I was given a rare gift today: the gift of solitude. I was completely alone for an hour as Sadie and John slept in. I made myself a cup of tea, snuggled into a chair, and looked out at the winter landscape. The chapparal continues to be dark green, but the surrounding hills are dotted […]
Read MoreThe four of us stood on the San Luis Pier and looked out at the glistening sea. Not a cloud was in the sky. The sun warmed our faces, but a brisk wind encouraged us to pull our jackets closer and huddle together. This was the first stop of the Chamberlin women’s weekend getaway. It […]
Read MoreDear Readers, Last Saturday morning, November 21, we discovered that seven-month-old Sadie was in heat. As I mentioned before, the new thinking on spaying female dogs is to wait after the first heat. This event has upended our household, and writing has become almost impossible. Teddy, who is fully mature at seven months, is off […]
Read MoreAfter a very warm October and November, fall seems to have truly arrived in Southern California. Today there is a crisp wind, bright trees in autumn shades, and clear blue skies. Soon Thanksgiving will be here, and like everything else in 2020, it will be different. Looking out on our serene valley, it is easy […]
Read MoreBy the time you read this, the election will (hopefully) be settled and those of us who suffered from election traumatic stress disorder will be on the road to recovery. This moment of peace made me think long and hard about what is real and what is not … It’s 5:00 p.m. Pacific Standard Time, […]
Read MoreI’ll be honest here: I’m ready to leave the planet—at least until after the election—so I am purposefully searching for distraction. Last evening, our neighbor Dave asked John if he was scared. It seems that Dave turns on the news when arising and goes to bed with it. John suggested accompanying this diet with wine. […]
Read MoreOn Saturday I made a coffee cake. An “honest to God” coffee cake that filled the house with the fragrance of cinnamon and sweet spices. But baking was just as tedious as I remembered. For me, it has always been a means to an end: you bake so you can eat whatever wonderfully fattening thing […]
Read MoreThis week I had one friend tell me that she was on a media fast. Another wanted to escape to an island. And yet another is keeping her head down and plowing forward. And so I started to wonder: how are you coping? Together, we are all stuck in the challenging year of 2020. But […]
Read MoreThe puppies are almost six months old, and we really felt we needed a break. The big question was, could we leave these creatures that take up so much of our time? And yes, that is one reason we wanted to go on vacation—but don’t tell them. This would be the first time we left […]
Read MoreToday is my birthday, and I must say I have been dreading it. By the time you read this, I will be nine days into the next year of my life, and I will, hopefully, be adjusted to this landmark age. This is no reveal; my actual age will remain shrouded in mystery. Let me […]
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Kathleen Chamberlin 