Watermelon is my favorite fruit. In fact, I just consumed about a fourth of a watermelon a few minutes ago and I am currently staring at its rind. I am also very tired today after a long round trip to Ojai and Santa Barbara. I thought sharing a few facts on watermelons might be edifying…
Category: Texas
Childhood Best Friend
My best friend growing up was Patricia Butler. I met her when I was three and she was four, when her family moved to my little town and began attending our tiny Episcopal mission there. Patricia was the polar opposite of me in appearance: she had big blue eyes, snow-blonde hair and was skinny as…
An Unexpected Ending
The other day, I was headed out to Pasadena to see Sarah, Gregorio and baby Luna. Ray was already there so I was driving our old but trusty Jaguar, vintage 2003. I love this car. We bought it secondhand in 2006, and besides having low mileage, we were even able to talk to the mechanic…
Richard Linklater Film: Boyhood – GO SEE IT
I just returned from seeing Richard Linklater’s film Boyhood and I have to say this is a must-see. The film spans 12 years (literally) and you watch the main character, Mason, played by Ellar Coltrane, grow and change from age 6 to age 18. The other characters: Patricia Arquette as Mason’s mother, Ethan Hawke as…
Skin and Scars
My skin is a conduit of memory. One soft touch takes me back to my sweet high school boyfriend, the first male to every caress me; one harsh squeeze reminds me of one of my college boyfriends, the only person who ever physically hurt me; one stroke on my back connects me to my mother…
Flagstaff
It is 10:49 pm and we have made it to Flagstaff. That is 15 hours of driving. Hopefully, that makes tomorrow a fairly easy day. That will depend on the 4th of July traffic going into LA. We already know that the traffic leaving LA will be horrific tomorrow afternoon. Do people actually go to…
Rachael: Back in CA
My daughter Rachael ended her year in Texas today. She flew back to LA to start her new job as nanny to her niece Luna for the year and to start a LSAT preparation course so she can apply to law school for entrance in 2015. This is a win-win for Rachael and for sister…
Life Shifts
Cool night. Nice westerly wind. Late. Sounds of the highway off in the distance. Crickets nearby. Tired after a long day’s work. Organizing junk, mowing, editing, visiting, renting out an apartment, and eating dinner with friends. Not much detail tonight. Just a chance to get this down before a quick bath to wash off the…
Flash Memoir: Skin
In 6th grade, my teacher, Mrs. Miller, pulled me aside in the hall just before lunch. She peered down at me and said, “What are your parents doing about your skin?” I felt my cheeks grow warm and I knew I was blushing. “I just started going to a dermatologist.” My teacher was referring to…
Some Wise Words
My husband Ray can be loud, funny, opinionated, and capable of driving me crazy on occasion, but he has a way of coming up with little gems that have a particular ring of truth. Today was an example. Today I said to him, “I don’t want to snap at you but sometimes I just can’t…
20 Minutes a Day 