Julie got divorced and moved into her new townhouse with her six-year-old son. One day, when she was out walking her dog, a guy mowing his lawn turned off the mower and said hello. They chatted about her dog, and Julie mentioned that she had just moved in. Doug rode his bike a lot while… Continue reading Why Not to Date your Neighbor
Secrets to a Successful Shop
It’s true — people shop online more and more each year. So how does a brick and mortar shop make it in today’s world? I was downtown in my town of 40,000 people (in a commuter corridor of the Bay Area) the other day, and parked on the main street in front of a little… Continue reading Secrets to a Successful Shop
The Pilot and the Petite Percussionist
He played the trumpet in community college. She played percussion. He was a sophomore; she was a freshman. He was short, she was shorter. He saw her get out of the car every day, with her boyfriend? No, it was just her brother, Jack. George was a pilot. She liked pilots. “Do you want to… Continue reading The Pilot and the Petite Percussionist
Need an App for That
Yesterday I went to the play Hamilton in San Francisco. I left my house at 9:45 a.m. and returned home at 7:15 p.m. That’s nine and a half hours that I was gone. I carpooled with a friend to BART, then joined up with two other women, and after a twenty minute BART delay we… Continue reading Need an App for That
What’s your Super Power?
We all have one. Some of us have common sense. Some of us can pack a bag like nobody’s business. Some of us have perfect pitch. I have one friend who says, “Give me a fridge filled with leftovers, and I can whip up a delicious meal.” There’s an eight year old girl in Benbow… Continue reading What’s your Super Power?
The Bad Ass Eight Year Old and her Sis
Two little girls got lost in the woods in Humboldt County on Friday. They followed a deer trail into the woods that afternoon and then couldn’t find their way home. 200 people spent Saturday looking for them with no luck. Finally, on Sunday morning two volunteer firefighters followed their rain-boot tracks and found them cold… Continue reading The Bad Ass Eight Year Old and her Sis
The Uses for a Ten Year Old
The nine year old in my life has joined the Tweener set. She is a double digit girl now, on her way to teenager-hood. She is doing division now in math, although those pesky times tables continue to bother her. 7 x 9 is her nemesis. So is 9 x 7, 63 divided by 9,… Continue reading The Uses for a Ten Year Old
A Scavenger’s Life
I see value in things that others don’t see. It can be blessing and also a problem. That paper bag? Take it to my favorite thrift store. The plastic bag the newspaper comes in? A poop bag on a dog walk. A cracked dinner plate? A water-catch for a ceramic pot. So when the local… Continue reading A Scavenger’s Life
Mom, a Mouse, and the Milk
The world is far different today than we were kids. How many generations have said the exact same thing? Cave Man: Me cold. Cave Woman: Me cold cold. Next generation: Cave man: Me cold. Me strike rock against rock. Fire! Me warm! Cave woman: Me cold. Move over! You get the idea. Every new invention… Continue reading Mom, a Mouse, and the Milk
February is the Longest Month
We all know February only has twenty-eight days or twenty-nine if the calendar year is divisible by the number four. 2019? No. 2020? Yes, it is. Although the month only has four weeks to it, it can seem to be the longest month. Valentine’s Day was two weeks ago, it’s a long way to St.… Continue reading February is the Longest Month
FIRST DATE, WORST DATE EVER! 