Ray and I just returned from a trip to Mississippi to attend the memorial service for my first cousin, Dr. Jack Hammonds White, who died in June. Jack’s lovely and gracious wife, Emilie, has been preparing for this memorial over the past several weeks and, with the aid of their parish priest, the Very Reverand…

A few years back, my husband and I were traveling from California to Texas, and I was pulling a 1958 Buick on a trailer behind our 15-passenger Ford Van. This was my husband’s idea of love at first sight – that ’58 Buick – a car from his birth year that he hoped to restore…

Several weeks ago, Ray let me know that he’d driven by a house in Ojai where there was an old tractor for sale out front. Now, those of you who know Ray are aware that he loves old things, and he has a special place in his heart for old vehicles, hence our ownership of…

Tomorrow our oldest grandchild, Luna, starts kindergarten at the Jackson STEM Dual Immersion Academy in Alta Dena, CA. She will be entering a class where 90% of the classroom instruction will be in Spanish, 10% in English. By 5th grade, the English/Spanish instruction will be 50/50. She will also have the opportunity to be exposed to…

Written yesterday – today’s forecast is for temperatures to reach 94 degrees. I am sitting with Riley, it’s quick write time.  Frankie is on the couch with Riley, Cordie is lying on the floor at my feet.  The windows are open, two fans are on, it’s 5:52 pm and it is currently 94 degrees, down…

I am very happy to announce that I was awarded 1st place and won a cash prize for the flash fiction story below submitted to the “Hot Flash” contest sponsored by Story Circle Network.  Thank you, SCN, for this honor.   Lost and Found by Len Leatherwood of Beverly Hills, CA Theresa was tired of…

Next Monday I will be starting an online class for women through Story Circle Network that is entitled, “Writing 20 Minutes a Day for 29 Days.” I have offered this class for several years now and students who participate report that it is scary at first committing to 20 minutes a day for 6 days…

Back home.  Happy to be here though I loved being up in Ojai.  I am delighted, however, to be missing the 100-degree temperatures up there this afternoon. I have a list of tasks completed in Ojai that makes me smile: Our storage bins are much better organized than they were last week. Edison is putting…

I haven’t been swimming in years. Quite literally. Despite swimming being something I really enjoy. I usually just make it too hard to go. Today I just pulled on one of Sarah”s old lifeguard suits from way back when and went with her and her family. The pool is less than five minutes from the…