I confess I’m not a runner. I’m a sprinter if something big, mean and ugly is after me but running for fun? No. . So you might wonder why I signed up for a 5k Turkey Trot this Thanksgiving. I blame this on love for my daughter. She’s a great runner, doing half marathons plus she
Read MoreDid That Kid Just Call Us…
When she was little, my daughter was obsessed with heavy earth moving equipment. Dump trucks, road graters, concrete mixers and so forth made her yell with delight. We spent time in the car traveling back and forth from preschool and work and she was an alert participant in the world. She would gaze out the
Read MoreHappy Birthday From Under The Bed
Our family had a bizarre birthday celebration. The day of your birthday would dawn with both excitement and dread. There you were innocently eating your breakfast Wheaties laughing at Charlie Brown and Snoopy when the entire family descended on you. “Grab the legs!” someone shouted as you kicked viciously upsetting the cereal bowl. “I’ve got
Read MoreFear The Dentist Part 3: Rockin’ At The Oral Surgeon’s
We last left our heroine (me!) recovering from a near death dental horror story (check the blog for Part 2 if you missed it). I was petrified as Mom drove me to the oral surgeon’s office to get my 3 remaining wisdom teeth removed. The surgical nurse made me comfortable in the dental chair and
Read MoreFear The Dentist Part 2: Learning The Hard Way
Hear me out on this 3 part series of fear and loathing in the dental chair. Today I’ll give you what I learned straight off: Speak up and take no sh** from people who don’t have your best interest at heart; Take care of and love yourself like no one else can; If you
Read MoreFear The Dentist Part 1: The Dreaded Dry Socket
My friend Charlene doesn’t fear the dentist. She’s never had a cavity and it’s just a friendly visit for her. Ok, she did have a rough experience with her wisdom teeth and the pain meds, but I’m talking about the regular dentist visit, not the oral surgeon stuff. Not me. I fear the dentist. They’re
Read MoreBunny Panic But No Thump
We were all tired, it was late and the drive home seemed long. Ken was driving, my daughter Dakota riding shotgun, sister Mary and I drowsing in the back seat of the CRV. “There’s a bunny,” Dakota says quietly as we drive the country road. Instantly I’m awake and alert. Ken doesn’t slow down. “Bunny,”
Read MoreClearly, You’re On The Menu
Center Pointe, Indiana has an Exotic Feline Rescue Center, home to about 200 big cats representing 9 different species. The Center has tours but you’re not allowed to touch or interact with the cats. You’d be a fool to try. These are carnivores on steroids. The cats are in large, secure fenced-in areas but once
Read MoreMe and Mr, Jones have a thing going on…
Every summer I wave at Mr. Jones when I see him outside tending his tomatoes. He’s the king of tomatoes, corn, beans, potatoes, zucchini and lettuce. I wave at him and he always waves back. Mr. Jones loves his downhome veggie patch. And I love Mr. Jones because he’s doing exactly what makes him happy.
Read MoreDid You Know Cats Can Hang From The Ceiling And Pee On You?
When I was growing up, we had a cat Moselle (Moe). It took about a month before Mom was left with all the animal feeding and dirty work including taking Moe to the vet. This was always a traumatic event for Mom, me and Moe. Say the word “vet” and Moe evaporated into thin air
Read MoreI Don’t Wanna Die in Spearfish, South Dakota!
My ex and I moved to Spearfish, South Dakota in the ‘80s. Super small town but beautiful country. So different from the green forests where we both grew up. At 8am it was around 100 degrees with no humidity to speak of. Beautiful, bright wavy heat that lasted until mid-day when the clouds rolled in.
Read MoreMy Teeth Started Doing the Cha-Cha…
Violent chills rocked my arms, my throat swelled, my knees knocked and it was 50/50 whether I was going to fall down. I got scared. In the space of an hour I was sick, sick, sick. I knew I’d bite the thermometer into little mercury pools so scratch that. I warmed up a rice bag
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