The second-to-last solar eclipse over the continental U.S. was on Monday, February 26, 1979. Claudette worked in the x-ray department at Lutheran Hospital in Des Moines, Iowa. She and her co-workers took some x-ray film and went outside to look at the sun through the film. They were not in the path of totality (had… Continue reading Total Eclipse of the Date
Border Collies 2, Geese 0
She named you Tru. You are a member of the smartest dog breed on the planet, one that performs in sheepherding trials, one that needs to work every day because you are so intelligent. You are happy to get into a golf cart and ride around the Crow Canyon County Club golf course, looking for… Continue reading Border Collies 2, Geese 0
Bricks, Ricks, and Cardboard
The college mixer was hosted by the men in Lorch House in Friley Hall, in the heart of the Iowa State campus. My house, Tappan, the top two floors of Barton Hall, a girls’ dorm, was invited. Yes, I am old. Yes, dorm floors are co-ed now. This was in the days of the dinosaurs.… Continue reading Bricks, Ricks, and Cardboard
Best Summer Camp Ever
My two daughters were Girl Scouts and went to summer day camp at Twin Canyons in Lafayette, two towns over. In order to get them a slot, I volunteered to work the entire week. I did it for eleven years and enjoyed getting to meet every camper there (about 200 each year). I chose the… Continue reading Best Summer Camp Ever
Julie Takes a Ride
Julie and her friend, Denise, went to the Rusty Pelican on Friday night. It was their go-to hang-out. But lately it had been heavy on girls’ night-out groups and light on eligible men. Would it be the same old, same old kind of night, or would Julie finally meet a datable man? She’d fluffed and… Continue reading Julie Takes a Ride
It Never Goes Away
Every year on December 1st, I get a notification from Facebook that it’s a certain friend’s birthday. The trouble is that the friend has been gone for over four years. I read a poem at his memorial service. He was a ski club guy, not a guy I knew real well. Is there no one… Continue reading It Never Goes Away
Keep on Keepin’ On
I was alone in a bar on a Friday night. This was not the plan. My ski club was supposed to have a TGIF in my town, a rarity. I wouldn’t have to fight northbound traffic on 680. Woohoo! Four hours off from being a caregiver. It had been a long week with the trip… Continue reading Keep on Keepin’ On
Why Not to Discuss Politics and Religion
Steve was a grad student at UCLA while he worked for Chrysler. His roommates fixed him up on a date with a Persian beauty named Mahvash. It was love at first sight. Mahvash had long dark hair and wore a gorgeous gown that really turned him on. They went to dinner and afterward, Steve invited… Continue reading Why Not to Discuss Politics and Religion
Narcissists Need Not Apply
Leslie married a man who turned out to be a narcissist. She had a baby with him before she figured it out. Leslie divorced that guy and a few years later fell in love with a man she had worked with for almost a decade. He was charming, fun, and flirty. That all ended the… Continue reading Narcissists Need Not Apply
Best Boy Band Ever
Carol grew up in in Pueblo, Colorado. They called it the little Pittsburgh 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 Boy Band Ever
FIRST DATE, WORST DATE EVER! 