I was in Ojai a couple of days back and took pictures from atop a tall ladder while I picked oranges. Here are the pictures below. Underneath the tree, looking up Ripe oranges along with green oranges for new harvest Orange blossom on tree with ripe and green oranges Northeastern view…
Month: December 2014
Short and Sweet Tonight
I have been to Ojai today where I picked 3 crates of oranges, to Santa Barbara to visit with the women for whom we are handling her estate, and then on to Target in Oxnard where I did some Christmas shopping. That was 14 hours ago. I am going to bed now. Sleep well, my…
Flash Fiction: Group Therapy
I am not an apricot kind of girl, all small and soft; squishy and sweet. No, if I had to choose an orange fruit to characterize myself, I would have to pick a cantaloupe: a rough exterior, but sweet once you find a way to break me open. This exercise we’re doing in group therapy…
Israel’s Independence, My Student and Me
I just concluded a marathon session with one of my UCLA students, which started at 5:30 and just ended at 12:15 am. I was helping him write a 12 page research paper referring to newspaper articles one month before and one month after Israel established itself as an independent state in 1948. I have learned…
A Grandma By Any Other Name…
My little granddaughter, 20½-month-old Luna arrived today for a visit. “Hi, grandbaby!” she said as she leaned forward for me to take her in my arms. I looked at my daughter, her aunt and nanny. “Grandbaby?” “That’s what she’s calling you these days. She was chanting, “Grandbaby, grandbaby, grandbaby,” all the way over here. My…
A Deep Sense of Satisfaction
I am sitting here tonight feeling proud. I have all my Scholastic entries in for my students – a total of 25 – and the packet is on its way to New York City as I write. It will arrive by noon tomorrow at the Scholastic offices, a full day ahead of the deadline. Wow….
Scholastic Entries for My Writing Students
I am knee-deep in submissions for my students to the Scholastic Artists and Writers contest, the oldest and most prestigious writing contest for youth in grades 7 – 12 in the U.S. It is almost 2 am and I have been steadily working for the past 6 hours. I have 10 kids with 20 submissions;…
The People in My Life
I took pictures today at the Breakfast Club, our church’s homeless breakfast program, and it occurred to me as I surveyed all the smiling faces of the volunteers just how lucky I am to be surrounded by so many good people. These fellow volunteers, with their devotion to good-hearted service, are only a few of the people…
Post Rain
We slept to the pitter-patter of raindrops last night and early this morning, such a peaceful sound. The air feels cleaner; the streets washed clean. My garden is thriving after such a slow soaking rain. It’s as if the whole city has been run through an automatic car wash, with all the dirt and grime…
Rain Coming Again So Soon
We have been preparing today for our second experience with rain in the past ten days. We had boxes from the estates we’ve been handling that needed to be moved to safety given that we’re not only expecting lots of rain, but also some high winds. It felt slightly odd to be scurrying about anticipating…
20 Minutes a Day 