Her mother named her Cheetah, hoping she would grow into a long-limbed, fleet-footed woman, but she developed broad shoulders and rounded haunches like a raccoon. Her father called her Chee, as if it were a nicked name, a shortened version of her totem animal, but Cheetah knew he meant Chi, pure core energy. She wanted … Continue reading Predator Heart
I wrote and published this piece six years ago, shortly after the death of a close friend. I came across it this week, and honestly, I'd forgotten that I wrote this as a Christmas meditation. The idea of surprise is becoming a theme for me this December. Life deals us all some pretty unpleasant surprises … Continue reading Loving Harvey: some Christmas musings
This is a true story. It happened several years ago, when I was still working full time. It was early on a Saturday morning when I set out with a long list of errands. First up: go to the ATM for cash so I could do the other errands! As I walked across the parking … Continue reading grace: a surprise from the universe
Hey, it's getting cold and rainy here: perfect time to take refuge in books! Enjoy! My edition of Their Eyes Were Watching God had plenty of literary and historical notes both fore and aft, but I’ll admit I got impatient and just started in on the novel itself. I will tell you that the editors … Continue reading Book Review: Their Eyes Were Watching God
Do you remember that scene in Out of Africa when Meryl Streep, playing Karen Blixin (later known by her nom de plume Isak Dinesen) was hosting Robert Redford and Michael Kitchen on her estate in Africa, and times being what they were--before CD’s and DVD’s—she entertained them with an after-dinner story. Robert Redford’s character gave … Continue reading Making Up Stories: my spiritual practice
In her dream, Charlotte forgot that her husband was dead. Her dreaming self did seem to know that Rob was absent. In this imagined space, he had left to get out of her way, to allow her to grow into the person she was meant to be. So at the beginning of the dream—or rather … Continue reading Peacock Dreams
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
In early June comes a five-day period when every peach on the tree arrives at a perfect skin-splitting ripeness and you race the birds rushing into the back yard with a blue plastic bucket. You drag the six-foot aluminum ladder from the garage climb tenuously and reach for each round fuzzy piece of fruit with … Continue reading In Celebration of the Solstice: Abundance
Greetings Blogosphere! I am excited to announce that I am releasing another book, a brief collection of short short stories (aka "flash fiction") and essays. It's called Wild Imaginings. Currently Wild Imaginings is available only as an E-Book for you to download onto your Kindle, Nook, tablet, computer or other device (even the one you're reading … Continue reading New Book!
After midnight the day-old loaves of bread in the bakery turn into slumbering cats. Some are brown and toasty, some white and fragrant, some calico dotted with black, brown and golden patches that used to be raisins, apricots, and berries. They stretch, blinking their golden eyes, then pad down off the discount shelves to chase … Continue reading Bread Cats
