Flash Fiction Story: That’s How Love Goes

Today, I picked three objects in the room to include in my story. Looking around, I chose an aqua teapot, a print of Mother Mary and Child, and an electronic keyboard. I set my timer for twenty minutes and started writing. I worked on the piece again this evening. Here is my first draft of…

Teaching Writing: The Best Part

Today was my last class with a group of women at Story Circle Network who were learning about “Crafting Flash” writing, which is fiction and non-fiction pieces that are 1200 words or fewer. I had nine women in my class over the past five weeks and we’ve covered all the basics of flash plus I…

Today in Ojai

Ray and I headed to Ojai early today to do some work that had to be attended to. The mountains that are nearby were sprinkled with snow. We arrived at 8 am to find it was 38 degrees. The alpacas and chickens were fine, though the alpacas’ fur looked a bit soggy after all the…

Blue Zone Challenge: Starting Tomorrow

My daughter Sarah and I are going to embark tomorrow on the Blue Zone Challenge from a book by Dan Buettner. This is a 30 Day program to live a bit more like people who live in the Blue Zones, places where people live to be very old while remaining healthy. This is not solely…

5-Star Recipe: Potato, Leek & Onion Soup + Garlic Cheese Toast

Today, Rachael and I made this soup and cheesy garlic bread for lunch. It was easy, delicious, and completely satisfying. I am a big enthusiast of the Instant Pot, which I used for this recipe. However, you can easily make this soup on top of the stove. Just saute the vegetables in a deep pan,…

Ash Wednesday: A Reminder of Our Mortality

This is the official first day of Lent, which is a time of reflection, discipline, and repentance forty days before Easter Sunday. This time also represents the 40 days that Jesus went into the desert after his baptism and fasted. According to The Book of Common Prayer, which is used in the Episcopal Church, Lent…

Congratulations to Ricardo on Multiple Dental School Acceptances!

Over this past summer, I worked with my writing student Ricardo on his essays for dental school. He was referred by his college roommate, Ryan, with whom I’d worked the previous year. With Ricardo’s strong test scores, high GPA, excellent work experience, and exceptional essays he has just let me know that he has been…

My Dad’s Texanisms

Today is my dad’s birthday and I want to spend just a few minutes remembering a few of his favorite colloquialisms that reflected his deep Texas/Southern roots. These phrases also conveyed a particular attitude about life. Everybody who has grown up in the South has heard the expression, “That old dog won’t hunt.” My dad…