Meryl Streep’s new movie is one I thought I would not like. To my surprise, Florence Foster Jenkins is a thumbs up with great acting, intriguing true story, and authentic 1944 set design and costumes. Streep’s singing especially produces laughs. The movie is constructed to make viewers empathetic to delusional Florence, even as they laugh…
Our 18-year-old cat Speckles was put to sleep recently. The time seemed appropriate, because Speckles was deaf and crippled and was experiencing weight loss and neck weakness. Now, she is somewhere over the rainbow. I miss her. However, I do not miss the kitty litter messes, middle of the night meowing, and vet bills. Last week, I…
At my recent writer’s critique group, one woman asked her colleagues to critique some pages about a dystopia world in a Redwood forest. We gave her feedback, but I curiously watched and listened as several writers rhapsodized over the tree power they experienced among California’s redwoods. One woman said, You can walk among these…