Hands holding love Last Saturday I participated in an Indoor Rowing Regatta at Berkeley High School. I was on a 4-person relay team. I’ve never done anything like this before. Since July of last year, I have been taking an indoor rowing class once or twice a week, at least when my body has cooperated. When our teacher suggested that we give the competition a try, I was at first skeptical. But then the energy of my classmates and my husband got me thinking that maybe I could g

I am noticing patterns in nature recently. I’m attracted to the randomness, repetition, and flow. There is something soothing and yet also exciting about the patterns.   Clearing the clutter from my desk, I found a scrap of paper where I had written, “harvesting the year.” I suppose I “harvest the year” when I look for themes in the gratitude cards that I have written throughout the year. Harvesting thoughts, ideas, and experiences from the past is a fruitful tool, a starting

Happy Holidays May you celebrate the holidays with wonder, creativity, compassion, and good health. May the New Year bring peace to all! Below are a couple of links to bring you delight: Sting performing Soul Cake with a full ensemble Listers: A Glimpse Into Extreme Birding - a free documentary film

Nobody knows it, but I have a plan. Even I didn’t know it until I started to put some of my ideas down on paper. I feel better having thought this through and getting it out of my system. Perhaps you have an idea that’s been brewing?   My plan is also motivated by the fact that The New York Times recently wrote an article about Oakland’s trash problem. And then there is the excellent podcast East Bay Yesterday by Liam O’Donoghue with an episode entitled, “We let everybody

Bandaloop performing in downtown Oakland, July 24, 2025 I had decided that I wouldn’t send an October newsletter because I didn’t have...

Backyard Garden Just as the garden has, we each have our own cycles of bloom. Sometimes we experience an abundance of energy, creativity,...

Stark Beauty. Photo by Nicole LaCour I’ve been feeling sad and angry about the direction our country is moving. I’ve also been feeling...

Backyard tomato plants For some reason I recently picked up the East Bay Express , skimmed through it, and then read my horoscope for the...

Chubby Carrier and Jordan When I was a child, my grandfather would sometimes say, “Children should be seen and not heard.” I wonder how...

In March 2020, I wrote a piece entitled, “When I Get the Blues.” It was the start of the pandemic, and we were feeling so much...

I told my husband I was going to work on my e-newsletter today, but I didn’t know what I was going to write. What do I share when the...

So here I am in the first week of January wondering what I’m going to write to my loyal readers. I’m not very good at keeping track of...

Photos from 2024 May you celebrate the holidays with wonder, love, compassion, and good health. May we live in peace in the New Year.

It seems that everyone I know, including me, is feeling stressed out due to the upcoming election, the state of world peace, and all of...

I'm pleased to share that my short play, "What Secret?" was a part of the Playwrights' Center of San Francisco Short Play Showcase on...

It took me at least a year to finish reading George Saunders’ book, “A Swim in a Pond in the Rain.” I would pick it up when I felt like...

I’ll be honest; I’ve been grumpy lately. And when I’m grumpy, I’m impatient. And when I am impatient, I get annoyed. When I get annoyed,...

After some soul searching, I've decided to not keep this news a secret. The Playwrights’ Center of San Francisco put out a call for...

It’s time to write my monthly e-newsletter, and I feel out of practice. I didn’t write one in May (did you notice?) because I was...

A friend told me that she saw on craigslist an offer for free orchids. Not lush, blooming or almost blooming buds, rather orchids that...