Category Archives: home

It’s Me, The Ignoramus

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So 10 months ago, I had my roof re-shingled and in doing so, they had to remove my DIRECTV dish. According to my roofers, DIRECTV put it in the wrong spot. Odd how the dish has worked nicely for the last 20 years in the wrong spot.

Anyway, apparently it became damaged when they removed it, so I contacted DIRECTV for a new one. After 20 years on their protection plan, I rarely needed them. I can think of many other things I’d rather have spent that $2400 on. But now that I’m off the plan, what do you bet next month the whole system crashes? Oh well…

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In My Mind’s Eye: Remembering Dad

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Here’s my annual Father’s Day post, adapted from an article I wrote for the San Francisco Chronicle in 1997. Happy Father’s Day! Here’s to you Dad…There’s an image I have captured in my mind. I’m in my car in front of the home my parents have shared for most of their 45 married years. Mom and Dad are standing on the front porch.

From the street, I can see the huge eucalyptus tree in their backyard, silhouetted against the evening sky. It’s gently swaying in the warm breeze while the full moon illuminates the manicured lawn. My parents are smiling and waving as I drive away after a visit.

Mom lives alone now that Dad is in an Alzheimer’s nursing facility, so that scenario has changed. But it never does in my mind. My parents always stood on the porch to wave good-bye when I left. Even in pouring rain, they still stood in the open doorway together. I always looked back and returned their waves. Continue reading →

The Sweetest Gift

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Here is my annual tribute to my mom, my best friend and the greatest lady I’ve ever known. How lucky was I? Happy Mother’s Day!

My mom, Loretta Rose, with Bailey

She gave me love as well as life; so whatever goodness I may bring to Earth began with the gift of my mother’s heart……Robert Sexton

At some point in our relationship, my mom transitioned from being my parent to also being a great friend. I’d say it happened in 1985, when she was diagnosed with incurable, inoperable lung cancer.

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Getting Sidetracked

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I can honestly say I’m not excellent at doing any particular thing. I’m a decent baker, though as the saying goes, it’s nothing to write home about. I’m okay at trapping feral cats but for the last 6 months, I’ve yet to rescue the last remaining cat from a colony of 37+ we’ve moved to safety. So I can’t claim bragging rights in that category either. I write, but sadly, I’m no Anne Lamott, one of my favorite writers.

On the other hand, the list of what I definitely can’t do is painfully long. Ask me anything in the technology realm and you’ll be staring at my blank expression. For starters, computers confound me; same with Wi-Fi cameras or understanding what a modem and router actually do. My poor co-worker Leanne is all too aware of this since she’s tried explaining these things to me ad nauseam and she, too, gets the blank stare. I plead ignorance.

My tolerant co-worker
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When it Rains, it Pours

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You know that saying, when it rains, it pours? Turns out it’s true. I estimate for the last few months I’ve been waiting for the other shoe to drop because the hits just keep on coming. Suffice to say, the other shoe has dropped.

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