His Lens/My Pen #8: Steady in Flight

As with last month’s image, Martin captured this when he was on his own. He was in Florida taking a multi-mile bike ride in Everglades National Park while I was on the other coast visiting our son Elliot. I think next to flowers, birds are his favorite subject...

Blessing Our Children: ‘May you be like …’

For going on nearly three decades now, as part of our family’s Friday evening Shabbat dinner ritual, my husband and I have blessed our children. When they were little, they would stand before us. Then, we would place our hands on their sweet heads and recite...

Bounty Hunting at Elmore Leonard’s House

Elmore Leonard lived around the corner. Every so often I would see him out and about, at Kroger, driving through the neighborhood in his little green car, a years-old Jetta or some other unassuming non-flashy model. One time, before HIPAA, I signed my name beneath his...

Doggedly Pursuing Wall Dog

For years, the yoga posture known as “wall dog” stymied me.  There are two versions. In the first, you bend at the waist, feet on the floor, torso flat and elongated, arms straight, palms flat against the wall. The second version is more challenging: arms...