I stand firmly in the camp advocating the importance of hardbound books. I realize we can save trees if we go entirely to a digital format for all books, but all I can say to that is, “Bah, humbug.” While I understand the value of reading on a digital device, I do not especially enjoy…
Month: August 2015
My Updated Website & What I’ve Learned
I have added several new pages to my new website, changed the colors, added more photos and, in general, given it my best shot so far with my current skill level in website design (read: minimal – moderate). I am still baffled by how to connect this to a Google search so it’s actually helpful…
Heatwave in LA
LA is experiencing a heat wave and it’s been tough on all of us. The temperatures over the past few days have been high. Yesterday is was 97 degrees; today close to 95. Plus the humidity has been up so the heat feels even hotter. Add to the mix all the asphalt from the roads…
A Busy, But Fulfilling Day
It is 11:28 pm and I have had a very long day. I had my writing friend here at 8 this morning. We wrote for 1 1/2 hours together. This was, of course, wonderful since we are both excited to have a designated time to work on our works-in-progress. For much of the rest of…
Revisiting Oklahoma Fried Onion Burgers – A 5-Star Recipe
This is a great recipe for a turkey burger. It comes from Cook’s Country Magazine, which is part of America’s Test Kitchen and I can guarantee this is one seriously excellent burger. The Fried Onion Burger (FOB) apparently originated during the Depression in El Reno, Oklahoma, which is 25 miles from Oklahoma City. Mashing onions…
Our Visitor Tonight: Daughter Liz
Liz came over for dinner tonight. Ron is off in Argentina with his Spanish class and that left her a little more free to make the trek over from Glendale after work. I made her one of her favorite meals: noodles with homemade tomato sauce. The fact that my children were fed this meal every…
Arrived Late This Evening in Ojai
We have come up to Ojai tonight to avoid getting up at 5 am to come in the morning. We need to mark off the trees we do not want to be picked; the pickers will be arriving bright and early Wednesday. (We mark off a few trees every year for our personal use.). We…
The Soothing Comfort of Leonard Cohen
I am listening to “The Essential Leonard Cohen,” and I can feel a distinct difference in my stress level beginning with the first song and continuing through to the last. With each successive song, I find my shoulders relaxing more and more and my mood lightening. Of course, some of this is because I love…
The St. Thomas the Apostle “Breakfast Club”
First thing this morning – 6 am – Ray and I headed over to St. Thomas the Apostle Episcopal church in Hollywood to help cook for the Breakfast Club, our homeless feeding program there. We joined other volunteers to make and serve homemade bread pudding, scrambled eggs, roasted potatoes, grilled leeks and onions, and sliced…
Surprise Visitor from Austin
Tonight we had dinner with our niece Katie Leatherwood’s boyfriend, Nowell Maluski, from Austin. We went to Mandarette Chinese Cafe on Beverly Boulevard in West Hollywood and had a great meal. Tomorrow is Nowell’s 33rd birthday so this turned out to be a mini-birthday celebration. Thank you, Nowell, for getting in touch with us. It’s…
20 Minutes a Day 