I am very pleased to share that my student Sara has won a Silver Key in the Scholastic Artists and Writers contest 2023, presented by the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers, the oldest and most prestigious contest for youth in grades 7 – 12 in the United States. Sara’s piece, “Life Lessons Through Cooking”…
What I’m Learning While Prepping to Teach a Class on Flash Fiction
I am sitting with Michael and it’s our writing time. I don’t know what to write but I figure that writing anything is better than writing nothing. At least, my fingers will hit the keyboard and, hopefully, remind my muse that I am here waiting for some inspiration. I want to go back over my…
What to Do When Otherwise Good Cake Starts Going a Little Stale
Is it a bad sign that I combined two different cakes that were starting to get a bit stale just so I could make a third cake? Perhaps. But who wants to waste a perfectly good cake, right? So, today, I combined the remaining quarter of an apple cake Rachael made for my birthday celebration…
Station Eleven Limited Series on HBO: A Compelling Story
I am sitting in the den of my house with my dogs, Frankie and Cordelia, stretched out beside me. It is 11:30 pm and the night is very quiet. The wind has been blowing hard but seems to have quietened. There is the occasional whish of a car as it passes by. We have been…
Happy January Birthday Celebration
We had our three January birthday celebration today at Sarah and Gregorio’s house and it was a grand ole time. I had the special treat of being whisked off to the mani-pedi place (along with all the girls) for a special pedi treat. Plus, we had Thai food, two birthday cakes, and homemade ice cream…
A Few Life Lessons to Reflect Upon Before My Birthday
My birthday is tomorrow and here are just a few things that are on my mind as I leave one decade and enter a new one. I don’t know if these are what I have learned or what I hope to learn. Whatever the case, these are a few things, in no particular order, that…
What Big Sisters Do
Growing up, I had four brothers and one sister, who was the oldest. I was next to the youngest and the baby girl. My sister, Leslie, was eleven years older than I was and held a special spot in my heart. She was the source of much love and affection and, over the years, was…
A Chilly and Clear Night in Ojai
We are up in Ojai. It is cold tonight. I just checked the temperature: 44. When we drove up early this morning, it was 39 degrees and rose to 59 during the day. The night is clear and there are lots of stars in the dark sky. The weather channel says the temperature here will…
Songs I Sang to My Girls When They Were Little
Every night at bedtime when my kids were little, I sang songs to them. They were not the usual lullabies that many people sing but rather a compilation of my favorite singers at the time. I sang five songs from Joni Mitchell’s Blue album: “All I Want,” “My Old Man, “A Case of You,” “Little…
Happy Birthday to Elizabeth!
Today is my middle daughter, Elizabeth’s, birthday. She is 37 and a brand-new mother of 5-week-old Ethan. She reported a few minutes ago that she and her husband Ron were able to go out to dinner this evening and Ethan “did a good job in his carrier” while they ate. Hurray for Ethan! Liz is…
20 Minutes a Day 