Old Friends

Old friends Old friends Sat on their park bench Like bookends… When I think of that Paul Simon song written in 1968, the year I graduated college, I didn’t think he was talking about ME! I wasn’t old then and never thought I would be. Now, I’m proud to say I have made it to … Continue reading →

Sold!

Five hundred dollars! Cash. Yay. And just in time for Christmas. Oh, but wait. I’m home alone — all dressed up and… (Ah, well, there’s always my little secret stash box where I can squirrel it away and lay in wait for the floodgates to open when we can get back to full-on retail therapy.) … Continue reading →

Essential Ingredient

If it’s October, it’s time to make plum pudding. I learned how to make this traditional English Christmas treat in a cooking class in 1977 and I have made it every year since. If I do the math correctly, this is my forty-third year. I can still hear the voice of the cooking instructor, a … Continue reading →

Back to the Brook!

Shadowbrook, the world-famous Shadowbrook restaurant in Capitola, California has opened its doors after a false start several weeks ago. Upon entering, I immediately looked to the right of the hostess stand to see if my favorite barstool was available. Ever since Rob, the bartender, started the tradition, I order a pre-dinner Grey Goose martini up, … Continue reading →

What’s With All The Flamingos?

      I have a thing for flamingos. And it turns out others do, too. When we spot each other it’s kinda like a secret handshake. It can be subtle like someone wearing flamingo socks which you notice peeking out from under their jeans. Or it can be blatant like when my friend, Lynn, … Continue reading →

Perils of Petsitting

      He’s a darling little dog named Ollie. Adorable. I was referred by my hairdresser, Tuan. If you are referred by Tuan, you will get top priority from me. I do not mess with the man who does my hair. As I drove to the meet-n-greet, I thought no way…not doing this. It’s … Continue reading →

Cell Phone – Can’t Live Without It!

    As I braked to a stop a flat shiny object slid into view on the passenger floor of my trusty Honda Civic. What? My cell phone was clutched in my hand, as usual, so what could it be? I was momentarily stunned and then it hit me. Olwen left her phone in my … Continue reading →

Yikes! Wrapping Paper, Too?

Save the funny papers! Save the newspapers. Hell, save the butcher papers. I wonder if there is plastic in the pages of the New Yorker? I can’t keep up with my subscription to New Yorker magazine. I might as well use those unread copies for wrapping.  I was horrified to learn some facts about the … Continue reading →

I Went to the Theater Last Night

      It wasn’t in New York or San Francisco, it was in a tiny mountain town in Santa Cruz, California. Ben Lomond is the home of Mountain Community Theater. Although these mountain towns are part of Santa Cruz County, they are worlds apart from the beach communities such as Capitola where I live. … Continue reading →

Priorities

      I’m known as a woman of my word. If anything, I have a problem NOT honoring my commitments. Sometimes you have to look at the Big Picture and make a choice, which changes your path and may affect a prior commitment.  There, I said it! Okay, folks, I’m confessing – I did … Continue reading →