Best Tomato-planting Advice Ever

(re-run) Since I planted my ‘maters today . . . One morning at a local garage sale, I stumbled upon the Alamo Garden Club people, selling plants in one of the members’ driveways. I picked up five tomato plants since the price was right. “Do you know how to plant them?” the man seated next… Continue reading Best Tomato-planting Advice Ever

Child of Rock and Roll

(re-run) Being a child in the 60s and becoming a teen-ager a year after the Summer of Love and the year before Woodstock, I straddled two decades of great music with a foot in each. As kids, we danced to Elvis records in Debbie Harvey’s basement, which was way cooler than dancing to Bing Crosby… Continue reading Child of Rock and Roll

Must Be a Small Town

(re-run) I went to my favorite beach town for 24 hours to get away from it all. The weather was foggy, the weeds in my yard were thick, and my two dogs were fighting.  But three thrift stores in Carmel had their end-of-the-month half-off sales yesterday, so who cared about the weather, the weeds and… Continue reading Must Be a Small Town

Afternoon Delight: Read All About It

(The Worst Wait for a Date) If you were in eighth grade and you had a weekly afternoon paper route delivering the Detroit News in Saginaw, Michigan, and you rode your red Schwinn bicycle with the basket to do your route and then rode it again on collection day, what would your fantasy be? If… Continue reading Afternoon Delight: Read All About It

Picking Your Nose and Alzheimer’s

I read in the newspaper today (remember those?), that people who pick their noses are more likely to get Alzheimer’s. I am not making this up. Apparently, introducing germs into the nose triggers the brain to produce betas-amyloid as defense.  An abundance of beta-amyloid is believed to be the leading cause of Alzheimer’s. So beware,… Continue reading Picking Your Nose and Alzheimer’s

Three Donkeys – Halfway There

The drive from 105-degree weather in my town to 60-degree weather in my other town takes two hours, door to door, if I go during non-rush-hour times.  I leave around ten and get to the other house by noon. It’s 120 minutes, unless there’s an accident, like a jack-knifed semi trailer or a church bus… Continue reading Three Donkeys – Halfway There

Chinese Fire Drills and Other Politically Incorrect Things from my Past

(re-run) Back in high school in a suburb of Des Moines, Iowa, we did whatever we could to stir up some fun and sometimes some trouble. It was a simple existence: go to school, do homework, think about and look for boys. With no cell phones or social media to organize anything, kids spent a… Continue reading Chinese Fire Drills and Other Politically Incorrect Things from my Past

Five Errands and a Passport Photo

(re-run) My daughter is going to her college friend’s wedding in India. She discovered that her passport was about to expire, which got me to wondering if mine had expired. I hadn’t used it since I got divorced.  I found it and saw the expiration date was 2019. That’s what the pandemic will do to… Continue reading Five Errands and a Passport Photo

Worst Dog Sitting Ever

(re=run) When I was a newlywed, living in San Diego, my next door neighbor, Doreen, befriended me. She noticed I was home alone a lot, since my teaching job ended at 3:00, and my new husband didn’t come home from work until 7:00 or so. Doreen invited me over for food and chit chat. Once,… Continue reading Worst Dog Sitting Ever