Tomorrow, I start teaching a six-week online class through Story Circle Network on Toni Morrison’s novel, Beloved. We’ll be looking at the literary elements and devices that Morrison uses to add depth and power to her work. What are literary elements and devices? You know them by different names: metaphor, simile, irony, foreshadowing, symbols, themes,…
Our Digs up at the Orange Grove & a Few Aches and Pains
I am sitting in the Airstream up in Ojai at our orange grove. Ray is sitting across from me at our table here in the kitchen area and we’re both working on our computers. Thanks to a Verizon hotspot, we’re able to stay fairly in-touch online, though it can get tricky with Zoom or FaceTime…
The Swirl of These Times
It is 6:13 in the morning, pitch dark outside and rain is pouring in a steady stream, a good solid rain that started last night before bed. I have a cup of black tea with milk on the table next to my computer and I can see the steam rising from it. Rachael’s dog, Hazel,…
Prompt: “Are you the same person that you were before Covid-19?”
I must admit that I am not the same person that I was before Covid-19. At that point, I was naive about events in life like a pandemic, where one day everything is just like any other day and the next, life is very different for everyone. Not in my lifetime has an event like…
The Failure of “Hillbilly Elegy” in Comparison to “Justified” and “Rectify”
Spoiler alert. I wanted to like Hillbilly Elegy. I have not read the book, but knew it was a New York Times bestseller and I ‘d also heard an interesting radio interview with the author, J.D. Vance. In addition, I typically love Ron Howard’s movies and, of course, when you have Glenn Close and Amy…
A Demonstration of Ray’s Love
I have been thinking of my beloved husband of 40 years today. How Ray does small things that demonstrate his love and affection. For example, in our Airstream, there are two shelves that he quietly decorated. They have a beige toy Volkswagen, a framed postcard of a coastline, a tiny typewriter, a clear box with…
Flash Fiction: Love, Loss and the Healing Power of Crows
Jacqueline heard the crows outside and felt called. Their caws brought her first to the window to see their black bodies balanced on the telephone wires and then outside to peer up at them. Caw caw caw they sang and she felt a sense of calm. They brought her peace in a way that she…
My 2015 Dia De Los Muertos Altar for My Best Friend, Patricia Butler
I’ve been thinking about Patricia a lot lately and then I remembered the Day of the Dead altar I made for her when I was taking ceramics classes at Barnsdall Art Center. Tomorrow is the Day of the Dead or All Soul’s Day, depending on your religious persuasion. Patricia was my best friend growing up….
Ray’s Return and a Gorgeous Piece of Music
Ray has returned from LA and he brought cooler temperatures with him. Though it was 93 today in Ojai, this evening it’s a chilly 66, the coolest at this time of night in almost a week. I can suddenly feel fall in the air and am snuggled under several quilts. We sleep with the windows…
A Dead Fox
This perfect little fox was lying dead on our road here at the orange grove this morning. I felt sad that this beautiful animal’s life was cut short. I don’t know what killed him/her. A coyote would not have left her so intact. She is the size of our terrier, Frankie. We have a plethora…
20 Minutes a Day 