It is 11:28 pm and I have had a very long day. I had my writing friend here at 8 this morning. We wrote for 1 1/2 hours together. This was, of course, wonderful since we are both excited to have a designated time to work on our works-in-progress. For much of the rest of…
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.
Revisiting Oklahoma Fried Onion Burgers – A 5-Star Recipe
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…
Our Visitor Tonight: Daughter Liz
Liz came over for dinner tonight. Ron is off in Argentina with his Spanish class and that left her a little more free to make the trek over from Glendale after work. I made her one of her favorite meals: noodles with homemade tomato sauce. The fact that my children were fed this meal every…
Arrived Late This Evening in Ojai
We have come up to Ojai tonight to avoid getting up at 5 am to come in the morning. We need to mark off the trees we do not want to be picked; the pickers will be arriving bright and early Wednesday. (We mark off a few trees every year for our personal use.). We…
The Soothing Comfort of Leonard Cohen
I am listening to “The Essential Leonard Cohen,” and I can feel a distinct difference in my stress level beginning with the first song and continuing through to the last. With each successive song, I find my shoulders relaxing more and more and my mood lightening. Of course, some of this is because I love…
The St. Thomas the Apostle “Breakfast Club”
First thing this morning – 6 am – Ray and I headed over to St. Thomas the Apostle Episcopal church in Hollywood to help cook for the Breakfast Club, our homeless feeding program there. We joined other volunteers to make and serve homemade bread pudding, scrambled eggs, roasted potatoes, grilled leeks and onions, and sliced…
Surprise Visitor from Austin
Tonight we had dinner with our niece Katie Leatherwood’s boyfriend, Nowell Maluski, from Austin. We went to Mandarette Chinese Cafe on Beverly Boulevard in West Hollywood and had a great meal. Tomorrow is Nowell’s 33rd birthday so this turned out to be a mini-birthday celebration. Thank you, Nowell, for getting in touch with us. It’s…
Rachael: Chapman University Law School Orientation
Today we drove down to Orange, CA and attended the parents’ component of Rachael’s law school orientation at Chapman University. We participated in a mock class on Property Law, then heard first from the Dean of the Law School followed by the Associate Dean of Students. Afterwards, we headed over for a swearing-in by the entire incoming…
A Letter to Myself
Dear Len, Just checking in with you. I hope you’re doing well. I can see from my vantage point that you are feeling a bit frazzled at the moment. I thought I would offer a few suggestions. 1) Remind yourself that today is the only day you have; stop living in the future or worrying…
Ojai This Evening
It’s been hot in LA and Ojai over the past several days. Up to 100 degrees in LA and 106 in Ojai. However, the front responsible for all this heat has passed so the weather ia supposed to get a bit more seasonal. Tomorrow in LA it is forecasted to be 81; in Ojai 91….
20 Minutes a Day 