This recipe is from Rose Levy Birnbaum’s The Cake Bible, my favorite book for cakes, hands-down. This cake is moist and delicious. Don’t let the addition of mayonnaise throw you off. This is a cake you can depend on with company coming. I have never had one problem with it even when substituting honey for…
Category: Texas
After a Long Day and a Pesky Cold
I need to go to bed. We have been up and running since early this morning. My nose is also running from that malady that my family had last week, which is apparently contagious. I am alternatively stuffed up and then drippy-nosed. I say, “Pick a position and stick with it, for goodness sake,” but…
Sitting in My Living Room in Texas
I am sitting in my living room in Sherman, Texas. It is 10:35 and I need to write for 20 minutes. I have had a long, but good day seeing old friends and making at least one new one. Tomorrow, we will be up early so we can attend to business that needs to be…
On this May Day
Ray is sniffling and coughing in the next room. His eyes are red and he looks tired. I am certain he is suffering from a hefty allergy attack. Rachael has already gone upstairs to bed after deciding to take the day off from work so she “can feel better” after throwing up several times two…
RIP Bettye Whitmire
An older friend of ours, an antique dealer in Texas, was buried today. She was 83 and up until 2 or 3 years ago, she was out and about in her Camaro convertible, always on the look out for antiques. She had a great sense of humor and a real joy of life though she…
My Mother’s Gift
I was twelve years old when I scanned through the beautifully bound books that comprised our family library. I don’t know why I decided on that particular day to look through these volumes. Perhaps it was cold outside and the idea of curling up with a book in a cozy room was alluring. Whatever the…
Jury Selection and Rachael’s Birthday
I have been selected to serve on a jury in a civil case. The judge said we can expect the trial to go from 7 – 10 days. We had jury selection today and we begin tomorrow. I am happy to do my civic duty though the timing could have been better. Ray and I…
My Evening and a Few Simple Pleasures
I am sitting here at my table in the living room. It is 11 o’clock at night. The television is on in the other room at a volume where I can make out a few words, just loud enough to be distracting. I am tired. I can feel fatigue behind my eyes. I have been…
Three Beloved Objects that Connect Me To My Past
I am sitting at the round table in the living room, which is my work spot. This is where I see my writing students and this is where I write. I also do bills here and billing and read online and off. Three items in this room are especially important to me: the fireplace, a…
Healing Through Storytelling
Tonight I read my online students’ Week Two flash stories/memoirs and I literally was sitting at my computer crying. The class is tiny – three woman – a perfect size, really, for a class. They are sharing such deeply personal and painful stories with such grace and beauty, I might have to go upstairs and…
20 Minutes a Day 