Honor Above All
This past Friday, I had the privilege of visiting the Mt. Soledad National Veterans Memorial, thanks to my son-in-law, Jeremy, who had driven me to an appointment in La Jolla. After the appointment, on the way back to San Diego, Jeremy pointed out the giant white cross rising against an incredibly blue California sky and…
Making Time for Art
It goes without saying that I love writing novels and short stories, but arts and crafts are stress relievers for me. As I’ve mentioned before, I do artist trading cards these days, a hobby I recently resumed after a long interval. I’m learning to edit photos on my computer, and I’ve begun adding them to…
United We Stand
As we approach Independence Day, and our 250th anniversary as a nation I am very grateful to be born and raised in America. At the moment however, I’m concerned, as are many others I know, by the division we’re experiencing these days. We need to remember that we are the UNITED States, not the DIVIDED…
My Dad
My father, Grady “Skip” Lael, was a town marshal, as some of you know, and a good one. June is, of course, the month in which we celebrate Father’s Day. It is also my birthday month—Dad and I were both born on the tenth. This year, he would have been 100 years old. I will…
California Skies
I’ve always loved looking at the sky. And while I was still living in the country outside Spokane, Washington, I developed a habit of taking pictures. Sunsets, sunrises, storms, clouds in the most amazing shapes and shades. If you have any doubt that God is the Ultimate Artist, go outside and look up. Now that…
Speaking of Michael Landon…
The first time I caught a glimpse of Little Joe Cartwright, in the western TV series, “Bonanza”, he became my all-time favorite actor. The youngest of three brothers, he lived on a huge ranch near Virginia City, Nevada called the Ponderosa. I was about nine years old, and at the time, the series ran on…
Mother’s Day
Earlier this week, Sunday, May 10, 2026, was Mother’s Day, and I hope you all had a wonderful time, whether you’re a mother, a daughter, or both. Thanks to my daughter, Wendy, and son-in-law, Jeremy, I had a marvelous day. They brought a beautiful bouquet of roses and a variety of complementary blossoms, and took…
Old Favorites
I seem to be mixing up the categories this time around—I started to blog about Tule, one of my two beloved dogs and how he sometimes shoots past me like an arrow, ears back, tongue lolling, his way of playing tag, I guess. For obvious reasons, I decided I ought to switch that post to…
Letters to My Future Self
This is an idea I wish I’d learned when I was a lot younger, but I’m thinking, better late than never. This, obviously, is a journaling project. Since I already do Morning Pages, per Julia Cameron’s teachings in THE ARTIST’S WAY, I won’t be writing in this new notebook every day, but at reasonable intervals….
A Message from God
The most amazing thing happened over the weekend. I was feeling discouraged, and I prayed, asking God for insight, for help, for strength. It was evening and, soon after I’d prayed, I called the dogs in from the yard and was about to call it a day—have supper, maybe watch an episode or two of…