Mother-in-law and the Birth Control Device

Posted in birthday, brunch, closets, Council Bluffs, diaphragm, memoir, mother-in-law, Omaha, sperm, teacher, the pillLeave a comment

Years ago, visiting my mother-in-law in Omaha with my husband and two (or three) kids, I faced a dilemma. What to do with my diaphragm as it air-dried after I washed it?  There was no discreet place to put it, since we all shared the same bathroom. Instead, I elected to put it up in… Continue reading Mother-in-law and the Birth Control Device

Waitresses Make the Best Tippers

Posted in alcohol abuse, boss, dating, firsts, humor, marriage, memoir, Nebraska, relationshipsLeave a comment

(re-run) After moving to Omaha and teaching for a couple of years across the Missouri River in Council Bluffs, Iowa, I grew tired of driving a car that smelled like a mildewed basement. My poor Chevy Monza had suffered through a Nebraska flood back at the farmhouse, and the car stank. I couldn’t afford a… Continue reading Waitresses Make the Best Tippers

Abortion, High School Pregnancies and Memories

Posted in abortion, adopting, cheerleading, fooling around, girl crush, high school, memoir, memory, PE, pregnancy, pregnant, reputation, teen pregnancy, teensLeave a comment

(re-run) It amazes me how one memory leads to the next and so on and so forth. Our brains are a beehive of memories, each one stashed in its own little honey-comb hexagon that doesn’t break out until something triggers it. Today it was talk of abortion and how a friend told of hers at… Continue reading Abortion, High School Pregnancies and Memories

Blind Date in a Castle

Posted in alcohol abuse, dancing, dating, firsts, relationships, Sweden, travel, worstsLeave a comment

(re-run) Lynne was studying abroad at a university in Sweden. One of her friends convinced her plus another young woman to be blind dates. The friend’s boyfriend’s military school was hosting a fancy dinner and ball at a castle in Stockholm. The Swedish school was inviting guys from Denmark and Norway for the event, and… Continue reading Blind Date in a Castle

The Sprinkler Man and the Glass Coffee Table

Posted in accident, angel, children, coffee table, disaster, house, husband, Mama bear, memoir, repair man, sprinklersLeave a comment

(re-run) When my two oldest children were 5 and 2, we moved from one house in town to another. We didn’t gain any square footage, but the new house had a huge yard, front and back, and forty trees in a better neighborhood. The house had been vacant for months. The sprinklers weren’t working in… Continue reading The Sprinkler Man and the Glass Coffee Table

The Weakest Link – my Low Back

Posted in bully, Coronavirus, Covid 19, dogs, exercise, female issues, low back pain, massage, memoir, newspaper, pandemic, relationships, shoes, Sunday Chronicle, TinnitusLeave a comment

(re-run) The good thing about the current Coronavirus Covid-19 lockdown is that I have a hundred projects to finish.  Suddenly I have nothing but time to do it all. Everything was going along swimmingly yesterday. I exercised. I painted (spray-painted picture frames), I picked up dog poop. I did a heavy load of laundry.  I… Continue reading The Weakest Link – my Low Back

Two Tubs In, One Tub Out

Posted in beach, dogs, donations, garage, grandfather clock, low back pain, mail, memoir, moving, online sales, pandemic, pioneer outfits, teacherLeave a comment

I gave away 78 pioneer outfits to a 4th grade teacher today. I used to sell them online for school field trips, but that all came to a screeching halt with the pandemic. During the lockdown, I finished every dress and shirt in my sewing room, increasing my inventory load with nowhere to sell it.… Continue reading Two Tubs In, One Tub Out