We had a raucous time on Sunday for our joint Christmas and birthday celebration. Lots of food, fun, and laughter. I looked around the room on several occasions at this motley crew of folks who all love each other and felt exceedingly grateful. I had a wonderful birthday. And now Gregorio and Sarah can finally…
Flash Memoir: Could That Be John?
I was walking the other day in downtown Los Angeles when I saw him – a man in his mid-forties, slight of build, with a square jaw and dark eyes. My heart jumped in my chest, John! I wanted to shout out but did not. My brother, you see, died back in 1991. The man…
A Reflection on My Coming Birthday
Tomorrow is my birthday. Ray and I will go to Sarah’s house to celebrate Christmas plus Nico’s, Liz’s, and my birthdays. I made a double batch of turkey meatloaf this afternoon and it is cooling in the kitchen. We’ll have that with stuffed shells, salad, and other goodies tomorrow. We’ll also exchange gifts (some of…
Today’s Trip to the Ophthalmologist
I am typing with dilated eyes – this should be interesting – after just returning from a trip to the cornea specialist who will be performing cataract surgery on my left eye in the next month or so. I had high hopes of getting those fancy lenses inserted that would correct my vision while fixing…
Turkey Meatloaf: Nico’s New Favorite
When I saw my grandson Nico recently, he let me know that turkey meatloaf is what he wants me to make for him for our combination Christmas/January birthday celebration. I have already made and frozen stuffed shells for the big day but will certainly accommodate Nico with turkey meatloaf. I suspect I’ll also make mashed…
Will Our Family Finally Get to Celebrate Christmas Soon?
Covid has been a real pain for our family over the past month. Sarah’s family went down just before Christmas so we postponed our holiday together until January. In the meantime, Rachael and Andrew came down with it as well. Then on Monday, we were due to celebrate Christmas and our January birthday folks, but…
Happy Birthday, Liz!
Today is the birthday of my middle daughter, Elizabeth. Over the past several years, I have had the privilege of working with Liz at Story Circle Network where she is the program director. This has been quite a treat since our skill sets are a bit different. I’m happy to be the front person while…
Happy Birthday to My First Cousin, Lee Leatherwood!
My first cousin Lee is exactly six days older than I am. At the time of our births, our parents lived half a block from each other, and our fathers, who were brothers, were also best friends. Lee and I played together from the time we were able to toddle and were about as polar-opposite…
A Recent Trip to Disney Hall to Experience the Power of Mahler’s 6th Symphony
Recently, Ray and I heard the LA Phil perform Mahler’s 6th Symphony. This is the one with the two hammer blows, the one that some refer to as the “tragic.” We went to the talk before the performance and the speaker was California composer, Paul Gibson. He played different snippets from the symphony and challenged…
Happy Birthday, Nico!
Today is my grandson Nico’s 8th birthday. He celebrated with his friends this afternoon and we will see him soon. Nico is a sweet guy. Sensitive and kind. One time he said, “Grandma, no matter what I do, you never yell at me.” I had not realized that was true. I said, “Well, so far you…
20 Minutes a Day 