EASY TO TAKE Life is full of things that are hard to take, like criticism, break-ups, and all that laxative you need to drink before a colonoscopy. But there are some things that are easy to take. A little child’s pudgy arms thrown around your neck. The song of a red-throated finch perched right by… Read More
RED INK IN THE BLOOD
Red Ink in the Blood I taught English literature and composition for 33 years. I hated grading papers, but it was my duty. I was paid to correct grammar, spelling, and punctuation and to teach students how to avoid getting my red ink on their papers by writing it right the first time. On Facebook… Read More
A PICTURE’S WORTH
Just checking my “stats” and I see that my Old Town Agave post got more views than any of my written posts. People like to look at pictures. People don’t like to read. Those are my conclusions. So, let me post some more pictures of Old Town for your enjoyment. Why not?
Angel Numbers in My Addresses
My spiritual friend Sheree believes in angels. She suggested a book by Doreen Virtue on Angel Numbers. The first numbers I looked up were the addresses of the houses I have lived in . Here are the results: 643 Clark Avenue: Angels watch over your family to make sure all your needs are met. Indeed,… Read More
Old Town Agave
This is to try out adding “media” to my blog posts. One day, I took Don’s camera and walked around Old Town, shooting textures and details. This agave is growing outside Rosa’s Cantina.
How to Insult a Songwriter: Call Her a Poet
HOW TO INSULT A SONGWRITER: CALL HER A POET Across the desk, music publisher Rick Shelton smiled brightly at me and said, “You’re a poet.” Why did I feel like I’d just been slapped? Because I’m a would-be songwriter, not a poet. I don’t want to be a poet. Nobody wants poetry anymore, if they… Read More
Homeless Girl, Ten-minute object writing
Her hand-me-down dress was way too big for her, hem nearly reaching her skinny ankles and the waist not touching her anywhere. Her dusty legs went directly into dirty red Keds, not taking on any socks, clean or otherwise. No one had bothered to wash, brush, or trim the mousy, lank strands that fell limply… Read More
PaSoWriMo Begins Tomorrow
Tomorrow is November 1, and thousands of crazy novelists across the country will start feverishly composing their 50,000-word novels for NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month), finishing them by midnight on November 30. Two years ago I accomplished this feat with my semi-autobiographical novel, Avocado Highway. This year, I am instituting a new challenge called PaSoWriMo… Read More
Unseasoned
UNSEASONED As a native Californian, I always get a little miffed when people from other states, usually in the east, say that California has no seasons. I don’t argue with them, never having lived more than a week in any other state. But I see the seasons change around me all year. I once heard… Read More
Stalker
Sitting in the waiting room the other day, I overheard some people about my age (Boomers), lamenting that modern kids are over-protected and never go outdoors. “What’s all this whoo-ha about bullying? That’s just a normal part of school life. We were all bullied.” Whether the speaker was right or not, it is true that… Read More
