The news has been so sad about the floods in Texas. This story felt like the right piece to share tonight. Mary Theresa was tired. Tired of feeling out of control; tired of feeling lost. She went out to the porch of her house on the lake and stared at the dark night. She couldn’t…
Flash Fiction: Granny
I like to come out early, before the heat settles in and everything turns still. The porch is quiet, the air soft. Across the yard, a mourning dove coos from her nest in the old barn. The crickets have quieted, replaced by birds calling from the pecan trees overhead. Rambler, my old blue heeler, lets…
Poem: Silent Flight, Summer Sky
I saw a red-tailed hawkCircling high in the Ojai sky. Then a second appeared—Wings steady, rising—And together they drifted,Two shadows on the wind,Gliding in quiet harmony. The sunlight lit their fanned tails,Rust-red and glowing,A bold contrastAgainst the wide, blue sky. For a breath of time,The world paused—A moment of pure solaceOn a warm summer day.
Digging Deep: What College Essays—and Life Writing—Are Really About
I’ve been working with students over the past few days on their college essays—using shared Google Docs and Zoom calls. It’s always an interesting process, and this year is no different. Part of what makes these essays so meaningful is that we dig deep. Really deep. We look for those moments in life that carry…
Today in Photos
Relaxing at the orange grove
Reflections on a Sweet Bonhi Reunion
The biggest frustration with a Friday evening, all-day Saturday high school reunion is simple: there’s not enough time. Not enough time to sit, settle in, and have a real, meaty conversation with old friends. Just a quick hug, a handful of sentences to catch up, then—before you know it—someone else walks up for their own…
Home At Last!
Here is our 2 1/2-year-old grandson Ethan’s message to us this morning when we were on the last leg of our three-day driving trip back from Texas to California. Liz and Ethan met us as we drove into the orange grove, and Liz was happy to let Ethan ride the rest of the way while…
Traveling Cross-Country
Ray and I are headed back to California after a stay in Texas for both of our high school reunions. I have photos and thoughts on both reunions but they will have to wait. I am the primary driver, which is why you haven’t heard from me for a couple of days. By the time…
Mrs. Mary Wilshire, A Sweet Memory
I wrote this a while back, but since this is my all-school reunion weekend in Bonham, Texas, I wanted to reshare this sweet memory. I took a private Speech class from Mrs. Mary Wilshire for two years when I was in middle school. I walked to her house from school along Agnew Street and I…
An Approach to Writing Flash Fiction That’s Fun and Fast
I wrote the story below a while back during one of those quick writing exercises I like to do when I’m looking to stir things up creatively. I grabbed a deck of alphabet cards—the same kind I’ve used with younger kids when they’re learning letters—and spread them face up on the table. From that deck,…
20 Minutes a Day 