Today our family met at Sarah and Gregorio’s for our annual family Halloween party. The girls outdid themselves on the “scary” food offerings and there were some fun costume choices. Here are some photos of our event. As usual, it was full of fun, great food, and laughter. The Halloween Table Beetlejuice (Ethan) Carebear (Luna)…

I wrote what is below last night. We arrived later than expected and I was too tired to post. I have included a photo of part of the roof that went on today. So far, so good. Len I am sitting on the plane heading to Texas. We are going so we can be there…

Cordelia is my dog and we’ve been together now for twelve years. She’s a Cardigan Corgie, which means she’s black, white, and tan, with a tail that curves like a sideways U above her back. Being a Corgie, her little legs are not long, perhaps four inches if she stretches, and her body is like…

This is a great recipe for a turkey burger. It comes from Cook’s Country Magazine, which is part of America’s Test Kitchen and I can guarantee this is one seriously excellent burger. The Fried Onion Burger (FOB) apparently originated during the Depression in El Reno, Oklahoma, which is 25 miles from Oklahoma City. Mashing onions…

A long day of work Students from morning ’til night Green against gray skies I love my students They are smart and fresh and strong White flashes of light My life is enriched Through this “enrichment” I give The mourning dove coos How did this happen? This unplanned, but happy life? Sweet like gardenias Gratitude…

I wrote this a few years back but it seems perfect to commemorate my late sister Leslie’s birthday today. She was one of the closest people in my life and I carry her in my heart. She was eleven years older than me so she was in many ways almost a second mother to me….

I am the fifth out of six children; technically, the fifth out of seven since my little brother, Robert, died just a few hours after his birth. I was 18 months old at the time of his death. From my perspective, there were two sets of kids in our family: the older kids: Leslie, John,…

This is the time of year when I disappear daily into my office and don’t emerge until late in the evening. What am I doing? Working on Zoom with high school seniors, who are writing their college essays; community college kids applying to their first choice universities for transfer; and college graduates applying to a…

A Poem to My Older Self If I am lucky I will one day be very old Wrinkled, hard of hearing, slow Watching as I sit Noting the dynamics of relationships Not concerned with what is said But focused on what I see Bodies leaning close or far Faces opened or closed I will know…

My old friend, Wendel Sloan, recently reminded me of a poem I wrote while we were in graduate school together in the Counseling program at East Texas State University in the 1970s. I was writing a fair amount at that time and read my poem out loud to him. He nodded his approval and encouraged…