I used to have a flat stomach. I remember having one at least. I also remember having breasts that were a normal size, not large like I have now, which seem to be the result, at least in part, of seven years of nursing three little girls. Yes, seven. Two, two and three for the…
Month: July 2025
Where Love Tastes Like Oatmeal
I find it ironic that, considering all the wonderful cakes, pies, and cookies I bake, my grandchildren have one dish that is their very favorite: oatmeal. Yes, plain old oatmeal with a swirl of honey, a splash of cream, and whatever fruits are on hand, which might include fresh or frozen mixed berries, cherries, peaches…
Rethinking the Third Age: Life After 70
When I was born in the early 1950s, the average life expectancy in the U.S. was around 68 years. That number has risen steadily over the decades—today it’s about 78 for the general population, with women living on average to 81 and men to nearly 76. The gap between men’s and women’s life spans is…
Flash Fiction: Presence: Plain and Simple
The news has been so sad about the floods in Texas. This story felt like the right piece to share tonight. Mary Theresa was tired. Tired of feeling out of control; tired of feeling lost. She went out to the porch of her house on the lake and stared at the dark night. She couldn’t…
Flash Fiction: Granny
I like to come out early, before the heat settles in and everything turns still. The porch is quiet, the air soft. Across the yard, a mourning dove coos from her nest in the old barn. The crickets have quieted, replaced by birds calling from the pecan trees overhead. Rambler, my old blue heeler, lets…
Poem: Silent Flight, Summer Sky
I saw a red-tailed hawkCircling high in the Ojai sky. Then a second appeared—Wings steady, rising—And together they drifted,Two shadows on the wind,Gliding in quiet harmony. The sunlight lit their fanned tails,Rust-red and glowing,A bold contrastAgainst the wide, blue sky. For a breath of time,The world paused—A moment of pure solaceOn a warm summer day.
Digging Deep: What College Essays—and Life Writing—Are Really About
I’ve been working with students over the past few days on their college essays—using shared Google Docs and Zoom calls. It’s always an interesting process, and this year is no different. Part of what makes these essays so meaningful is that we dig deep. Really deep. We look for those moments in life that carry…
Today in Photos
Relaxing at the orange grove
Reflections on a Sweet Bonhi Reunion
The biggest frustration with a Friday evening, all-day Saturday high school reunion is simple: there’s not enough time. Not enough time to sit, settle in, and have a real, meaty conversation with old friends. Just a quick hug, a handful of sentences to catch up, then—before you know it—someone else walks up for their own…
Home At Last!
Here is our 2 1/2-year-old grandson Ethan’s message to us this morning when we were on the last leg of our three-day driving trip back from Texas to California. Liz and Ethan met us as we drove into the orange grove, and Liz was happy to let Ethan ride the rest of the way while…
20 Minutes a Day 