Today was the Requiem Mass for Bob Halvorson, who was a long-time parishioner at St. Thomas the Apostle, Hollywood. I wasn’t able to be there since I was traveling at that time but wanted to offer a small story about my tiny, but sweet relationship with Bob. Bob and I were church acquaintances. We…

Serves 6-8 Daughter Elizabeth shared this recipe with me today after we discussed the Blue Zone eating plan. I may make it for Ray’s upcoming birthday. The use of extra-virgin olive oil versus butter is what qualities this as a Blue Zone recipe. I will most likely use agave syrup or maple sugar as the…

We are up in Ojai, trying to get work done at our orange grove in between the rain storms that have been deluging California over the past several weeks. Despite two days of perfect blue-skied weather, we have yet another major weather system headed our way, which is described as a “warm atmospheric river event.”…

Today our old friend, Angela Amato, and her partner Kamala visited us at our orange grove in Ojai. They live in Keene, New Hampshire but came west to see several friends and Kamala’s aunt, all of whom live in CA. Ray and I have known Angela for over 30 years but haven’t seen her for…

This afternoon, I was working on a poem and using a Joni Mitchell song as a model. The poem is far from finished – I’m slow at these things – but tonight when trying to decide what to write, I happened to look down at my notes. After reading them, I decided they are worthy…

Yesterday at St. Thomas the Apostle, Hollywood, we celebrated Mass with as many women as we could muster in honor of International Women’s Day. The Reverend Mother Susan Stanton, the chief financial officer for the LA Diocese, was our celebrant; Canon Ian Davies, served as deacon and preacher; I was the subdeacon; Stephen Kemp, master…

Today, Ray and I had the chance to visit our oldest daughter Sarah and her family. Unfortunately, we only had a quick peek at Gregorio, Sarah’s husband, because he was not feeling well. We took the kids to the playground of Luna and Nico’s school where they could all enjoy being outdoors. We also had…

I am discovering new recipes from the Blue Zone eating program. Blue Zones are parts of the world where there are high numbers of people who live to be 100 years old. This recipe makes eating healthy easy. I will be trying this soon. Happy weekend, my friends. INGREDIENTS 1 cup oat flour (store-bought or…

I went today to get a haircut at Sola Salon, which is down the street from my house here in Los Angeles. I also needed to have my roots touched up but wasn’t sure that I wanted to devote the time or extra money to that endeavor. However, once I arrived and the hair stylist…

Today was clear-skied and sunny and I had the chance to spend some time in our backyard. The rain has left our plants shiny, clean, and full of life. After several weeks of inclement weather, I was so grateful to finally feel the sun’s warmth on my face. Being outside helps me to slow down,…