I have just come from watching the live coverage of the shooting of police officers in Dallas, which is part of my stomping ground since I grew up in North Central Texas. I know well those streets, the Crowne Plaza Hotel, and Parkland Hospital. Ironically, this all took place only blocks from “the grassy knoll”…
Prompt: When Do I Feel Most Free?
When do I feel most free? Ah, I know. When I write fiction. Nothing matches the sense of freedom I feel when I settle into a comfortable chair with either my laptop or notebook and pen, and write a random sentence or fragment of dialogue with no idea where it will take me. From there, the…
Luna & the 4th of July Parade
Today we went out to Sierra Madre to see Luna and her preschool in the 4th of July parade. I thought we were going to see a 10 minute parade of a bunch of kids and maybe a few parents. Instead, the little city of Sierra Madre (directly east of Pasadena) “put on the dog,”…
A Reading of Flash Fiction Story #2: Jacob’s Search
I am adding a second flash fiction story here, which is the one I put on my blog last week. Since several people said they liked these but prefer to see the text too, I am adding the text below the YouTube video. (I promise I won’t do this more than once a week!) I…
Corgi Beach Day in Long Beach
Here are photos from a truly silly/heartwarming event: Corgi beach day. You can’t help but smile looking at this collection of Corgis and other canines gathered together at the dog beach down in Long Beach. Here are the photos:
An Experiment: Reading a Story Aloud
Having just gotten back from seeing Garrison Keillor’s last show with A Prairie Home Companion and in the spirit of oral storytelling, I am launching an experiment tonight. I have included a link to me reading one of my flash fiction stories. This is only a little over three minutes long. I am doing it…
Grandbabies Sleepover!
Luna and baby Nico are staying tonight and all day tomorrow with Grandma and Grandpa. Sarah is working nights this week as a family medicine resident and Gregorio, who has been with the kids every night at home all week, might need just a little rest. So we are happy to accommodate. This will be…
The Room Where I Write
The room I am sitting in has a red Persian rug, a brown leather couch, a green brocade wing back chair (plus ottoman), a green Morris chair (plus ottoman), a cane back rocking chair, an art deco blondish coffee table and a low oak table upon which rests our television set. The curtains (which are…
Coping with Troubles
The past few days have been filled with an unexpected batch of complications in several areas of my life, ranging from severe health problems for a couple of friends to very bad news about a couple of friends to very bad relations between a couple of friends. Also, there are stressors occurring in two unexpected…
Flash Fiction: My New Stepmother’s Tear
Dad gives me a wink, like we are pals or something. We’re sitting in our kitchen having eggs and waffles on a Sunday morning. I’m not sure why he winked; we haven’t said a nice word to each other for weeks, not since he married that witch that is now supposed to be my new…
20 Minutes a Day 