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
The Remodeling Blues
How many times in the past three weeks have I left my house without my purse? A bunch of times. This never happens, except for the fact that I keep the purse in the kitchen, and right now I don’t have a kitchen. It’s a $250 dollar ticket if I get stopped and have no driver’s… Continue reading The Remodeling Blues
Asparagus, Anyone?
The farmhouse was next to the highway, close enough for me to hear the train come by every night, and far enough away from the tracks to get used to sleeping through it. No houses could be seen from any window — just trees, sky, and lots of cornfields. It was a peaceful place, sometimes… Continue reading Asparagus, Anyone?
Best Ed Sullivan Show Ever
Carol grew up in in Pueblo, Colorado. They called it the little Pittsburg of the West. Her dad was a steelworker. Her mom was a lab tech phlebotomist at the hospital. Whenever one of the kids got sick, her mom would bring home a hypodermic needle in her purse to draw some blood. “To see… Continue reading Best Ed Sullivan Show Ever
The Bleeping Contractor’s Assistant
The woman who works for me one day a week also works for my contractor. It’s actually how I found him. Here’s the problem. She/they keep moving my stuff around. Anyone who has ever done a kitchen knows what I mean. First they need to get out the sliding glass door to cut pipe. Never… Continue reading The Bleeping Contractor’s Assistant
Border Collies 2, Geese 0
(in honor of Tru, who died last week at the age of sixteen) She named you Tru. You are a member of the smartest dog breed on the planet, one that performs in sheep-herding trials, one that needs to work every day because you are so intelligent. You are happy to get into a golf… Continue reading Border Collies 2, Geese 0
FIRST DATE, WORST DATE EVER! 