When my new science teacher announced on the first day of 7th grade that no one would get an A in his class if they didn’t make an insect collection, I was like, “NOOOOOOOO! I hate bugs!” My mother hated bugs. Her mother hated bugs. They hated mice, snakes, and dog poop, too. I walked… Continue reading How my Bug Collection Changed a Generation
Mac and Cheese, a Spicy Story
After nearly a week of no heat in my house, I finally feel warm enough to write a story, a spicy one, at that. This morning I made my usual run (with wet hair) to the grocery store for the Sunday Chronicle. But alas, there were none. I popped into the CVS next door and… Continue reading Mac and Cheese, a Spicy Story
Two Bird Baths, One Fountain
I love my yard. When I first bought my fixer house on a fixer third acre, the yard was full of rocks and rose bushes. Now it has trees, plants, bushes, flag stone, one fountain and two bird baths. The fountain is an advertisement to creatures near and far to come into my fenced yard.… Continue reading Two Bird Baths, One Fountain
Daydreaming on a Dog Walk
(re-run) I get some of my best writing ideas while walking my dogs. My brain is free to think while my body is exercising. I am not listening to music or staring into my phone. I am enjoying the view. Today I walked Pepper, my almost four-year-old lab, while Daisy stayed home where she feels… Continue reading Daydreaming on a Dog Walk
Love of her Life
(re-run) Connie was only fourteen when she went to her first dinner dance at the country club. Brad was two years older, already driving, and as handsome as could be. Connie had been smitten since the day they met at school. She had been at her locker. He had come by and said hello. She’d… Continue reading Love of her Life
Oh No, Not the Warriors!
(re-run) Last week I took Sis to the hospital for a Barium Swallow test. We had just settled into the waiting room when an elderly woman with a cane came in the door. She had to go around Sis’s wheelchair to get to the check-in window. “Am I at the right place?” she asked no… Continue reading Oh No, Not the Warriors!
Beware of Craigslist?
(re-run) I’d sold a thousand dollars’ worth of tea cups and dinner plates the year before. When Sis moved in with me, I had to let all that inventory go. It hadn’t been selling that well on Etsy anyway, and Etsy had just changed its policies and had kicked me off their site. Why? Because… Continue reading Beware of Craigslist?
February is the Longest Month
(re-run) 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… Continue reading February is the Longest Month
A Scavenger’s Life
(re-run) 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… Continue reading A Scavenger’s Life
Obsolete Things from the Past
(re-run) When you reach a certain age, you realize that some of the things from your past are so obsolete that you haven’t thought about them in decades. Here is a list. Feel free to add to it: Candy cigarettes The Crayola crayon color called flesh Suntan pantyhose Playing cowboys and Indians Toy guns that… Continue reading Obsolete Things from the Past
FIRST DATE, WORST DATE EVER! 