Opinion

Whatever you may think about having a day dedicated to our thankfulness, you have to admit that California, with all the problems we all face this year, will have plenty of places to say “thank you” for the huge number of volunteers that want...

When will the pandemic end? That’s a complicated question, and difficult to answer. There will be no “light switch” moment where our lives suddenly return to what we call “normal.” In many ways, this pandemic has been like a long, destructive storm, perhaps a...

We last saw each other when we were quite young. She showed me photos of herself frozen in time in my childhood cottage. It was definitely her, but I had no memory of it. But there’s something about family ties that makes it not...

To the Editor: I was unable to attend last Wednesday’s vigil for Sgt. Kenedy, and would like to add my tribute by means of this letter. On Friday, March 21, a group of concerned people began holding signs on the corner of 101 and Broadway to...

It was ending up as a regular Sunday — for some a long holiday weekend even! Our old Queensland had been struggling for a while. Not running down the meadow like he used to or playing chase around the pool with the other canines,...

What a lovely gift, I said to just myself. A weekend away for my daughter and her man and I will take care of their ranch. I will enjoy so much peace and quiet and even get time to work on my next book!...

Downtown Soledad on a Saturday can be a bustling little place. People’s comings and goings to the hardware store, the barber or the pharmacy. Getting an ice cream or some Mexican food for the family. Normal life is slowly returning. I had a mission...

Did you know that gratitude is often a forgotten factor in the science of well-being? Studies have shown that grateful people experience less depression and stress, lower blood pressure, more energy and greater optimism. Some cycles, such as the cycle of violence, need to be...

It appears as though His Highness has granted me another trip around the sun. I have a lot of trips at this point in my life. That’s OK though. As long as I’m here as long as Betty White, who shares a birthdate with...

During the last several months of Covid — or the ongoing lifetime of this pandemic, depending on how you feel about it — people and dogs seem to have become even closer. Record adoption levels at shelters were noted the world over. People needed...