Today is Halloween. I have been pondering the way Halloween is celebrated now and the way it was celebrated in the last century. Somewhere, I read that Americans spend more on Halloween than any other holiday. I’m not sure that is true, but from of the elaborate displays on some of our neighbors’ lawns, I […]
Read MoreIt is a soft morning. Heavy fog has given way to watery sunlight that has turned the surrounding landscape into the purple, beige, and pale blue of a faded photo. A gentle breeze is coming in the window and the neighborhood is peaceful. Our calendar is blessedly empty so it’s a perfect time to do […]
Read MoreI have been thinking about the weather a lot lately. Not just here but around the globe. Lives are disrupted and some lost due to heat domes, floods, droughts and resulting wildfires. The weather has changed from being a conversation filler to the main topic. Most of us have been affected one way or another […]
Read MoreI started this blog in September 2019. Originally, it was meant to be an extension of my Marcy Mary novels, but then 2020 arrived and life was turned upside down. Just before we realized COVID-19 was an epidemic not seen in modern times, we lost our precious grandson James in an accident. A few weeks […]
Read MoreI am on my second week of life unscripted. For me, that means that after the second cup of coffee, I set the agenda for the day. Yeah, I’m somewhat of a control freak—just ask my children. But I have realized we cannot simply set aside a period of time where we go merrily down […]
Read MoreWe celebrated the last big event of the season. On July 7, our grandson Zeke and his fiancé, Lexi, were married in an outdoor ceremony. Behind them was a chapparal-covered hill. A manicured park surrounded the couple and their guests. The ceremony seemed almost ethereal—most likely because I have seldom seen two people more in […]
Read MoreLately, I have had several conversations with friends I don’t see often. These chats invariably start with the question, “How are you?”—emphasis on the “are,” looking the person in the eye with genuine interest. I guess you would call this type of interaction “catching up.” But here is the interesting thing. Every single person I […]
Read MoreHave a safe, beautiful holiday!
Read MoreLooking out at the park today, the chapparal-covered mountains are dusty green between huge granite outcroppings. Below, the open spaces where wild grasses and wildflowers grow abundantly during spring, the land is golden with dark-green dots of brush here and there. Last vestiges of spring grow where chapparal and open space meet. Here, the last […]
Read MoreFather’s Day is coming up, and it seems a fitting cap to an interesting time in the family. Last Wednesday was our youngest grandson, Jaden’s, graduation from 8th grade. Now, I’m not a fan of graduation ceremonies, but this one was poignant. In the past year, Jaden has grown 4 inches, his voice is changing, and […]
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Kathleen Chamberlin 