I am sitting with Elena. This is our first official session in our writing “group,” meaning the two of us. That’s just fine. I enjoy our time together. We both might feel resentful if another person joined us. We might look at them and think, “No, that’s not how we spend our time here. It’s…
Category: Writing as a Discipline
College Essays, Online Classes and A New Car for Liz
I am grateful to have the work, but I am tired. I have been working straight since noon (it’s 8:30) with students on college essays, law school essays, and letters for special scholars programs. My back is aching from being bent over the computer and my mind is less that clear. I’m glad there isn’t…
Work-in-Progress: Not a Masterpiece…
I have been working on my novel in progress. This book is a big stretch for me. It’s about a 17-year-old rural Texas girl, Hannah Price, who is gifted at playing the violin and has been preparing for months to go with her music teacher for an audition at Juilliard. However, just a week before…
The Best Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe EVER
I have made one of the most delicious chicken noodle soups that I’ve ever tasted and I want to share the recipe with you. The key is making the stock from a whole chicken, of course, and then using that meat for the soup. But the other nice addition is the use of Chinese noodles…
Stumbling onto a New Blog Template
I have been fooling around with the look of my blog. I actually prefer the option I had before, but, of course, I can’t find that now. Oh well, a little change never hurt anybody, especially me, who is someone who can get a bit mired in the status quo. I don’t know if shifting…
Honey-Sweetened Pumpkin Muffin Recipe – Perfect for Fall
My daughter Liz shared this recipe with me a few days back. I have not tried it, but can already tell it’s going to be good. Pumpkin adds such a great flavor and I’m sure this is a perfect “fall” muffin. I am including the recipe below. I feel certain I’ll be baking this up…
My Most Embarrassing Halloween
Several years back, my husband Ray mentioned to me that we were invited to a Halloween party that was being hosted by one of his clients, J. J lives in a gated community off of Sunset and Ray’s company designed and maintained the landscaping for her large glass and teak home. Anyway, I was happy…
Day Two of Painting
You know all those positive words I was using to describe the Zen of painting just a couple of days ago? Well, let’s just say those words don’t apply when there are beams across the ceiling that are faux-aged and, therefore, covered in a brown color. I painted and repainted and re-repainted those beams all…
A Special Little Visitor Today
I had my sweet little buddy, Miss Luna Isabella Pacheco Beaty, today from 10 and until 1:30. She has her own drawer in the kitchen that houses her toys and various plastic kitchenware, so while Grandma was making granola and then tuna casserole, little Luna had her bowls and measuring spoons on the floor whipping…
Sadie’s Good-Bye
“But she promised she’d say good-bye,” Max said as he swigged a glass of lager while we sat in our usual back booth at “Let’s Get It On” bar. Just a side note about the bar – it was about the last place anybody would ever think to “get it on,” unless that meant to…
20 Minutes a Day 