Have you ever seen someone have a meltdown at the self-checkout in a grocery store? It is not a pretty sight. I witnessed a lady lose it when she realized that the twenty-five items that she had scanned and bagged, showed up as a $1,875.00 charge.

I am a surfer. Okay, I should clarify: I have surfed. For one minute. Yes, Dear Readers, earlier this year, I caught a wave on the long board. In other words, I spent a couple of days in San Diego and have figured out the art of paddle, wait, stand and pray.

My home is my castle! Isn’t that how we’re all supposed to feel? When we arrive at our abode after a hot and busy day, we’re entering the comfort zone. The one safe haven in a hectic world. Home sweet home.

Summer is over. OK, so we might have a few more months to swelter, but the kids are back in school. Remember the good old days, when school started back in session after Labor Day?

I was speeding in my Subaru down a lonely road. There, I confessed to my carefree, fast-driving ways and I already feel a lot better about it. Have you ever driven a bit over the limit?

Oh, Surfing Sea Otter, please stop stealing surfboards! It will not end well for you. Yes, a female sea otter in California seems to be hassling surfers at Steamer Lane, the legendary point break nestled along the rocky shores of Santa Cruz.

The heat is on. Welcome to the “dog days of summer.” This phrase was originated in ancient Roman times, used to describe the intense heat of summer. The term has been widely used ever since.

Shrinkflation. When the size or quantity of a product is reduced, while the price remains the same or is increased. In other words, we are being ripped off! That’s right, Dear Readers, the research has been done and the evidence is in…

How was your Independence Day? Flags flying, parades, family get-togethers, barbecues, fireworks and a long summer weekend was a time to celebrate!

Coffee, how we love thee. It is our favorite American beverage that helps us get through our daily struggles, gives us a boost of energy and holds the promise of good things to come.

Where there is smoke, there is fire. And so it begins. The Crooks Fire in Prescott and the Tunnel Fire near Flagstaff have grown to monsters, as high winds and plenty of fuel keeps them rapidly growing and moving.

Uh oh, it’s allergy season. Kachoo! Excuse me, Dear Readers, because it seems I cannot stop sneezing! And I guess I am not alone. After reading up about allergies, it clarified one thing, we are suffering in Arizona.

Are you ready? Because the deadline for filing your taxes is looming, causing quite a few Americans to become upset (if you owe) or happy if a refund is coming.

Did you watch the fight last week? Oops, I meant the punch (more like a slap) that Will Smith planted on Chris Rock during the Oscars. While I don’t really care too much about award shows, it was a doozey of an altercation between two very big stars. Yikes, then there was the profanity and screaming.

I saw a spider. I went to the bathroom at two in the morning and there sitting on a wall was a big brown spider. She had eyes like the devil, glaring at me.

Brother, can you spare a dime? Actually, 30 trillion might help. The national debt boggles the mind, and is causing panic in the hearts of citizens throughout the land. It seems our government has been printing and spending lots of money.

What is the greatest invention of all time? No, not the wheel. Not the combustible engine. It is the round sphere, better known as a ball that has dominated the world. Imagine for one dismal moment that there were no balls. No baseball, basketball, football, soccer, golf, tennis or volleyball.

Have you been taking many road-trips lately? Hmm...maybe not. Now that gasoline is around four bucks a gallon, it appears we’re all trying to find ways to drive less.

How is your year shaping up? With so much tension swirling around in the world, mental health experts claim that people often get into a “February funk.” Evidently, one way out of it as we head into March, is to set new goals.

Sports. We have been able to sit back and watch the greatest shows on Earth. The Waste Management Phoenix Open at TPC Scottsdale, the Super Bowl and Winter Olympics.

How was your Valentine’s Day? Hope you had time to buy (or receive) flowers (red, of course), a box of chocolates and a wonderful bottle of champagne.

What are you doing this Sunday? Let me guess, you might be joining about 100 million other Americans to watch the Superbowl, where the Bengals and Rams lock horns (no pun intended).

The weather has been chilly. And for most of us, we enjoy warm clothes, heated homes and maybe a fireplace burning to help us through a winter season. Yet, many families and children are not so fortunate, living in conditions that are unstable and below the poverty level.

Been to a hospital lately? My husband, Doug, has been there for the past week with pneumonia. As a former Registered Nurse, I notice that some things never change.

Oh Betty, how we miss you. That mischievous laugh, perfect comedic timing, beautiful smile and funny zingers are just a few of the reasons why the whole world is in mourning. These days, it seems people disagree on just about everything, but the entire country is in total agreement that Betty White was a national treasure.

Brrrr it’s been cold! Yes, even here in Arizona, it has been frosty. But it is sometimes hard to grasp the wrath of Antarctica weather that has been wreaking havoc on over 100 million Americans, causing them to shiver, shake and run for cover. Baby it’s cold outside!

Another year. And another year older. It is my granddaughter, Bella’s birthday today. She is thrilled to be 6 years old. My husband, Doug’s birthday is Friday. He has little enthusiasm for being a year older, but Bella has enough excitement for all of us.

Are you ready to board Flight 2022? Well, fasten your seat belts because we are on the verge of saying “hello” to a New Year. Ready or not, it is coming, so we might as well pop the cork, pour the bubbly and watch the ball in Time Square (or boot in Prescott) drop.

In Arizona, it was Christmas Eve night. The town streets were empty, with ono one in sight. Out on a field, under a moon shining bright, Was a wee lonely donkey with a big wish tonight.

