Opinion

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,...

This week’s issue of the Valley newspapers hits the stands three days from Sept. 11, 2021: the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center, the Twin Towers, in lower Manhattan. Known colloquially as simply 9/11, it is a date etched...

I have often mentioned either here in words or in conversation that coming up with one thousand words every week, words that one hopes are more than just personal drivel, can be a bit daunting when subjects don’t readily come to mind. When I hit...

It had been a long time coming. Our newsie friend moved from California a few decades back and had been asking us to come and visit for the longest time. There was always a reason we couldn’t make it. Why couldn’t we make it?...

The Hunchback tolling the bells of the ancient cathedral of Notre Dame is an image of timeless appeal. Salinas citizens will want to catch the current local iteration of Victor Hugo’s tale, “The Hunchback of Notre Dame,” on The Western Stage at Hartnell College. This...

“Take care of yourself!” they rant. “Diet and exercise, exercise and diet.” Yes, we all know about that. Some of us consistently live by excellent habits, others less so. I’ve always loved to swim and walk — that’s my idea of exercise — and...

What becomes of a broken heart? In the olden days, when romantic liaisons fell apart, ladies would return home quietly to lick their wounds in private, take care of elderly relatives, or forever wear black, in mourning for the life they had wanted and...

A long time ago there used to be a fellow on television named Art Linkletter. He had a show on TV back when I was a mere boy. I have already told you that I stayed at home during the summer cleaning the house,...

It seemed as if it should be simple enough. Used to be that way. I wanted to go to my hometown of my home country and sprinkle the ashes of my oldest friend’s mother on the sea wall, where we used to hang out...

I’m not a fan of January. I used to be back when I was young, you see I was born in January. Mr. Maker, the best teacher in the world, told me that many famous people were born in January. I used to brag...