It 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 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 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 MoreNot to mention plays, dinners, parties, lunches out, the grands’ games, and annual doctors’ appointments. (How did that happen?) The June calendar is so jammed that I’m exhausted just looking at it! I’ve even started thinking, One event at a time. Sure, there are blocks of time here and there, but the black ink is beginning […]
Read MoreSometimes a day takes an unexpected turn. That happened to me recently, and it all started with a change in routine. Normally, Ted and I go for our walk in the late afternoon, but this day was hot, so we went after dinner—and that made all the difference. It all started when we were walking […]
Read MoreIt is hard to believe that our two little flat-faced tiny puppies are now two years old. Experts say that small dogs are mature at around age two. Notice the vagueness in that statement. I’m happy to say that Sadie and Teddy may be physically mature, but they still have some endearing traits of adolescence—and […]
Read MoreThe calendar says that March 21 is the first day of spring, and while that’s a week away from the time I’m writing this, there are other signs that spring is here. One of the first signs of spring for me is the biannual ritual of changing the clocks. While I love the longer daylight, […]
Read MoreOur two fifty-years-plus sycamore trees were trying to reach the sky, so it was time to call our very talented arborist, Luz. When he and his assistant arrived, he surprised us by also checking out the blooming apricot tree. They ended up delicately pruning out deadwood and extra branches. When finished, the tree looked like […]
Read MoreToday is just about as perfect a day as you can get. At 77F degrees, it is a warm day. A gentle sea breeze rustles glistening palm fronds. A few deciduous trees have bright-green leaves. Camellias, fruit trees, and bulbs are blooming. The apricot tree is covered with snowy blossoms that will turn into golf-ball-size […]
Read More“I wonder what will be happening in ten years?” my daughter-in-law, Marlene, mused. My head snapped around so fast I almost gave myself whiplash. But I said nothing. Chris, Marlene, Brooke, and Jaden were visiting us in the desert. Over the next few days, Marlene wistfully repeated this. Every time I heard her, I got […]
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Kathleen Chamberlin 