The dogs are barking outside. It is mid-afternoon on a Saturday and the sky is blue. A helicopter just flew by and I can now hear its engine fading as it heads off to the west. Bach’s Brandenburg concerto is playing and Ray is rattling dishes in the kitchen. My fifteen-year-old student, Cameron, is here…
Tag: writing discipline
A Call from a Sick Friend
Ray and I were sitting here playing a second game of Scrabble tonight when my cell phone rang. It was Ian, who is our friend and also our priest. It was already 7:45 and he is a notorious early-to-bedder. I was surprised to be getting a call. “Hello,” I said. “Len?” “Hey. What’s happening?” “I’m…
Our Mexico Trip in Photos
I want very much to write about my trip to Mexico, but every time I try I find myself writing too much. I could write a 100 pages on this trip. So, in an effort to be succinct, I am going to combine pictures with commentary. Here is the house where we stayed by the…
The Death of a Childhood Friend as I Turn 60
I learned today that my childhood friend, Cheryl Hicks, has died of a heart attack, just three weeks before her 60th birthday. I went from first grade through twelfth with Cheryl and spent a good amount of time at her home growing up. I haven’t seen her in a long time, but she is one…
A Miracle Today at the DMV
Today, I learned there really is a God. He shone his glory down upon me the minute I walked into the DMV to renew my driver’s license. Granted I had set up an appointment online for 9:30, but I’ve done that before and still waited 2 hours. Today, I was prepared for the same. I…
A Breakfast Celebration + a Recipe for Ricotta Cheese Waffles
We had a breakfast celebration for Liz today for her birthday. We had ricotta cheese waffles with real maple syrup, turkey sausage, scrambled eggs, freshly squeezed orange juice and coffee. The table was set with a tablecloth, napkins and candles. We had a fire burning in the fireplace all at 7: 30 am. We had…
January 16th: Elizabeth’s Birthday!
Today I have been thinking about Liz’s birth back in 1986. How I had gone to the midwife on the morning of the 15th and declared, “I just need to have this baby,” even though my due date was two weeks away. I don’t know if it was the “I can’t stand being pregnant another second”…
My Mother and Her Pain
“Please don’t share our family tragedy,” my mother whispered to me while we stood in church together in Pottsboro, Texas in 1990. I understood what she was saying to me. “Please don’t tell these people. I can’t bear to deal with this right now.” Tragedy was not too strong of a word. We had just…
An Excellent Recipe for a Birthday Dinner
Tonight we celebrated my daughter Liz’s 27th birthday. I spent part of the day making her favorite foods for this occasion: spinach and cheese stuffed shells and banana cream pie. Liz’s birthday is not officially until Wednesday, January 16, but because of scheduling issues, we decided to gather tonight for our family dinner and gift-giving….
1st Day Back in LA
I am sitting here with Cameron, my first student in 2013. She, a pretty brown-eyed blonde with hair halfway down her back, has been my writing student since she was in elementary school (she is now a sophomore in high school). We are both feeling sluggish after a long winter break and are using 15…
20 Minutes a Day 