Dear Lee, You have been my friend for as long as I can remember. You, who were born six days earlier than I, in the very same hospital and who lived less than a block away from me until we were five. At that point, we lived a whole five blocks away until we graduated…
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.
For Gayle: The Reprint of a Story Inspired by Music
Janet wasn’t sure why life seemed so complicated these days. Maybe it had to do with the way the wind was always blowing, tossing her short gray hair this way and that, and reminding her of happier times before Chet died. Chet, her husband of 35 years, who woke up one day and said he…
In Search of a Writing Structure
Tonight, I have been sitting here for over an hour perusing news stories and Calls for Submissions trying to find a topic on which to write. I don’t mind writing once I have a topic, but sometimes figuring out what to write about is a pain in the butt. Tonight is one of those times….
Back in LA
We are safely back in LA after over two weeks away. We are happy to be back. Our first stop after returning the rent car was to go visit our little granddaughter, Luna. All our kids were together at Sarah’s where we celebrated our return with a meal. I am dead-tired now and ready to…
A Slight Complication
We decided to drive back to CA in an old car we recently bought as a knock-around car. The reason? So we could leave the van in Texas for the upcoming trip to bring the Airstream to the orange grove. Things were fine last night when we drove to Amarillo where it was 18 degrees….
Standing Up to Fear
I have been thinking a lot today about the idea of censorship. How critical it is that we don’t fall victim to the fear that what we think and feel might bring trouble if we speak up and share our thoughts. Free speech is one of the fundamental components of a free society; without it,…
A Varied Texas House Experience
This is our last night at our house here in Texas, at least for a while. Ray will return fairly soon, but it may be a couple of months before I get back to the Lone Star State. We have had quite a time here, this round. We enjoyed a vacation house experience for our…
Road Trip Preparations
We are preparing for our westward trip back to LA. We will be leaving on Thursday and plan to arrive home on Friday night. We have been hustling around today attending to a multitude of small tasks, all of which need to be completed before we take to the road. Also, we have seen many…
A Cold Winter’s Night and an Old Fashioned Heater
I am sitting in our quiet house here in Texas. Our Scottie, Sammie, is lying in the chair opposite me and Ray is in the kitchen. Cordelia is somewhere in the house, probably curled up on the floor near Ray. It is 10:30 at night on a cold January night. The temperature outside is 36…
20 Minutes a Day 