As I transitioned from childhood to adolescence, and throughout my teenage years, my family had very little in the way of extra money. Fortunately, I never went to bed hungry, but my clothing was well worn out before I received replacements. All the items of fun were handmade; including toys, go carts, swings, playhouse, tree…
Read MoreIn the mid 1950’s my maternal grandparents bought 22 acres in the Santa Cruz Mountains which included a portion of Soquel Creek. They built a split-level one bedroom, one bath home on the steep slope facing the Creek. I can’t even imagine what the property is worth today! Up the hill was a slightly more…
Read MoreMy parents were married in the downtown Methodist church and during my formative years we would attend this church with it’s magnificent stained-glass ceiling. Dr. Moon was a most memorable pastor there. Since I was hard of hearing, the family would sit in the pew that had hearing assisting devices. A large single headphone with…
Read MoreMy Mother always tried out new recipes to serve the family. Swedish pancakes, Ebelskiver, Springerle, Pilaf and countless breads to name just a few things she made. Why she even pasteurized milk and made butter. Because of the multicultural environment here in Fresno, Shish Kabob became a favorite family dinner. She would get the real…
Read MoreOver the years I’ve had a number of bicycles, my favorite being a Luison Bobett in a beautiful metallic green color. My father bought the ten speed bicycle for my birthday, but unfortunately, I did not have it for very long as someone removed it from my possession. Bicycle theft was and is an ongoing…
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At the age of 14, I started working for pay for the first time at the Boy Scout Camp as a kitchen helper, where we fed 300 people per meal. One of my main duties was washing the dishes, and sometimes the auto dishwasher worked and sometimes it didn’t. Dishwasher or potato peeler, I put…
Read MoreABSOLUTELY It Is! The world continues to change at a breathtaking speed with some fear and uncertainty. As it begins to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, one question that I am often asked is “Do you think it is safe to go to the dentist? “ My immediate response is an ABSOLUTELY, “YES!” You may…
Read MoreWhen I was in kindergarten, there were over 85 kids in our class, and it took two teachers and some aids to keep us all corralled and in line. The room was extremely large to hold all of us and even had a full-size playhouse in the middle of the classroom. The bathrooms were on…
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When the calendar on my phone alerts me that it’s time to schedule a teeth cleaning and exam, I can’t believe how fast six months has flown by. In the past when I had dental insurance, I used to be more aware because I had to get in before the end of the year so…
Read MoreMany years ago, I attended a dental meeting where representatives of the dental organization spoke about the unmet needs of nursing home residents. I was moved by compassion and felt an unavoidable desire to do something about it. I found a dentist (Peter) in the Seattle area that had been treating those who had often…
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