Ray and I rushed this morning, finishing up all of our LA work, so we could drive up to the orange grove and enjoy an afternoon and night of rain as we nestle in the Airstream. This was definitely an excellent plan. I took a two hour nap in mid-afternoon to the pitter-patter of raindrops…

Congratulations to my writing student, Alyssa Hance, who learned today that she has been accepted into the 2017 freshman class at Loyola Marymount University here in Los Angeles. Alyssa lives in Tucson, Arizona and is a very talented writer. She was selected from over 14,000 applicants to fill one of the 1350 freshmen slots available…

I am writing this blog for those of you who worry about punctuation as much as I do, which, admittedly, might be a small group. However, if you are indeed a member of this group, here’s what I discovered a few days back in reference to commas and names. (I apparently have been getting this…

I made this cake last week. It was delicious. Let me know if you try it! Happy eating. INGREDIENTS • Unsalted butter, softened, for pan • 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting • 3/4 teaspoon baking powder • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda • 1 teaspoon coarse salt • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon…

I am happy to share that my writing student Alexa Nourafchan, a senior at Harvard-Westlake, received her acceptance letter today from University of Pennsylvania, where she will be entering the freshman class in the fall, 2017.  Alexa and I have a long history since I first learned of her existence when her mother announced she…

Good night, Alisoun.  I have enjoyed our time together, but I really do need to get some sleep. I believe we served you well. As for now, adieu.

Well, I’d like to report that my student’s term paper is complete and I feel confident about the outcome.  That is not so far the case, though I feel confident that we WILL figure out the problems we are currently having and will adjust our body paragraphs just so to fit that refined premise. These…

The Wife of Bath’s Prologue and her Tale in Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales is taking up a good deal of my time these last few days.  One of my beloved college students and I are actively taking on two literary critics in what her professor calls a “literary conversation” regarding the Wife of Bath’s feminism vs…

We had our grandbabies last night and for part of today.  I’m surprised that I am still awake at 9:52 pm since I am usually worn out by the time they leave. This morning we got up early and worked on the Christmas tree.  Here are a few photos of that event. Then we went…