Sometimes money is not what it’s cracked up to be. I have met some of the poorest rich people and some of the richest poor people. An external focus seems to be the key. Self-absorption does not a lovely person make. An example of a poverty-stricken rich man was someone I had the occasion to…

My son-in-law Ron makes this dish without greens or jalapenos and serves the roasted sweet potatoes on a flour tortilla with feta cheese and freshly grated cabbage. He calls his dish sweet potato tacos and I could eat them all day. I think the addition of greens, pickled jalapenos, and brine could deepen the delicious…

“This is the real secret of life — to be completely engaged with what you are doing in the here and now. And instead of calling it work, realize it is play.” -Alan W. Watts I believe this quote from Alan W. Watts is the absolute truth. The operative words are “engaged,” “here and now,”…

Consistency is a trait I value. I grew up in a home where people were not always consistent, so knowing what to expect on a day-to-day basis is something I find comforting. When I was growing up, there was a certain consistency to life: Lorene arrived every weekday at 8:30 without fail, she was consistent….

Lyla Gabriella Pacheco Beaty turned four today and I am very happy to celebrate her life in a few photos tonight. She is a darling little girl with a big smile, lots of energy, and a sharp mind. She is also one of those kids who likes to dance around a room, stay close to…

My older sister died in March 2012 of what looked like Alzheimer’s but was instead dementia that resulted from brain trauma. At 50, she hit her head while biking and suffered a debilitating concussion. Though she appeared to fully recover, over the next nineteen years we watched as her memory slowly faded. This poem was…

Rachael made a variation of this recipe the other day and it was exceptionally delicious. The earthiness of the lentils, the lightness of the coconut, and the warm and fiery taste of fresh ginger make for a wonderful taste treat. Rachael didn’t have the roasted carrots but I think they would be an excellent addition….

This evening I am up in Ojai at the orange grove with Liz, Ethan, and Ron. We went for a walk after dinner to the Riverview Trail Head of the Ventura River Preserve, which is comprised of 1600 acres that are owned and maintained by the Ojai Valley Land Conservancy. On the preserve, there are…

Finding a topic for writing is one of the toughest parts of blogging daily. On a busy day, it’s often no problem since I might have a ready subject to pull from, but sometimes even on those days, I’m not inspired to write about what I’ve done. That’s when I sit and stare at the…

Today I had the pleasure of little Ethan Arthur Betty and his mama, Liz Beaty, coming to visit Grandma. Ethan, who turned 3 months old on March 14, is displaying all sorts of big boy behavior. He can now coo and carry on, look you straight in the eye, smile, and even occasionally burst out…