Today is my birthday. I am 59-years-old. That’s one year from 60 for those of you with less than stellar math skills. Dear Lord in heaven, how did that happen? The 60 part, not your math skills. It’s crazy this aging thing. The part that nobody mentioned (all those OLD people like my mom and…
Category: Flash essay
At Night at Disney Hall
Ray and I went down to Disney Hall tonight and heard the L.A. Phil perform Mahler’s 1st Symphony. It was “casual” Friday so Gustavo Dudamel, the LA Phil’s 30-year-old conductor, came out in jeans, a polo shirt and Converse tennis shoes. All the rest of the orchestra was dressed in jeans and tee-shirts, too, which…
An Empty-Nester on the Move
Tonight I am too tired to write much. The truth is I hand wrote an essay for my blog, but am too tired to transcribe. Students and preparation for my online class, plus a major room switch prompted by our youngest child moving out are the blame. I am happy with the room switch, however,…
Prompt: The Gift of a Quilt
I am giving each of my three daughters a quilt as a keepsake. These are not quilts made by me with fabric from their Easter dresses or from their first days of school. How I wish I had been so forward thinking that I had saved those favorite dresses and tops for that purpose! No,…
Childhood Games and Career Choices
You know how sometimes you read that if you go back to what you loved doing when you were a little kid – 4, 5, or 6 – then that will tell you what your ideal occupation should be? Well, in my case, this is exactly true since when I was a little girl, my…
To George on What Would Have Been His 62nd Birthday
Today is my brother George’s birthday. My brother who died eight years ago. My brother who was three years older than me and was my closest friend from birth. The first person I adored with all of my heart. When I was little he would ask me to go upstairs and get his shoes and…
Last Night in Texas
It’s been a good long trip and we are here for our final evening. I just heard the cat hop off of the chair upstairs – his domain – and he is now eating. Amazing how sound can travel down the stairwell. I am sitting in the staircase room in one of the yellow wing…
Prompt: The Value of Writing or Not…
Blankness. That’s where I am now with this writing thing. Pure blank. Why is that? I can look around and see prompts I could start with: a chair, a lamp, a staircase, a corgi, a clock, folded clothes, a mirror and yet…I am not finding myself jumping in with any of these. Why? Because I…
Trying to Keep the Resolutions Realistic
Habits I Would Like to Cultivate in 2012: I want to keep these resolutions simple: 1) Walk every day at least 30 minutes. That seems like nothing, but I will have to push to make this happen. I get into my sedentary routine and the next thing I know it’s three years later. 2) Write…
Post Open House
The house is quiet. The guests are gone. The dishes have been washed and put away. We had a respectable crowd – 45 – many of whom were my favorite people. I looked around at one point and thought, “How wonderful to have many of my closest friends all in one place!” The Open House…
20 Minutes a Day 