Dragging Today

Today was one of those too-early mornings when I felt as if I were trudging through chest-deep water until I finally admitted my tiredness and went upstairs for a nap. I only slept 45 minutes, but that much-needed respite made the rest of my day go much smoother. It’s tough when we first arrive in…

The Comfort of Old Friendships

Here it is another very late night – it’s 12:23 here in Texas – and I have been busy since early this morning. I have helped unload a very full van, attended a mini-high school reunion with some of the ladies in my 1971 graduating class in Bonham, then had dinner with family and friends back…

Arrived!

Just a super quick note to say that we have arrived at our Texas home all in one piece and that we are happy to be here. The girls are all tucked in their beds, and Ray and I are headed that way right now. I’ll settle back into a writing routine once I get…

Texas-Bound

Tomorrow at 4 am, we are off to Texas. We are taking Rachael with her belongings to resettle in North Texas and we also will have her friend, Keara, with us, along with Sarah and Luna. We are traveling in our big van, plus Rachael’s car. Keara is coming just to spend a little extra…

Can You Say Zombies?

This is the land of the living dead over here. Ray and I are walking around as if we have had the blood sucked right out of us. Ray said this afternoon, “I don’t know why I’m so tired.” That’s when I reminded him that we just had the busiest three months of our lives…

“Just Get Me to the Courthouse on Time”

Sarah and Gregorio told us several weeks ago that they were going to get married “at some point this summer.” To which they quickly added, “But this isn’t the “real” wedding.  We’re just going down to the courthouse and sign the papers alone. We’ll have a big wedding and party in November.” Now, as the…

Preparation Fatigue

I am sitting here dead-dog tired. Preparation for graduation weekend is the culprit. We have family who arrived today from Utah and I don’t know why there is so much to do to get ready for people visiting, but there just is. Today’s list included: cleaning out the fridge, chopping up peaches from our peach…

Mother Mary, Religion and Me

I have two icons of St. Mary holding baby Jesus that are in the cabinet next to where I am sitting here in the living room. The icons are both gifts from our priest, Father Ian Elliott Davies at St. Thomas the Apostle, Hollywood. In both, Mary is looking right at me, as if she…

A 5-Star Snickerdoodle Cookie Recipe

I realized today that I bake when I’m feeling a little droopy. Yes, I am a simple creature. Comfort food does indeed bring me comfort. So, today, I made for the very first time a cookie that many refined sugar eaters take for granted – the snickerdoodle. I didn’t know that this cookie had cinnamon…

Rachael: Texas Bound

We have a big transition coming up soon. Rachael Marie Beaty will graduate from UCLA on Sunday with a Bachelor of Arts in American Literature and Culture, then move to Texas on the following Thursday. We will be driving with her for that move so it’s not as if she will disappear four days after…