(re-run from 2019) I see value in things that others don’t see. It can be blessing and also a problem. That paper bag? Take it to my favorite thrift store. The plastic bag the newspaper comes in? A poop bag on a dog walk. A cracked dinner plate? A water-catch for a ceramic pot. So… Continue reading A Scavenger’s Life
Category: travel
Don’t Stand Up!
(re-run) It was a long train ride from Lima to Cuzco, or maybe it was from Cuzco to Machu Picchu. At any rate, I was on a train with a bunch of Peruvians and my roommate, Kristy. Trains give me motion sickness, as do boats, cars, planes, swings, and carnival rides. It’s a miracle that… Continue reading Don’t Stand Up!
Old Mom on Vacation
(re-run) When I had my kids at the late ages of 31, 34 and six weeks before turning 39, I didn’t think about the consequences 29 years later, when my baby would be graduating from grad school, with siblings 33 and 36. Here we are, and it is damn near impossible to keep up with… Continue reading Old Mom on Vacation
Love of her Life
(re-run) Connie was only fourteen when she went to her first dinner dance at the country club. Brad was two years older, already driving, and as handsome as could be. Connie had been smitten since the day they met at school. She had been at her locker. He had come by and said hello. She’d… Continue reading Love of her Life
Flat Feet
(re-run) I turned on my laptop the other day, and the ever-changing screen showed a photo of waterfalls, big wide ones somewhere in Brazil. I’ve never been to Brazil, but I have been to Venezuela, where there are seven wide falls and a resort below them called Canaima. I was student-teaching with another Iowa Stater.… Continue reading Flat Feet
Don’t Get a Sun Burn
(re-run) You think you know someone. You’ve sat across from your brother-in-law at countless holiday meals. You raised your kids together, although far enough away that you only saw them four or five times a year. You know George loves Monterey, but you didn’t know the whole story. You knew he’d been in the military,… Continue reading Don’t Get a Sun Burn
Love of her Life
(re-run) Connie was only fourteen when she went to her first dinner dance at the country club. Brad was two years older, already driving, and as handsome as could be. Connie had been smitten since the day they met at school. She had been at her locker. He had come by and said hello. She’d… Continue reading Love of her Life
The Pilot and the Petite Percussionist
(re-run) He played the trumpet in community college. She played percussion. He was a sophomore; she was a freshman. He was short, she was shorter. He saw her get out of the car every day, with her boyfriend? No, it was just her brother, Jack. George was a pilot. She liked pilots. “Do you want… Continue reading The Pilot and the Petite Percussionist
Getting a New Perspective While Getting There
I am retired, two years away from the big 7-0, flying for the second time in two months, a record for me. Traveler’s Tip: Don’t fly in the summer if you can help it. EVERYONE is flying, and the weather across the U.S. can be bad and will delay your flight. My daughter drove me… Continue reading Getting a New Perspective While Getting There
Taking a Trip
Wash the sheets! Pick up those pieces of construction debris! Hide a key! Do laundry! Eat! Pack some checks. Hide the jewels! Show the neighbor girl where the tomato plants are to water. Pack gifts for grandson and graduate. Pills, food, hats, don’t forget the hats. Ceremony is outside. Mouthguard. Pillow – oops, doesn’t fit.… Continue reading Taking a Trip
FIRST DATE, WORST DATE EVER! 