Ray woke me up in Ojai this morning with the words, “I took Sammie outside and she pooped twice. She’s up and walking around.” “That’s great,” I said, “but we’re going to follow through with our plan. I can’t take another day of mourning like yesterday.” “Let’s just talk to the vet and see how…
Category: Writing
Reflections on Living, Dying and Our Little Dog, Sammie
This has been a strange day indeed. We went to the vet this morning with our Scottish terrier, Sammie, only to get the diagnosis we feared: a cancerous mass in her belly and another on her lung. No pain now, but pain would be coming very soon. I was prepared to allow the vet to…
Ojai with Our Dogs
We just arrived at the orange grove. It is ten pm and the moon is not out. Instead we can see a sky full of stars against the dark night. We are in the Airstream and have electricity so making the bed and putting away provisions wasn’t quite as tricky as in candlelight. Ray is…
Childhood Refuges
I was a solitary little girl, who loved to nestle in the space between the Nandina bushes and the white picket fence in our backyard; bare toes digging into the loose North Texas black soil; bare arms serving as racetracks for doodlebugs in exploration. My dog, Bob, was my constant companion. He was middle-sized, black…
Spicy Honey/Maple Sweetened Peach Pie with a Latticed Top
I made a spicy peach pie this evening. I had hoped to make this while my cousin and his wife were visiting (they left today), but I just didn’t have time since we were so busy. (Sorry, cuz). Anyway, I used maple sugar and honey since I don’t eat refined sugar. However, if you want…
Habitat for Humanity Report from Liz and Ron
Daughter Liz and her boyfriend, Ron, have returned from their 10 day trip to Alaska to work on a Habitat for Humanity house in Anchorage. We saw them tonight and heard about the trip. The highlights that we heard tonight are as follows: 1) Yes, they hope to do this again. They are considering a…
Photo Essay: Dinner at Sarah’s
We ate dinner this evening with Sarah and Gregorio. Here are a few photos: My son-in-law grilling Luna drawing Lee Entertaining while Elaine listens Sarah and Gregorio Preparing More Entertaining Food Ready Lovely evening, great food, excellent company. Thank you, Sarah and Gregorio for hosting. See you all tomorrow.
Visitors from Texas
My first cousin, Lee Leatherwood, and his wife, Elaine, are here in LA visiting from Austin, Texas. Lee and I are six days apart in age, and grew up in the same little Texas town. Our kids are close to the same age and we have many interests in common, which include writing, reading, and…
100, 117 Hits!
Today I discovered I have topped the 100,000 mark regarding views on my blog. The exact number is 100,117. I have also published 1,307 blog posts and have received 3,661 comments. I want to thank each of you for supporting my writing. It means a lot to me to know that someone is out there reading…
Daughter Rachael: Off on Her New Adventure
Dear Rachael, I know you are moving to your new home this weekend and starting law school soon; however, please remember that no matter what you do or how old you get, you’ll always be my baby. The picture below was taken 21 years ago this month. I love how we are giving each other…
20 Minutes a Day 