My birthday is tomorrow and here are just a few things that are on my mind as I leave one decade and enter a new one. I don’t know if these are what I have learned or what I hope to learn. Whatever the case, these are a few things, in no particular order, that…
Month: January 2023
What Big Sisters Do
Growing up, I had four brothers and one sister, who was the oldest. I was next to the youngest and the baby girl. My sister, Leslie, was eleven years older than I was and held a special spot in my heart. She was the source of much love and affection and, over the years, was…
A Chilly and Clear Night in Ojai
We are up in Ojai. It is cold tonight. I just checked the temperature: 44. When we drove up early this morning, it was 39 degrees and rose to 59 during the day. The night is clear and there are lots of stars in the dark sky. The weather channel says the temperature here will…
Songs I Sang to My Girls When They Were Little
Every night at bedtime when my kids were little, I sang songs to them. They were not the usual lullabies that many people sing but rather a compilation of my favorite singers at the time. I sang five songs from Joni Mitchell’s Blue album: “All I Want,” “My Old Man, “A Case of You,” “Little…
Happy Birthday to Elizabeth!
Today is my middle daughter, Elizabeth’s, birthday. She is 37 and a brand-new mother of 5-week-old Ethan. She reported a few minutes ago that she and her husband Ron were able to go out to dinner this evening and Ethan “did a good job in his carrier” while they ate. Hurray for Ethan! Liz is…
A Good Day
We went to the Rose Bowl this morning to see Rachael, Ron, and Andrew after their 1/2 marathon, which is 13.1 miles. It took them approximately 2 1/2 hours to run that distance (Andrew, a veteran marathoner, would have been faster but he ran with Rachael, who is training for her first marathon on March…
Flu Has Struck
Our collective birthday party has been put off until next Saturday – my actual birthday – due to an outbreak of flu among Luna’s friends. We received an email from Sarah this evening saying that Luna’s best friend and his sister have both tested positive for the flu and Luna has a sore throat and…
Happy Birthday, Nico!
Today is my grandson Nico’s birthday. He is turning 7. Nico is a little boy who has captured my heart. He is sweet, straightforward, and sensitive. He is also a great protector of both his older sister, Luna, and younger sister, Lyla. Nico often says things that make me smile. For example, I was trying…
A Reading from My SCN Writing Sisters and Me
Today, women from Story Circle Network’s monthly “Writing Extravaganza” came together and presented a reading of short memoir pieces and poetry. The stories range from funny to poignant and explore many aspects of life. Each woman was inspired to write her piece based on various prompts that were offered by the facilitator, B. Lynn Goodman….
Emily Dickinson’s Poem, “Hope” is the thing with feathers
I came across this poem by Emily Dickinson this evening and was immediately struck by the beauty of describing hope as “the thing with feathers-/that perches in the soul-.” This uses the literary device of zoomorphism (which is defined as assigning animal-like qualities to non-animal subjects for added effect). The image of a bird as…
20 Minutes a Day 