Opinion

“You say it’s your birthday, well it’s my birthday too, yeah. They say it’s your birthday, we’re gonna have a good time. I’m glad it’s your birthday, Happy Birthday to you. Yes we’re going to a party.” I’ve told you before that I enjoy living...

Do you ever get the feeling that you were born at the wrong time or place? How about what you do? I ask these questions because I often find myself in a situation where a little prior knowledge of a subject would have surely...

I have notes scribbled on scraps of paper scattered about my work area, in pockets and various other places I will no doubt discover after this goes to print. But I have enough here for a short column to cap off another year in...

For many of us, the new year represents a fresh start, and that is a concept that holds a lot of power. Hitting our internal “reset” button on Jan. 1 gives us the mental clarity and internal incentive to put our best foot forward...

On the occasion of my sister’s 50th birthday — were she still alive — I was up in San Francisco with my friend. I really struggled with the fact that sister should be celebrating her big milestone birthday with the world who loved her,...

You know, living in the Salinas Valley is a pretty cool place to live. Except for the rain we have been enjoying lately, it is very much like the valley I grew up in. Well, maybe not as cool. In the summer we could...

I’ve never been much of a fan of the “Year in Review” news magazines that are a key post in the ground at the end of each year. I don’t mind recalling the good stuff; but I would not choose to go there with...

I went to a holiday party the other night. I’ll tell you more about that in another column. The reason I brought it up is because I awoke this morning after a dream that could have been caused by memories of past parties. I...

“It must first be said that with increased residential and agricultural use and improved water management, flood concern is not what it was a few decades back.” Regarding the above statement, if I can be forgiven for using baseball metaphors at the height of football...

It sure is cold enough for me. This morning I had to get up early to go to a dentist appointment over in Monterey. When the old alarm clock said, “It’s time to get up,” I just pulled the covers up and said to...