I know that Ray and I seem to always watch television shows long after they’ve gone off the air, but with the advent of Netflix and other viewing options, it’s always good to hear of exceptionally well-done series. Deadwood falls in that category. It ran from 2004 – 2006 and is a HBO series about…
Songs I Sing to Luna and Nico
Today is baby Nico’s 8 month birthday and I was thinking of what a little joy he is. Biggest grin in the world along with the softest cheeks. Sweet disposition and totally in love with his big sister. He also responds to music just as Luna does, which involves really listening and also finding it…
Repost: Why I Write
I periodically have to remind myself why I write. Tonight is one of those occasions. It certainly is not for the money, by the way, or the fame. So, why do I write? Let me think about that question for a minute. I write because: 1) I often express myself on paper better than through…
SCN Flash Courses: One Just Ended; Another Starts Soon
I just wrapped up the Flash Nonfiction class I have been teaching this summer at Story Circle Network. The class was small, five women, and was relatively short, five weeks. Over that time they read The Rose Metal Press Field Guide to Flash Nonfiction, had optional supplementary readings and stories (which they all read) and also…
Lessons
“You can make a living doing that kind of thing,” Mary Jo said as she was watching her sister refinish an oak coffee table outside in her back yard. I suppose I could, but I’ve never thought about it,” Louise said, running the tack rag gently over the sanded finish. “Maybe I’ll consider it now…
Repost: A Reflection on Patience
I have discovered that over the years I have developed patience. I can sit for the required amount of time to unknot a chain on a necklace or go line-by-line through a story, essay or novel chapter to provide the needed commas, semicolons, dashes or periods. I am also capable of sorting through a drawer…
New Computer and Babies in the House
My new computer arrived today – I am so happy! Ray has been generous with his, loaning it to me when I’ve had students over the past several days. I appreciate that very much. Now I have my own MacBook Air and I am excited by its light weight versus my 5-year-old MacBook. Also, I…
Bad Luck and A Little Bit of Good
Well, I am not a real believer in the “Mercury in Retrograde” phenomenon, but I have had a run of bad luck over the past week or so. Not only did I manage to pull that gas nozzle right off the gas tank, but I also received a red-light notification in the mail (meaning there…
Repost: Converse All Stars and Me Back in 1962
When I was growing up, I had a problem buying shoes. My feet were small and wide, and in my little Texas town of 7,000 it was not always easy finding shoes that fit me in the local shoe stores. This meant at the very least traveling 25 miles over to Sherman, which had a…
Photo Essay of Labor Day in Ojai
Despite a trip to Urgent Care by me on Saturday for a bacterial infection, Ray and I managed to go up to Ojai this weekend for a family gathering. The doctor prescribed two forms of antibiotics and told me to rest. The kids, grandkids and Ray took good care of me so that I could…
20 Minutes a Day 