We are having a wonderful time up here on Ojai. Lots of cooking, food, family, friends and fun. My internet connection is sketchy so this will be short. Let it suffice to say this may be our new tradition. So much more relaxed then cooking for three days and then hosting inside an actual house!…
Author: lenleatherwood
I am a native Texan who has lived for the past 30 years in Southern California. I am a published author of both short memoir and fiction, a two-time Pushcart nominee, a nationally award-winning writing coach, an editor, as well as a Licensed Professional Counselor in the state of Texas. In addition, I am the mother of three grown daughters of whom I am extremely proud, a grandmother of four darling children and the wife of a man I still love after 44 years.
Family and Friends Arriving
Our Texas friends have safely arrived along with our Utah relatives. Tomorrow our children and several friends will come. Life is good. The weather is cooperating for our Thanksgiving camp out at the Orange grove. It was around 65 today and 36 tonight. Tomorrow it will be around 60 with another cold night. We…
Ojai Today
We are settling into our time here at the Orange grove in Ojai. Time is slowing down as it does the minute we get here and all pressing “have-to’s” simply drop away. Instead, there is a lot of sitting and chatting and generally doing nothing until it’s time to think about the next meal. That…
First to LA and Now Ojai
Ray and I are now in the Airstream in Ojai after a brief stop at our home in LA to gather up a few provisions and our dogs. Our rush since we just flew in this morning from the Lone Star State? We have friends from Texas arriving tonight with our second Spartan trailer (1953)…
Fort Worth, DFW and Tex-Mex
Ray and I are currently sprawled out on a makeshift pallet on the floor of the Fort Worth condo. Our plane leaves at 7 am and we are heading in that direction at 4:30 since we have to return a rent car and it is DFW, which means a huge airport and a very long…
The Big Country (1958) and Ray
Today Ray was not feeling well so we spent some time watching movies on television. The Big Country (1958) was one of those movies. It stars Gregory Peck, Jean Simmons, Carrol Baker, Charlton Heston and Burl Ives. I have to say that Burl Ives commands this movie with his performance. I didn’t know until afterwards…
Sherman, Fort Worth and Daughter Sarah
It is 12:42 am here in Sherman, Texas – 10:42 Pacific Time – and we just arrived at our house here about 45 minutes ago. We worked in Fort Worth all day on the condo, got stuck in Fort Worth traffic on our way to Sherman in early evening, then arrived an hour and a…
Fort Worth
Ray and I are in Fort Worth so we can work on a condo we own here. The long term tenants just left and it is time to put it on the market. We will be headed over there tomorrow to work and also meet the realtor. This is a quickie trip. We are returning…
Leaning-In Here in LA
As I ran errands around the neighborhood today I couldn’t help but note that everywhere I went – to Box Brothers for packing materials for eBay sales, Pavilions for a few groceries, BOA to deposit checks – that people were especially friendly. An older man at Box Brothers told me all about the exceptional clam…
Reflections on Growing Older
I am sometimes reminded I am an “older” woman. I look down at my hands and see they bear the evidence of my age. Good hands, still strong and able, but undeniable proof that I have chosen to live a life that includes physical labor along with my time spent on writing and with students. Hands…
20 Minutes a Day 