As Ray and I prepare to head to Sicily later this week, it was beyond a treat to have our three South Pasadena grandkids with us for an overnight stay. We also had the pleasure of having Ron’s mother, Cindy, visit at the same time, so we had a full orange grove! Cindy will also…
Tag: family
A Funny High School Memory
Today, my husband Ray was chatting with our youngest daughter, Rachael, about regional dialects and colloquialisms. He then said, “I think the only person I’ve ever heard say “warter” for “water” was George. He was referring to my older brother George who died a few years back and did, in fact, routinely say warter. However,…
Prompt: Open the Drawer
Today, I’m going to write from a prompt I found in the Observation Deck: A Tool Kit for Writers by Naomi Epel. This tool kit is comprised of a 160-page book with short chapters filled with writing advice, which also corresponds to a 50-card deck. Chapter titles include Change Your Point of View, Follow the…
My Mothers’ Day Celebration
Color me happy. I spent a glorious afternoon with Ray; our daughters, Sarah, Liz, and Rachael; their partners, Gregorio, Ron, and Andrew; my grandchildren, Luna, Nico, Lyla, and Ethan; and Andrew’s mother, Martha. We ate, laughed, opened presents, ate more, talked, laughed more, and generally enjoyed each other’s company. Also, one of my former students,…
The Other Side of Mothers’ Day
Mothers’ Day isn’t always easy Many suffer from Loss DistanceDisconnectionGood mothering means Unconditional loveEmpathyForgivenessA kind and generous heartWe all mother in our lives We mother other people,Our pets, Our plants and gardensOur communitiesIf we are able,We mother ourselves
Back Home After My Great-Nephew’s College Graduation
Tonight, Ray and I returned from a short trip to Salt Lake City to celebrate our great-nephew’s graduation from college. We left at 10 am Mountain Time this morning and arrived home at 9 pm Pacific Time. A long driving trip but with some pretty views and lots of good music and radio shows on…
A Ramble About My Day
I am tired. Today was busy. Lots of visiting, which was all pleasant and with people I am very fond of, so that wasn’t the problem. The problem is that I went from one activity to the next with no downtime in between. We went to breakfast with one of our antique dealer friends to…
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…
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…
Thoughts on My Late Brother George Today on His Birthday
My brother George, three years my senior, was one of my closest and most favorite people in this world. He was my first playmate, first friend, and first hero. I can still feel the warmth in my chest that I felt as a little girl when my big brother George was around. I developed a…
20 Minutes a Day 