Thirty-something years ago, I was hiking with friends in the Marin Headlands when we came across a cyclone fence enclosing a small yard. Inside the yard were two or three Doughboy-like pools with seals and sea lions in them. Some friendly signs explained that this was the yard of the Marine Mammal Center, a non-profit … Continue reading The Marine Mammal Center
Varina is a beautiful book, because Charles Frazier writes some of the most beautiful, lyrical sentences of any author writing prose today. His words force the reader to slow down and savor every lovely description, to open oneself to the metaphors and allegories hidden within. And yet, the book made me uncomfortable. I don’t know … Continue reading Varina by Charles Frazier, a review
Ursula LeGuin wrote an amazing book called The Word for World is Forest back in 1972. A friend gave it to me sometime in the 80s and it has haunted me ever since. It’s something of an allegorical tale: humans head off to exploit the fictional planet Athshe—to kill the men, rape the women, and … Continue reading The Changing Dreamscape
Written with my Thursday Writing Group with the prompts: Silver spoon, marked safe, no desire to join them, it hurts, out the door, an old guy in a dark suit and red tie, “step over here, little lady,” I don’t belong here, hey--how did you get in here?, back to the times, traffic moved along, the … Continue reading Janet vs The Barbarians
New for 2019, along with flash fiction, poetry and crazy musings, I plan to also post book reviews! I've been having fun posting reviews on Goodreads, and I decided it was time to share the wealth over here too. Looking forward to hearing whether you agree with my picks, and what books you'd recommend as well. … Continue reading Review: Becoming by Michelle Obama
I wrote this a year ago when my cats were just babies. They’re much more disciplined now—ha! I was sitting on the toilet a half hour ago, getting a clear view of the leather belt I slipped through my denim belt loops this morning, and I noticed it—kitten teeth marks on the end of my … Continue reading Kittens for Christmas
Wherever you are, whatever you're doing, be aware of the grace that surrounds you.
Written with my Thursday night group. The prompt was “the wind has to stop!” But I interpreted it a bit differently. The wind has two stops. It curls down Alhambra Boulevard and stops near the corner of 29thand R Streets. It greets the people waiting at the light rail station with the scent of the river, … Continue reading The Wind
A few weeks ago I was at a political demonstration outside a government building. I don't want to give specifics because it didn't go so well. The people who organized the gathering were well-meaning, but perhaps they were novices. There were few demonstrators there. Arguments began to break out. That's right, we were fighting among … Continue reading Rally Etiquette
I wrote this a year ago after a morning volunteering at the center that serves breakfast to low-income and homeless women and children. The kitchen was being remodeled back then, so we were only offering coffee in paper cups and to-go items like fruit, wrapped cheese, and protein bars. It was the week of the … Continue reading Summer Solstice
