He Wouldn’t Take Non for an Answer

(re-run) Harry was an American soldier. He had survived D-Day. The war had just ended in Europe. He helped free the town of Reims, France, where she lived. She was so beautiful that when he met her on the street, he asked to/walked her/followed her home. She thanked him but wasn’t interested. “What is your… Continue reading He Wouldn’t Take Non for an Answer

Brain Fog, Dementia, or Something Else?

(re-run) I lay on the physical therapist’s table, running names of L countries from the cubby hole in my brain that held them. Laos, Lichtenstein, Latvia . . . Why couldn’t I think of the name of the country where my youngest had sneaked off to see, the summer after her four months in Jordan?… Continue reading Brain Fog, Dementia, or Something Else?

Rocky Mountain Low

(re-run) He was the good-looking cousin of my college best friend — tall, tan, and bearded. Throw in a killer smile, and he added up to gorgeous.  For me, it was love at first sight. Marcus had moved from Minnesota to Colorado to be near his sister. He asked if I wanted to come out… Continue reading Rocky Mountain Low

Santa Cruz Friday

(re-run) When a dancing friend asked me to meet him in Santa Cruz yesterday, I thought it would be a great day to break up this monotonous pandemic life. We agreed to meet at 2:00. I drove through intermittent fog and sunshine all the way to Moss Landing. I had promised myself a ceramic pot… Continue reading Santa Cruz Friday

More Machu Picchu

(part two) Christy and I finished our breakfast at the hotel up at the top and looked into the fog. The buses wouldn’t start arriving until noon. “Let’s hike up the big mountain,” she said. “Okay,” I said. My lost and found tennis shoes were too small, but I had cut out the toes so… Continue reading More Machu Picchu

Machu Picchu Before It Was a Thing

(re-run) It was 1977. I was finishing up ten weeks of student teaching in an American oil school in Caracas, Venezuela. My roommate, Christy, wanted to travel for two weeks before we went home to the states. She wanted to visit Machu Picchu in Peru. I’d never heard of it. “It’s the lost city of… Continue reading Machu Picchu Before It Was a Thing

The Spiritual Post

A friend lost his younger sister to cancer last week. I lost my older sister in December to a myriad of health issues.  Grieving is a process. It doesn’t end all at once. It comes and goes. At least I’m not crying anymore. When a hummingbird gets in my face or flies close to me… Continue reading The Spiritual Post

The Power of Vacation

(re-run, pre-pandemic) The week after Christmas is dead time for scheduled activities. Chorus rehearsals are cancelled. The city building where I exercise three times a week is closed.  There’s a lot of extra time during the day. So . . . . . . for the first time in two and a half years, I… Continue reading The Power of Vacation