Opinion

Saturday afternoon around 4:30 I was 410 words into my column for this week when my cell phone rang. The choice to interrupt a train of thought while writing usually falls to the “let it ring and go to voicemail” protocol, but in this...

You knew it was going to happen. What’s that? You didn’t know. Well, let me tell you it’s true! Last week I got on my soapbox about taxes, and since it’s April, why not continue my rant.  Instead of working on helping “We the People,”...

Two weeks ago I opened the Rustler to a long article whose headline proclaimed, “Western Flyer Sets Sail With Weekend Celebration and Send-Off Festivities.” I immediately ordered tickets online to what was described as an “enchanting evening titled ‘Tales from the Western Flyer’ celebrating the...

At Mee Memorial, our mission has always been clear: to provide the highest quality healthcare to the South Monterey County community, with expertise, compassion, and a focus on the patient experience. We know that when people come to a hospital, it’s important to feel safe,...

The agricultural stretch of California’s Central Coast along the Salinas Valley is often called the “Salad Bowl of the World,” and for good reason. It supplies over 60% of the nation’s lettuce and substantial portions of strawberries, spinach and broccoli. But beyond the fertile...

If I thought that it happened to be just the occasion and just the right type of youthful Big Sur denizens (that’s where the bulk of them were from) that made Buddy such a hit, I was dispelled of that thought when we moved...

I’m sure that I have written often about my trusty old Ford pickup. It is an F-100 that I bought about a month after I got out of the Army. I had been looking for a pickup just like this one. Of course, I...

It appears that I have passed another milestone in my life. I have lived long enough to be with my wife for 32 years. I almost didn’t make it, but you’ll see how it came out. Perhaps you too may recognize some of my...

The first time we met she was the secretary of the organization but seemed to be pretty much in charge of everything. She was curious about which rock I had just crawled out from under and where my people were from. Her enthusiasm for...

I knew she had been unwell for some time. When I say “sometime,” I mean years. It was quite shocking when I saw her the last time. The liver disease was really taking its toll on her, and she told me that she was...