This week, as we make the Big Approach to all things Christmas, we might be flooded with memories of days gone by. The kids who grew up, the parents that passed, reliving the special moments we shared with friends and family around a table or a festive tree.

Do you believe in Santa? Yes, of course you do. Who can honestly say that there is no Santa? As we approach Christmas, there are so many reasons to believe.

How was your Black Friday? If you were one of the brave souls who headed out to shop, I hope you survived the ordeal. It may be the Season of Giving, but the spending happens first.

It seems we are all thankful for the ability to get together this year. Last year we had to cope with words like “social distancing” and “nuclear family gatherings,” with suggestions of holding dinner outdoors. Well, good riddance to 2020!

Have you ever wondered, what is the real purpose of the kitchen’s center island?

Will you enjoy a Veterans Day Parade? November 11 is the One Great Day to honor our men and women who served, watch the bands, the flags and the display of pride as we are reminded just how much we owe those who wear and wore the uniform.

It’s a scary world out there. Sometimes, we just need a friend. A buddy who will walk miles through a scorching desert, escape the perils of predators, suffer through the wind, rain and dust of monsoons with no map, GPS or cell phone, just to make it up your driveway.

It is time to get spooky. The approach of Halloween may cause a whole lot of ghouls and witches to come knocking at your door and it also brings the joy of candy!

Do all dogs go to heaven? Yes, of course they do, along with all of our other beloved pets.

Does Big Government come from small minds? Which might then lead to dumb laws? All over this great nation there are laws “on the books” that reflect just how much our legislators like to make up laws.

Are you good with money? Yes, I thought so. We have to watch our pennies even more closely with inflation. However, it seems there are a few folks in the “art world” who have money to burn.

I found something. When my parents died a few years ago I was left boxes of recipes, photos and papers to sift through. I have browsed through everything, but recently came across a file folder of old recipes and found a letter my father had written to his mother.

Oh, Emma Raducanu, let’s count the ways we love thee. First, the improbability of a tennis player to emerge from qualifying status to win a Grand Slam tournament, is a stunning triumph.

How long will you live? Hmm, maybe you would prefer not to know. While there are many medical claims on how to prolong our lives, there also seems to be “predictions” on how to shave off a few minutes here or there by simply eating.

Are you there, God? Just checking. We have troubles from the Afghanistan war. Hard to read about, much less comprehend what just happened.

Time flies when you are having fun. Especially when you are stuck for four hours on I-17, on your way out of Phoenix. The hands of time move very slowly.

I wear lipstick. And I dye my hair. There, I have said it — all secrets are out — I am admitting to you, dear readers, that some of my “beauty” comes from a tube and a bottle. Guess I am not alone.

Oh, those Olympics. Inspiring, incredible, heartbreaking, fun and heartwarming. No other sporting event on Earth can produce so many plots, twists, turns and moments to enjoy and ponder as the Games of Summer.

Stay alert! Watch the crosswalks! Yes, school has started again and parents everywhere are rejoicing.

Lord, could we get some rain? Our prayers were answered. Okay, can it stop for a while?

Missing a few neighbors and friends? We might all be in San Diego. The locals call us “Zonies,” poking gentle fun at us. Californians claim that every other person in their state is a vacationing Arizonan from Memorial Day through Labor Day.

Oh to be a billionaire. They seem to have all the fun. When Richard Branson, founder of Virgin Galatic, launched his Unity 22 rocket plane last week, he went where few have gone. Into space on his own spacecraft.

Endless training. Dashed dreams. Heartbreak. Crashes. Disqualifications. Injuries. Just reading about sports lately will either leave you scratching your head, enthusiastically cheering (Go SUNS!), or discouraged.

Have people become barbarians? I guess if you read the incidence of Americans behaving badly on airplanes, you might believe that the end of civilization, as we know it, is fast approaching. Pushing, shoving, screaming, spitting, punching and trying to open the exits (while in flight) or storm the cockpit, is a road too far.

Looking for easy solutions to common household problems? There’s a whole world of uses for the stuff we keep in our cupboards.

Seventeen long years they have been waiting. Now trillions of cicadas making a racket as loud as lawnmowers have emerged from their slumber throughout the Midwest and Eastern States.

Did you enjoy this past Memorial Day weekend? It signifies the remembrance of those men and women who served in the military and did not return home, so that we could have the remarkable freedoms that we enjoy.

One beautiful May morning two years ago, with spring bursting forth and the sun shining, birds singing and flowers blooming, the unthinkable happened.

Have you had trouble trying to open anything up lately? Hmm . . . I thought so.

Last year we had no toilet paper or hand sanitizer.

It’s that time of year again. The tax man cometh. And the IRS extended the deadline so we could procrastinate a bit longer.

Alexa never seems to stop listening.

Music. It is a huge part of our lives. Every day we listen to something. Our life is often enhanced by the music we listen to, the melodies we love and the symphonies we cherish.

Love is in the air! And so are the doves, finches and hummingbirds.

When my husband asked me last night, “What’s for dinner,” I wondered how many times in one day those three precious (evil) words are spoken.

Sorry, Pepe Le Pew, you are canceled! The devilish little skunk, who has been romantically chasing after Penelope Pussycat for way too long, cannot seem to take “No” for an answer.

Did you watch the Royal Rumble? It was quite the show. I didn’t want to see the spectacle myself, but the drama has made headlines everywhere until it is impossible to avoid this sad, steaming mess.

Have you taken a good photo lately?