When I was nineteen, I transferred from the University of Texas to the University of Utah. My sister was getting a divorce and asked if I would come out and be there in Salt Lake City with her and her kids. I was happy to do that. The idea of being out-of-state for the first…
Month: December 2013
A Little Inspiration from a Master
My friend, Jane Monteagle, sent me this link to a TED talk featuring Diana Nyad, the 64-year-old woman who swam the 110 miles from Cuba to Florida in August of this year (her 5th attempt), and I must say, take the time to watch it. Anybody who thinks that once you’ve hit 60, it’s time…
Conquering Inertia – At Least Today
Today, my two daughters – Liz and Rachael – looked at me and said, “We’re going hiking up on Runyon Canyon, Mom. Want to come with us?” My immediate response was, “Well, thanks, but no. My tummy is a little upset.” The truth was it was a little upset – not very much, of course,…
Our Ojai Orange Grove in a Few Pictures
We headed up to Ojai today and spent part of the day at our orange grove. The temperature started out at 34 around 8 am and was 80 before we left in early afternoon. This is an orange blossom with others on the way to blooming. Ah…a scent so pure and sweet it defies words….
Slap Wore Out…
I am in bed at 9:46 pm, about 3 hours later than I would have preferred to be snuggled up under the covers. I am slap wore out as some say in Texas, and I don’t quite know what the “slap” part means except it lends to the rhythm of that phrase and feels satisfying….
My Christmas Day in Pictures
Can you spot Luna among all that color? She’s the one looking straight at the camera! Our Christmas lunch with our daughters, son-in-law, granddaughter plus Liz’s boyfriend, Ron, and his parents. The food must be good because everyone seems to be focused on eating. Here I am in a rather indelicate pose – I think…
MIdnight Mass in Hollywood
I am just back from Midnight Mass at St. Thomas the Apostle, Hollywood. I was part of the acolyte corps and it was a real pleasure working alongside my fellow acolytes for a Mass that was so beautiful. We arrived 2 hours early just so we would be appropriately trained for the Mass and it…
Christmas Weather and My Overflowing Garden
I am sitting with Jonah here on this bright and sunny Monday, two days before Christmas. The weather report says that it will be in the low 70’s today and quite possibly 77 degrees on Christmas Day. I think we may be in shorts for our Christmas celebration. Ah, the joy of living in Southern…
Quiet Evening Before Last Minute Christmas Preparation
Quiet night at home with two dogs asleep beside me on the couch – one slightly stinky. (Perhaps a bath is in order for tomorrow.) Ray is upstairs reading. I have been enjoying this non-busy evening by skimming through my unread emails and getting up to date via Facebook on my online friends’ activities. Tomorrow…
A Wonderful Way to Prepare for Christmas
This evening, our church had its annual Advent Lessons and Carols celebration featuring the a capella voices of the 12-member LA Schola. The music spanned the centuries with pieces from Bach, Britten, Mendelssohn, Palestrina, Rutter and others; the lessons were from the Gospels as well as from the prophets. I was serving as an acolyte…
20 Minutes a Day 