I am sitting with Oona. It is almost 8 pm. She is my last student of the day, which began at 8 am. I did have a few breaks. I made vegetable soup, cornbread and cookies during one of my breaks. I love vegetable soup. There’s something very satisfying about it, particularly in the fall….
Category: Timed Writing
Daily Progress, One Student at a Time
I have been sitting on this chair or standing near this table in my living room since 8 am when my first student arrived. I am not inclined to linger at this late hour and, therefore, will be writing only a brief blog this evening. I have, after all, being aiding in the writing process…
Birdman – A Thought-Provoking Film
Ray and I went with our friend David a few nights back to see Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) starring Michael Keaton. I would highly recommend this film. It is quirky, but also deep, and requires a suspension of disbelief in more than one place over the course of the story. Jorge Luis…
Ray and Ragweed – It Ain’t Pretty
Ray is upstairs and I can hear him coughing and hacking away. This will be a short entry since I think my husband might appreciate my presence since he doesn’t feel well. The culprit: Texas ragweed. He just returned after five days in Texas and he is highly allergic. He took Flonase the whole time…
Flash Fiction: Seeing Red
I was shocked that he did it. Threw himself out of that window and landed with a thud on the pavement below as people with dogs walked by. He was dressed to go out that night, in a suit coat and red tie, and he had his cane in his hand even as he lay…
My Postage-Stamp Garden
A few days back, I got up bright and early and headed to Anawalt’s on Robertson in West Hollywood to buy herbs and vegetables for my fall garden. I came home with Italian parsley, curly parsley, cilantro, Italian oregano, beets, lettuce, swiss chard, romaine, sweet leaf, and strawberries. These plants went in alongside several hardy kale…
Today: Hour by Hour
I am sitting in a quiet house after a very long day of students. It is dark outside and the air is cool. It is 7:54 pm and I am contemplating heading right upstairs, taking a warm bath and going straight to bed. This is how my day went today. I am not complaining since…
Now and Forever
Madeline was tired. She had been boxing up all sorts of antiques all afternoon since the owners, Maude and Jason Fredericks, were going out of business. These boxes would be heading to an auction where they would all go for what Maude described as “pennies on the dollar.” Madeline was especially upset about three different…
20 Minutes a Day 