Ray and I just returned from church this evening.  It is Epiphany, the day the wise men reached Jesus in the stable in Bethlehem after being sent by Herod so that he could “worship him.” They followed a star in the east “till it came and stood over where the young child was.”  They brought…

Grandbabies came over last night. That’s the reason I missed posting on my blog.  I was pacing upstairs in a dark room with baby Nico in my arms.  He fussed just a bit before falling asleep, but he likes to snuggle once in bed so sneaking down to grab my computer was not part of…

Good-bye, orange grove; hello, LA. Back in the heart of the city. Cars are whizzing by outside. Cordie and Frankie are barking at the occasional dog that is being walked out front. William, our cat, is snuggled in the laundry basket in the laundry room. I can see the goings-on of the occupants of the…

Tomorrow Ray and I are headed back to LA to rejoin the rest of the world after a week’s respite out here in Ojai. I can’t say I am super excited to leave this peaceful place, but I will be happy to see my writing students who begin returning tomorrow.  Today was a clean-up day…

Everyone has returned home and Ray and I are still here at the orange grove with the dogs. I have just taken a shower in our roofless showerhouse, which, with its heat-on-demand water heater, remains at the top of the list of best improvements for the orange grove second only to our freestanding kitchen, which…