Char Girl -- I had my four-year-old granddaughter on Saturday. We’re making cookies and she begs to take over mixing the butter and flour. “I do it, I do it! Let me, let me!” After cleaning up, as there was now batter everywhere, we put a... Continue
Rude Awakenings
Dead People and Sparkle Fairies ~ “Oma, there’s dead people under those rocks, you know.” I glance over my shoulder to see what Satchel is talking about. My four-year-old grandson is commenting from his car seat about the small cemetery to our left on East... Continue
I am self-made, self-sufficient, and self-supporting, along with being self-reliant, self-confident and self-motivated. I am also self-righteous, self-serving, self-critical, self-centered, and perhaps just a wee bit self-absorbed. I reek of responsibility and good reputation. I hold dear my anxiety, all the while remaining tethered to my... Continue
I am the Queen Bee. You know how I know? My friends tell me, and I also have a pair of blue bikini panties with a queen bee on them that proves it. I have been known as the Carrot Juice Queen, the Dance Floor... Continue
It doesn’t matter that I’ve lived here since 1973, nor does it matter that Sonoma Valley is a relatively small area. I’ve been practicing real estate here since 1982 and I still get lost. A lot. That's why I'm not crazy about showing property to... Continue
May was a big month. My check-off list: ✓ Found driver’s license that had disappeared three months ago ✓ Blue auto registration tag came, stuck atop the eight others ✓ New passport arrived, not that I plan to wander away ✓ Renewed driver’s license: test, photo, 15 pounds wider... Continue
I hadn’t said a word the first three days; I’d nothing to add and was seeing plenty about myself simply sitting on the floor and listening—how I still need to control my environment so I’m not too hot, too cold, or too tired—and how hard it... Continue
What cares for my soul? Lavender fields. Weeping willows. Soft blankets of bright orange poppies. The full wolf moon as it hangs full saffron over the valley. What else nourishes me? The ice cream parlor, the chocolate shop, and our beautiful old theater. The General’s... Continue
While waiting by the register for my sundae at Sweet Scoops, a small boy comes up next to me where the napkins are. He’s not quite tall enough to reach and I quietly catch the container just as it nearly flips off the narrow shelf.... Continue
My parents were like black and white, like oil and water, like sin and prayer. My father, not one to boil over, married a kettle of emotions. If he could’ve loosened his grip and if my mother hadn’t completely unraveled, perhaps my childhood would’ve been... Continue