We are back home in LA and today has been a student day for me. I worked all morning with one of my longstanding students, Elijah, who is now applying to law school. He and I go back to his high school days when I helped him with his English term papers. Since then, he’s…

After an idyllic week up at the orange grove in Ojai, Ray and I are headed back to LA this evening. I have students all day tomorrow and then a wedding on Friday before more students on Saturday. Life is good. We are both rested and relaxed and looking forward to the adventures 2019 promises…

How will I remember 2018?  Fighting fires… The Thomas fire circled around Ojai, CA and our orange grove in December of 2017 and the aftermath, which went well into early 2018, was soot and smoke and heartbreak for many who lost their homes. We were very lucky in that we only experienced soot and smoke….

I am sitting in the car with a sleeping Nico while Ray, Sarah, Gregorio and Luna make a quick stop into the various thrift shops in downtown Ventura. Afterward, we will head to the movies for Spider-Man or Bumblebee, whichever wins out. Nico is snoring in the back seat. At almost three, he is a…

I am sitting in our Airstream in the orange grove up in Ojai listening to the wind howl outside.  It’s due to get down to 37 degrees tonight and then back up to the lower 60’s tomorrow.  However, Ray and I (and Cordelia and Frankie) are as snug as we can be.  We have two…

Have I mentioned that we are expecting our third grandchild in March 2019?  Sarah and Gregorio will be having their third child very near Ray’s mid-March birthday and this little bundle of joy will be a baby sister for Luna and Nico. Names are still very much under discussion between Sarah and Gregorio. We’ll just…

My student on the telephone is writing for 10 minutes so I thought I’d take this opportunity to write a few words of my own.  He is writing an essay to submit to the University of Calfornia schools and I can hear the clicking of his computer keys as he works away.  He lives in…

Dear friends, I’m sorry I’ve been out of the loop. This is my busy time of year due to helping students with college essays and I have been snowed.  But I had a cancellation tonight – yeehaw – so I took the time to answer two prompts from my Story Circle Network e-circle writing group. …

I have had the occasion over the past few days to talk to several people who are in pain. In one case, a parent is worried about an adult child who is having serious issues; in another, a friend is worried about another friend who is terminally ill. Worry is the operative word here. Worry…

I will be presenting my first teleseminar this Friday at 11 am Pacific time to members of the National Association of Memoir Writers. I met NAMW’s founder, Linda Joy Myers, at the Story Circle Network national conference and she invited me to make this presentation. I am looking forward to sharing my love of flash…