Getting Away from all the No, No, No’s

(re-run) My mom, bless her heart, had to keep five children in line, mostly by herself.  She did this by keeping everyone in his or her place, as in, “No, you can’t do that!” I just found out that my younger sister also wanted to play clarinet in the band, like I did. But I… Continue reading Getting Away from all the No, No, No’s

Snowshoeing with the Girls

The last time I was in Tahoe in the winter, Valentina and Margo and I went snowshoeing. The guys went skiing, but we girls weren’t up for that. Maybe it was the house party the night before, or maybe it was a fear of snowboarders taking us out as we meandered down the slopes. Full… Continue reading Snowshoeing with the Girls

The Scars of our Lives

(re-run) When you get to be my age, you are bound to have a few scars. I haven’t had any big surgeries, but I do have scars from burns, bumps, and scrapes along the way.  Right now it’s my thumb that is most noticeable. I broke it by pulling down a three-piece sectional garage door… Continue reading The Scars of our Lives

Spring Cleaning in February

(re-run) It started with a koala bear.  A bunch of them.  Some musicians were having a fundraiser for Australia, the fires, and the koalas.  It was a donation at the door.  Two and a half hours of music, and I knew three of the performers. We got there early and sat in the third row.… Continue reading Spring Cleaning in February

Three Strikes, You’re Out

(re-run) He didn’t seem her type — he was a few pounds overweight, but not bad looking and wearing a nice suit in his online photo. He was an architect. He pursued her with photo-likes over a few weeks and text messages, too. Kate agreed to a phone chat. At least he seems intelligent. He… Continue reading Three Strikes, You’re Out

The Rescue Dog Loves a Zoom Meeting

(re-run) My crazy, neurotic, stressed-out rescue girl, Daisy, who has been a Nervous Nellie (sorry, Grandma) for the last two and half years and probably a few years before that, loves it when I Zoom. I Zoom with the chorus. I Zoom with the ski club. I Zoom with girlfriends. Whenever Daisy hears me talking… Continue reading The Rescue Dog Loves a Zoom Meeting

Memories Locked into the Brain

(re-run) They say smells trigger memories, and I am sure they do. But so do holidays, and things like pumpkin pies. Homemade pumpkin pies are brown with black dots of spices on the top, not bright orange like the ones from Costco. When my younger sister cut into her brown homemade pie, I thought of… Continue reading Memories Locked into the Brain

Sally’s Downward Dog Disaster

The first Women’s March was the next day. Sally went to her friend, Lisa’s, to make a poster for the march. Several women showed up, ready to drink some wine and to think of clever sayings for their signs. Sally already had her slogan:  No Uterus – No Opinion. Lisa’s cute little rescue dog, Yogi,… Continue reading Sally’s Downward Dog Disaster

Democrat- Yes, Socialist – No

Today it hit me that I am not a socialist because of three things from my past. They popped into my head today in a random fashion, yet somehow calling to me to do something with the idea. I am a hard worker. As a teen, I babysat until I had saved up enough money… Continue reading Democrat- Yes, Socialist – No

Getting Carded – Those Were the Days

(re-run) Thinking back to the days when we had to show our I.D. to get into a club to dance and drink, I, for a moment this morning, while in the early-bird old people line at Costco, was ready to whip out my driver’s license and prove that I am over 60. When I got… Continue reading Getting Carded – Those Were the Days