eldest and her hubby flew home this morning. The house is empty except for me and three dogs. They’re calm now, but at midnight, when the fireworks go off, Daisy will dive under the bed. As I scroll on Facebook,… Continue reading Just Me and the Pups

Hitchhiking Story

Posted in book sale, books, car, college, door-to-door salesperson, hitch hiking, memoir, Ohio, Southwestern Company, summerLeave a comment

(re-run) When I was 20, I sold books door to door that summer in Ohio for Southwestern Company.  The regional boss told me at our Sunday meeting to spend a day working with one of his ace sellers. The problem was, I didn’t have a car to get to the town where he worked. The… Continue reading Hitchhiking Story

Morning During a Heat Wave

Posted in AC, bird bath, bra, California, dogs, drought-tolerant plants, fountain, garden hose, heat wave, memoir, strawberries, summerLeave a comment

(re-run) The temps will soar to 105 degrees in my town today. Yesterday was 102. Tomorrow will be 100.  I woke up in an air-conditioned house at 6:30 a.m.  No open windows. I opened one to see what was what. Cool air streamed inside. The thermostat was set at 72, and AC wasn’t running, so… Continue reading Morning During a Heat Wave

My Past Life as a Cat Burglar

Posted in best, books, California, children's books, co-workers, door to door salesperson, firsts, humor, job, memoir, Midwestern, outdoors, police officer, Southwestern Company, summer, worst2 Comments

(re-run) I was fifteen hundred miles away from home. It was the summer of 1975. I had my sample case with me from Southwestern Books. I’d worn my hot pants to stay cool. I had already rung three dozen doorbells. Selling books door to door wasn’t always a cake walk. It was lunchtime. I had… Continue reading My Past Life as a Cat Burglar

Pontoon Boat Disaster

Posted in boat, childhood, Clear Lake, coffee, Iowa, lightning, memoir, OCD, pontoon boat, rental cottages, stomach, stomach issues, storms, summer, swimmingLeave a comment

(re-run) My parents didn’t swim. When we went on vacation at Clear Lake, Iowa, and Dad wanted to take us out in a rented pontoon boat, my mom objected.  Dad won in the end, and the five kids put on our life jackets. I think my mom did, too. I am sure my dad didn’t… Continue reading Pontoon Boat Disaster