(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
He Ain’t Heavy, He’s my Match Date
(re-run) Ingrid had been on the online website for a little over a month. She had tried meeting a few guys but only if they were willing to email back and forth and actually pick up a phone and call. Fred had flirted and called, and now it was time for them to meet. He… Continue reading He Ain’t Heavy, He’s my Match Date
Participation Trophy
My millennial children like to make fun of themselves for all the participation trophies they earned in childhood, for soccer, basketball, softball, baseball. Two of them recently ditched the trophies. One of them kept hers. “Why did you guys give us trophies for everything?” Child # 3 asked. “The pendulum swung the other way from… Continue reading Participation Trophy
Bricks, Ricks, & Cardboard
The college mixer was hosted by the men in Lorch House in Friley Hall, in the heart of the Iowa State campus. Tappan House, the top two floors of my dorm, Barton Hall, was invited. Yes, I am old. Yes, dorm floors are co-ed now. This was in the days of the dinosaurs. The usual… Continue reading Bricks, Ricks, & Cardboard
The Case of the Missing Creepy Portrait
When I had an antique store and people were constantly bringing me stuff to buy, I acquired some large portraits from the 1800s, the kind where the eyes follow you around the room. I hung three of my favorites in the upstairs back hallway of the big marriage house, only to find out years later… Continue reading The Case of the Missing Creepy Portrait
The Double Dump
(re-run) They’d met on Match. His name was Ready for Adventure. Larry chose a classy woman who turned out to be several weeks older than he was. “How does it feel to be a cougar?” he teased her. Julie liked nice things. She liked to dress up. She liked to stay home and cook. Larry… Continue reading The Double Dump
A Double Double
(re-run) They met online. Veronica liked his blue eyes, just like her late husband’s. He liked her lean frame and told her so. She enjoyed the morning email exchanges for a couple of weeks. He harassed her for eating at Chick-fil-A since the business had just come out as anti-gay. She was a Southern girl… Continue reading A Double Double
The Tennis Shoe and the Broken Window
It was senior year in high school. I was on my last semester of PE, my least favorite class. I maintained a straight-A average in all other classes. Not PE. It alternated between a B and a C. I was feeling good. We were in our next-to last unit, the physical fitness award. I already… Continue reading The Tennis Shoe and the Broken Window
A Corny Tale
(re-run) It all started with a post on Facebook, showing how your average American doesn’t know how to shuck corn. If you were from Iowa in the 60’s, then you know how. We weren’t well off. As a matter of fact, people would give us bags of food, like homegrown apples, tomatoes, or corn. Our… Continue reading A Corny Tale
Ungrateful Daisy Dog
(re-run) I was sick today, and my plans to walk the dogs with my girlfriend were dashed. To my surprise, she offered to walk them for me. “You can’t walk them together,” I said. “It’s too hard.” “That’s okay. I’ll come walk each of them separately.” “Okay . .. ?” I had the pinch collar… Continue reading Ungrateful Daisy Dog
FIRST DATE, WORST DATE EVER! 