Our Blog
Strawberries: Childhood Trauma and Eating Disorders
I reach for some strawberries as my father unpacks them from his grocery bag. "No, sweetheart," he says, "we’re saving those for mommy." I'm 12 or 13, and my mother is sick in bed. My father reassures me that she'll get well, so I go to my room as he tends to her...
Enchanted Collaboration
As a director of theatre, I always appreciated the art of collaboration. Besides working with actors, I worked hard to bring together set, lighting and costume designers. When creative artists are open and feed off each other's ideas, we do our best work. But at Cal...
I Miss Those Years
"Mommy, can you sew a button on my P.E. uniform?" "Ma, I sat on my homework and it's wrinkled, can you iron it?" "Mom, I signed you up to bring cookies on Thursday, OK?" These are the sounds that filled my home for over twenty years. There were so many things to do...
Vacationing as a Widow
Vacationing as a widow changes your perspective. Do relationships look the same on land and at sea? I'm on a cruise with my sister and brother-in-law, and as much as I love them, it's my first vacation without my husband. My sweet Rex died a year and a half ago and...
Caution: Set Designer at Work
My husband Rex was a brilliant set designer. He did his best work in the scene shop behind the theatre at Cal State Dominguez Hills, where we worked together for 25 years. The shop was 50 x 100 feet with 30 foot ceilings, and every inch had a designated...