October. Days become shorter, there is too much darkness in the morning and I am depressed until noon. I love the fall colors, but the weather is capricious and unnerving in California. Foggy at dawn and ninety degrees by three p.m. For two or three days it blisteringly hot, then suddenly… Read full post »

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She looks older all of a sudden. I noticed it about a week after she started junior high. Maybe it’s the bangs. They’re really flattering, and encompass her face like a framed work of art. But there is something else too. She holds herself differently, a little a taller. The timbre… Read full post »

My favorite woman of the week, or almost any week:

My other favorite woman of the week:

I am inspired. Read full post »

Silent Walk:

Silent Ocean:

Silent Fog:

   Silent Pet:

Read full post »

Maybe when all those people who advocate toting guns to shoot the shooters finish shooting each other, only the peaceful ones will be left. Unfortunately, the innocents will be caught in the crossfire. No one wins.

  Read full post »

You know what I’m talking about. Place the banana(s) anywhere in your kitchen – in a bowl, on the counter, even in a corner of the fridge, and everything surrounding it tastes banana-ish. I ate banana-infused French bread the other day, and yesterday, my daughter (who hates… Read full post »

It happens when I come over the hill past Petaluma.

that slight shift in my chest.

a settling of my body

the inadvertent smile.

home is near.

past the freeway construction

and the gnarly traffic,

there is the vista of the hills

the… Read full post »

There is no conscious rivalry between myself and my three brothers, only the one that lives inside my head. And it really is no rivalry, but merely the sense that I have failed at the one thing that these diverse men have all succeeded at: marriage.

My… Read full post »

I've been reworking this tiny piece of writing since 1998. I've decided just to throw it out there. It continues to be relevant.

I sit here and think about things that break. Heaters and cars and relationships and hearts.  All that breakage puts little cracks in my… Read full post »

I don't live on the ocean, but near enough to visit frequently, and I do. The beach is where I go to relax and rejuvenate, my soul is there.  Here are some photos from the Northern California Coast that I consider home.

Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, a favorite vacation spot:… Read full post »

My 12-year-old daughter and I recently spent 3 days in an upscale hotel in Santa Cruz, California. On the beach, in the sun, turn down service and chocolates on the pillow; a major splurge. Witnessing a phone conversation at the front desk, it was clear that the… Read full post »

Things I don’t like to do anymore:

Go to large parties and make polite and witty conversation with people I barely know and some I don’t really like. I just want to hang out with my close friends and a glass of wine.

Anything involving… Read full post »

I live in one of the most beautiful places in the world. Happy summer, everyone!

I am incensed. A young black man in Florida, women and girls all over this country. I have a twelve year old daughter. What is happening to her world? To the world in which I was raised? We must continue to stand up against racism and sexism. I want to fight back.… Read full post »

I want what you have.

The way your husband looks at you

with adoration

admiration

affection

joy

pride.

I want what you have

four family members on a Christmas card

all together

intact.

I want what you have

wedding… Read full post »

He’s one of those kids who is wired differently. Outside the box, the odd duck, however you want to put it. They are the ones we write about after all, not the ordinary ones. I had asked for him. We had developed a bit of a rapport when… Read full post »

Contrary to popular opinion, November is my favorite month.

November is the anniversary of my birth, a day I celebrate with enthusiasm, because the alternative sucks, and each year of my life I grow wiser and more relaxed. Age is a good thing.… Read full post »

I am delighted to have the opportunity to repost my first post. I was very proud of this one, and became supremely honored by cartouche's comments and  presence on my blog then, and on subsequent posts. I miss her.

(sorry about the font size change. It's taken me two years to… Read full post »

There was evidence early on, but I ignored it. The real impact hit right after the wedding, when I received a call at work from my insurance company. They wouldn’t be able to put my freshly acquired husband onto my auto insurance because he had a DUI. I sat at my… Read full post »

I pay close attention to lists of “must read” books. I consider myself educated and well read, and I hate it when I miss a reference to classic pop culture (“classic pop culture” – now there’s a phrase. But I think you know what I mean). I am usually… Read full post »

(This is a repost from last year with some minor changes- because why ruin a good thing?)

Oh, the arrogance of that title. But, what’s true is true.

While I was growing up, my dad worked very hard to support his family, but… Read full post »

Dear Beloved Homeowner’s Association,

Thank you very much for the notice outlining my recent infractions, and the follow-up notice assessing my fine. Every time I allow the weeds to get above one foot in my yard, I eagerly await your attention. I thoroughly enjoy having a petty bureaucracy wa… Read full post »

My 11-year-old daughter is a skinny girl. A very skinny girl. I was too. 

(I'm the one on the right, at about 13 years old).

At 15, I weighed 85 pounds, and easily passed for 12 whenever it was necessary to get cheaper entrance to… Read full post »

Seriously, I need specific suggestions. Nothing is like OS, but I am going nuts here with the lousy service. Please tell me other sites where you all are, and where I can post my writing the way I do here.