My nieces are getting ready for their trek on the John Muir Trail.  Leaving tomorrow. Nervous. Excited. Busy with last minute preparations. I am taking them to the airport at 5:30 in the morning.  Off to Merced, then on to Yosemite where their adventure begins. No, not true. Their adventure began when they met one…

We have had a busy day today. Early this morning, Haley and Leslie helped me make crock pot green chili chicken enchiladas. Then the grandbabies arrived for the day with the help of Auntie Liz.  I made breakfast for everyone, scrambled eggs and raisin toast, before Liz took Haley and Leslie to yoga.  After they left,…

This evening we met the family in Pasadena (minus Rachael and Ariel who were in San Diego) to listen to Perla Battalia sing Leonard Cohen songs.  She worked as Leonard Cohen’s backup singer in two of his World Tours and was encouraged by Cohen to strike out on her own.  She has a fantastic mezzo-soprano…

We are headed to the airport in about 30 minutes to pick up our nieces coming from Austin, Texas.  This is Leslie and Haley Leatherwood and we are excited about their arrival.  They, brave duo that they are, are headed off to hike the John Muir Trail in Northern California.  They will be here for…

I am sitting in my den, the overhead fan whirring along with a box fan in the corner. The temperature is pleasant, not too hot or too chilly.  The eastern light coming in through the big bay window is filtered through the green leaves of the tall Nandina bush with its clumps of bright red…

We are driving back from Ojai after spending last night and today at the orange grove. It is 9:30 pm. We are currently driving through Calabasas and the roads are surprisingly full of traffic for this time of night. Today was warm but not terrible at the orange grove. The summer heat can be intense…

Grandbabies visiting tonight.  They arrived mid-afternoon and will leave mid-morning tomorrow.  We have played in the mud in the back yard, taken showers to wash off all that mud, eaten dinner, taken a walk around the block with the dogs and Grandpa, brushed teeth, gotten on pajamas, crawled into bed together to watch Madagascar II,…

Today one of my students who I have had since he was in 2nd grade, David Bina, came to interview me for his class “Women and History.”  David is now a senior at the University of California, Santa Barbara.  He asked me to tell him stories about my family history and I told him many…

I am sitting in the den of our home with my feet up and the television on at a low volume.  We have turned down an invitation to join the kids at a food tasting event in Arcadia (which is a good trek from here) and Ray and I are looking forward to a low-key…