Spinning a Spider Story

(re-run) My strength and toning instructor loves to tell us trivia while we work out. Last week she said spiders are the most active between 6 and 8 p.m. and that the female spiders go out looking for food at that time. The males follow. Isn’t that just like a male anyway, to wait until… Continue reading Spinning a Spider Story

The Sweet Spot

(re-run from 2018) It’s that time of year.   The nights are cooling down, the sun is setting earlier, everything is either starting back up or ending.  The outside music venues are closing up, and the Halloween costumes are showing up in the thrift stores. The kids have been back at school for almost a month. … Continue reading The Sweet Spot

Big Jack, Little Jack

Teaching high school didn’t open up many dating possibilities at work, unless you count the weird science teacher with the orange stick-up hair and the pocket protector, or the short English teacher who did impersonations as well as anyone on Saturday Night Live. One night, as I was complaining that I couldn’t find any good… Continue reading Big Jack, Little Jack

Mountain Lion

(re-run) It has happened again, this time in El Dorado County in the Sierra Foothills.  Two brothers went hunting for antler shed, and instead they tussled with a mountain lion (mama?). The younger brother (18) has traumatic facial cuts and the older brother died (21). It’s so sad for that family. Didn’t they know it’s… Continue reading Mountain Lion

The Frazzled, Harried Shopping Day with No Money

(re-run) Yesterday I was busy, squared.  I planned my whole day around running down to Dublin before 4:30 to get some free samples from my sister’s doctor. Sis is in the doughnut hole for meds with Medicare, which means they are expensive. On the way down to Pleasanton, I got a call from one of… Continue reading The Frazzled, Harried Shopping Day with No Money

A Scary Five Seconds

(re=run) I had followed the same routine dozens of times. Arriving in my beach town, the dogs got excited and wanted out of the car. There’d been an accident in San Jose, so we were running a half hour behind. Daisy (Jack Russell) started barking and pulling on her tether as soon as we got… Continue reading A Scary Five Seconds

Do the Hustle

(re-run) Guido met Marsha at a famous bar called Rex and Eric’s in Waikiki. He lived locally. She was on vacation. He’d put on his five gold chains, unbuttoned his billowy polyester shirt with the big collar to reveal just enough chest hair, stepped into a pair of black high-waisted pants that hugged his tight… Continue reading Do the Hustle

Typical Tuesday

(re-run) Today’s entire front page is about the two mass shootings over the past three days, one in Southern California, and the other one fifty miles from my house.  We can continue to believe that it won’t affect any of us, that mass shootings happen to other people.  It’s getting to the point where we… Continue reading Typical Tuesday

Determined to Dance

March or dance?  Dance or march?  A good R & B band was playing at a winery 45 minutes away, maybe for the last time before rainy season. Of course, marching would be fun, seeing all the signs and costumes, being part of history, and the weather was going to be fabulous, sunny skies and… Continue reading Determined to Dance

Horseback Riding on a First Date

(re-run) Juan met two women named Donna in one night while dancing in a bar. He had a matchbook with one of their phone numbers on it and another matchbook with the other’s name and number on it. He couldn’t remember which was which, so he picked a matchbook and called. “Hi, this is Juan.… Continue reading Horseback Riding on a First Date