This has been a cleaning day here at our Texas home. We’ve had our do-rags on and have been wielding a serious dust cloth and vacuum wand. This is what happens when you have a house to air out and freshen up after time away. I am appreciating my clean house this evening. We are…
Category: Writing
Made it to Our Texas Home
Ray and I are safely settled in our Texas home after two and a quarter days on the road. The trip was uneventful, as we like it, but there were a few times that it felt a bit long. Nothing like sitting on your rear-end for 11 hours for two days and three hours on…
On the Road…
We are headed to North Texas and have stopped tonight in Moriarty, New Mexico. We had dinner in a local restaurant and were serenaded by these folks. Actually, they were pretty good! Married 52 years. We only heard their last two songs: Jimmy Buffet’s “Margaritaville” and the hymn “In the Garden.” (Fairly different subject matter!)…
Movie Recommendation: Logan Lucky
This movie is a kick. It stars Adam Driver, Channing Tatum, and Daniel Craig and is set in small town, West Virginia. The Logan Brothers (Driver and Tatum) decide to undertake a heist and need the help of bank robber, Daniel Craig, who is currently in prison. They enlist his aid, then head over to…
The Final Days of my “20 Minutes a Day” Class at Story Circle Network
I am wrapping up one of my favorite courses I teach at Story Circle Network, a non-profit organization dedicated to encouraging women to tell their stories. This class is entitled, “An Experiment: Committing to Writing 20 Minutes a Day for One Month.” The goal of the class is to acquaint or reacquaint writers to the…
Writing Prompt: If I Could Turn Off My Fear Factor
If I Could Turn Off My Fear Factor, I would: Sing to a large crowd, after lots of practicing, of course. Dance naked in the rain (in a private place). Go skinny-dipping daily (in a private pool). Jump out of an airplane and see what it’s like to float to earth with a parachute. Do…
My Day Today
I am sitting in my den with both dogs sleeping near me. They are patiently waiting for me to take them on their walk. We returned from Ojai this morning after being up at the orange grove for two days. Liz and Ron joined us yesterday, but Liz, bless her heart, was not feeling…
The American West in the 1850s
These are drawings done in 1856 of Los Angeles and the Mission of San Diego, along with the great basin from the summit of Tejon Pass and a surveying party at the entrance of Livermore’s Pass. These all appear in a volume of books commissioned by the War Department in the 1850s to determine the…
The Mental Benefits of Cooking
I felt discombobulated this morning – well, depressed is a better term – given all the ugly news over the past several days. I had a good talk with Ray, a little cry and then did what I always do when I feel disconnected and a bit unraveled. I cooked. Cooking serves several purposes for…
20 Minutes a Day 