All posts in Musings

  Meredy and I travelled to Toronto over the Thanksgiving holiday (where they had celebrated Txgiving about 6 weeks earlier) to have a visit with her sweet Mom. Joanie is 91 and is happiest in her own home, so we tend to just go with her agenda, which included watching the finals of Dancing With…

As I move about the garden, about the house, about my various chores, I often sing to myself. I am not one of those who you will catch at a stoplight singing to the radio…at least not often. It is more like I wake up in the morning with some tune in my head and…

As the trash was put out and the patio put back together post wind, Doc and I set out for a walk along Shelf Road. There were no other cars at the trailhead and we had the road to ourselves. I pulled my hat as far down as I could manage and set out. As…

I don’t get out much these days…I mean out of Ojai. I do leave the house each morning to hike the local trails with Doc, but most of my outings are to the local market or the local golf course, or to visit local friends…perhaps a Sunday walk at the lake or the beach. I…

After mulling it over for awhile, I have concluded that I am not Charlie. Part of me, that part which is outraged at senseless killings and barbaric behavior, would like to get a t-shirt and stand with my friends in defense of free speech , but the part of me that raised children and taught…

I have learned to love words. When I was growing up, my parents always had a few copies of the Reader’s Digest stacked on an end table. They were conveniently stacked right next to the only heating vent, so they served as ready entertainment when we came in from the cold to warm up. (Well,…

Like Dylan Thomas, I rose on my birthday morning, walked a trail along the hills above Ojai, and sat looking over this valley full of memories. 69 is a momentous birthday, along with 19, 29, 39, etc. At 19, it dawns on us that we are at the end of our teenage years. At 29,…

My friends are moving from a large house to a smaller condo. They have recently made the difficult decision to dump the walls of books that they have accumulated over the years. I encouraged them to do so, despite any attachment they might feel. I have weaned myself from books several times in my life.…