We are in the last week of our month in the desert, and we have had so many experiences that they are swirling in my head like the images in the fancy kaleidoscopes sold at the art shows that dot the Coachella Valley most weekends … … Like the gentleman dressed in the navy cotton […]
Read MoreI’m looking out at the snow-topped San Jacinto Mountains through a scattering of palm trees. We are in the Coachella Valley for a month of rest, relaxation, and restoration. For some reason, the clear horizons of the desert hold a healing power that drains away the accumulated baggage of the year, and everything takes on […]
Read MoreHow do you approach the holiday season? I have to confess I approach December with feelings of anticipation, eagerness, joy … and also incipient feelings of being overwhelmed, apprehension, and exhaustion. These latter feelings usually start the day after Thanksgiving when my mind starts jumping from upcoming tasks like a grasshopper leaping from blossom to […]
Read More(Read part I of this story here.) After settling in at their cabin in the Tahoe forest for Thanksgiving, the Anthony family is sitting contentedly around a crackling fire. Into this peaceful moment, Joey dropped his announcement. “Marcy and I saw bear scat in the forest behind the house.” Pausing, he added ominously, “And it […]
Read MoreThe invitation was for dinner and a “surprise.” We approached the front door of our son Chris and his wife, Marlene’s, home and heard an unusual sound—barking! “They did it!” I said to my husband, John, excitedly. “Finally,” he responded with feeling. The door opened, and running excitedly around the whole family’s feet was Cali, […]
Read MoreThe sun is beginning its downward descent behind the mountain. Soon, twilight will be upon us, and the most disturbing thing has occurred. Children and animals are distraught and gathered in our kitchen. The complaints are “I’m starving,” “I’m hungry,” and “When are we going to eat?” For myself, I am feeling faint from a […]
Read MoreI would like to replace next Sunday’s blog with one entitled, “Finding Time to Write,” but I’m not sure I will have time to write it. I actually sent that text to my wonderful editor, Angela. So … what is wrong with this picture? I remember when retirement was closing in, and just once, I […]
Read MoreIf you have read my books, then you have met my cousin Daisy. She is a black Labrador retriever, and we are about the same age. She has three human brothers, but I only have one human brother, Joey. One of the things I admire about Daisy is her very long legs that enable her […]
Read MoreThwack! The newly opened jar of organic peanut butter bounced off the edge of the dining room table, then rolled across the chair and onto the floor, spewing its contents liberally on the tablecloth, the chair pad, and table leg. With a final flourish, it deposited a large, chunky puddle on the floor that looked […]
Read MoreI was sitting in the backseat as our friend Mike wove his truck through the orange-and-red-hued mountains of Utah. John was riding in the front passenger seat. In my lap was my newest canine friend, Rusty, a Jack Russell terrier of a certain age. Because of his color and size, Rusty is a poignant reminder […]
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Kathleen Chamberlin 