Consistency is a trait I value. I grew up in a home where people were not always consistent, so knowing what to expect on a day-to-day basis is something I find comforting. When I was growing up, there was a certain consistency to life: Lorene arrived every weekday at 8:30 without fail, she was consistent….
My Mother on the Anniversary of Her Death
Today in church, we prayed for people listed in our chantry book, where parishioners can add loved ones’ names to honor the anniversary of their deaths The first name called out this morning was Helen Waugh Leatherwood, my mother. My mother died of lung cancer on January 23rd, twenty-five years ago. Each year after my…
Need to Laugh? Find a Toddler.
I spent several hours today with my grandson, little two-year-old Ethan. He helped me take out all the trash, blow leaves, and scoop up dog poop. He also ate oatmeal with lots of cherries, and over the day he had pineapple, dried mango, a turkey patty, nuts, potato leek soup, and an apple. Best yet,…
A Poem Written By My Friend Sonny About the Ongoing Trauma of War
My friend, Sonny, sent me this poem yesterday. While he was visiting, we had been talking about writing, and he said, “I have a poem I wrote a few years back that I’ll share with you.” This is that poem. Sonny lives in the Northeast Berkshire Mountains in Massachusetts. He was awarded a Purple Heart…
What Makes Me Dull and Uninteresting: A List
This was a writing prompt from Dinty W. Moore’s book Crafting the Personal Essay: A Guide for Writing and Publishing Creative Nonfiction. What makes me dull and uninteresting? A list in no particular order: 1) Being too polite2) Being self-absorbed3) Being afraid4) Being nervous and self-conscious5) Not taking risks6) Not pushing beyond my limitations7) Getting…
My Upcoming Story Circle Network Class: “Exploring Prejudice With the Help of Five Acclaimed Black Women Writers”
I will teach an online class on prejudice starting Monday, February 3 – March 3, from 3:30 – 5 Central Time for Story Circle Network, a women’s writing organization encouraging all women to tell their stories. We’ll look at the writings of Zora Neale Hurston, Toni Cade Bambara, Toni Morrison, Maya Angelou, and Roxane Gay…
Thanks for the Visit, Sonny!
Sonny, Nico, and Ray The man on the left in this photo is our dear friend of forty years, Sonny Crawford. He has been visiting us here at the orange grove for the past 8 days and will leave on Wednesday to return to Massachusetts, where his wife and two sons live. Ray met Sonny…
Martin Luther King, Jr’s Wisdom in Our Trouble Times
Over the past two weeks, I have talked with several people dealing with difficult losses. One person has lost his housing and is living at the LA Mission, another has lost her house due to the Altadena fire and is temporarily living in a friend’s guesthouse, another’s elderly mother-in-law unexpectedly died, another’s seemingly healthy younger…
A Rethink On My Book Release Date
Hi all, I am letting you know that I am delaying my book release for a few weeks. Between the Southern California fires and the upcoming Inauguration, I decided to let everything settle down before sending my book out into the world. I realize I’m making an assumption that things will settle down, which is…
A Roadside Taste Treat
Tonight, we drive over to this food stand on Highway 33 between Oakview and Casitas Springs (right outside of Ojai) for dinner. The night was cold, but the food was hot, delicious, and plentiful. I had a chicken quesadilla that was so big I had to bring half of it home. The bean burritos were…
20 Minutes a Day 