Today was hot and full of outdoor activity. That makes for tiredness. I drank lots of iced tea while outside and took periodic rests, but I still ended the day feeling as if someone had pulled the plug on me. That did not make me a very engaging guest when visiting friends I’d been looking…
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.
Flash Essay: Organizing for Health
Today we worked on our barn here in Texas, a carriage house actually, which is behind our Queen Anne Victorian. This had been filled with building materials and extra appliances and furniture while we were renovating the house, and now has just been holding a mish-mash of junk. So, today we headed in and started…
Flash Essay: Our Garage Sale or How to Feel Good and Make A Little Money, Too
Our garage sale was a resounding success today. Each of the families who brought items had a handful of cash by the end of the day plus the benefit of a morning and afternoon of genuine camaraderie. We sold most of the items in the sale for fifty cents to a dollar so we sold…
Computer Woes
I am frustrated because I wrote a post about our garage sale tonight and my computer is messing up and I can’t post. I will post it tomorow I hope! Just going on record I did much more writing than my 20 minutes a day. More tomorrow if my computer cooperates.
The Lost Art of Chatting
Today we had the first unofficial selling at our garage sale and we (Ray and I and our neighbors) sold collectively around $450! We were all pretty jazzed since we aren’t even officially opening until 7 tomorrow morning. This experience of working with our friends and neighbors on this “clearing out” process has been one…
Getting Ready for Our Garage Sale, Plus Favorite Items
Today I worked on our neighborhood garage sale from 8 until 5 with an hour break for lunch. The sale is being held across the street from our Texas home in a house we are currently renovating. The work-in-progress house has no air conditioning so the 100+ degree heat here in Texas over the past…
Flash Essay: Feeling Neigborhood Pride
I have just walked inside after working all day in the 100 degree heat here in North Texas. Granted, I have not been out in the direct sun, but I have been working away in a house with no air conditioning. That house is across the street from our Texas home and is a restoration…
Flash Essay: Sammie, Our New Foster Dog
Our daughter Sarah called us a few days ago and told us that her landlord had informed her in no uncertain terms that no dogs were allowed in her new apartment. This was right after she rescued a little Scottie, who had clearly been severely neglected. Ray got off the phone that night and said,…
Flash Essay: Trash or Treasure
I am tired tonight. For good reason. I have, as my husband just said, “Been moving junk around from a life I haven’t participated in for twenty years,” aka “Moving my husband’s stuff around, yet again.” The first time that I realized my husband had an inordinate relationship with “stuff” was several months after we…
Flash Essay: Sharp Edges
We woke up early this morning – 6:30 or 7 – only to discover that our dog had chewed up my husband’s glasses. We found the lenses in many pieces, the earpieces twisted and chewed and we never located the nosepiece. Ray loves this dog more than most humans he knows, so after the shock…
