(re-run) Eight Christmases in this house and only two trees. Both were living, and they got planted in my yard. Guess what? My yard is full. That’s what happens when you get rid of your grass, fire your gardener, and watch volunteer trees grow on their own, self-planting trees with a little help from the… Continue reading No Christmas Tree for Me
Cut Loose on a Saturday Afternoon
(re-run) “I like the way you dance,” he said to me last Saturday afternoon. Margo and I had gone to Vino Godfather, a cool little winery in an old Victorian house on Mare Island in Vallejo. The island used to be a naval base, judging from the abandoned barracks on the way to the winery.… Continue reading Cut Loose on a Saturday Afternoon
The Two Perks of Social Media
(re-run) I remember my birthdays during my childhood. School was already out, kids were on trips (the lake, the cabins in the woods, the Ozarks — not Hawaii, Paris, or Greece). My birthdays were lonely except for my siblings and one or two close friends. The Iowa weather could also be a bit iffy in… Continue reading The Two Perks of Social Media
A Good Little Shopper
If you think this post is going to be about how I scour the racks at Nordstrom’s for the best deals of the season, it’s not. If you think it’s about how I maximize double coupons at the grocery store, I don’t. What it is about is how I can find the deals for myself… Continue reading A Good Little Shopper
Piglet in a Box
(re-run) Carin was working, cutting her stepsister’s hair at the salon her mom owned. Her cell phone vibrated. She never took calls during work. All of her friends and family knew that. It vibrated again, a second call from the same number. She picked up. It was her ex boyfriend, Rob. Rob was two ex-boyfriends… Continue reading Piglet in a Box
A Tricky Post
This is a guilt-ridden post. It is not humorous. It’s about not remembering that the mother of one of my children’s friends had told me three years ago that she had breast cancer. It’s about how I forgot to follow up on this person, even though she lives in my neighborhood. My sister came to… Continue reading A Tricky Post
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
Porch Pirates, Poinsettias and Peaches
(re-run) The joke going around social media is that if you want to get rid of your junk, put it in an Amazon box and leave it on your porch. It’s not that funny around my neighborhood. Porch pirates are everywhere this time of year. Neighbors are sure to tell each other when they will… Continue reading Porch Pirates, Poinsettias and Peaches
Porch Pirates, Poinsettias and Peaches
(re-run) The joke going around social media is that if you want to get rid of your junk, put it in an Amazon box and leave it on your porch. It’s not that funny around my neighborhood. Porch pirates are everywhere this time of year. Neighbors are sure to tell each other when they will… Continue reading Porch Pirates, Poinsettias and Peaches
Memories Locked into the Brain
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 the… Continue reading Memories Locked into the Brain
FIRST DATE, WORST DATE EVER! 