Opinion

So I’m sitting in my favorite chair lacing up my tennis shoes when the phone rings. I’m only a little concerned because Lorraine pays all the bills and she has not advised me that we are in trouble. I look at the phone only...

They said it was going to be really fun being home alone-ish (I have dogs). They said I would be able to write and relax, read and re-fill my spiritual cup. In addition to working and ranching and trying to figure out everything myself,...

The Covid-19 pandemic has dominated the headlines for 18 months — and rightly so. But there is another respiratory virus that still demands our full attention. I’m referring to the all-too-common influenza, a viral infection that can be deadly, especially in high-risk groups. The flu...

Fifteen years is a long time; but is it? Time compresses and expands like an accordion, often catching you off guard. A memory popped up, as they do in the infinite world of social media memory. It made me stop and examine that face....

Do you like living in a small town? Oh say, like Gonzales or Soledad or any of the South County cities? I really love living here. I know just about everyone, and the people that I don’t know well enough to stop and talk...

Garden serenity is getting difficult in the afternoons with the dual challenge of ever-rising temperatures and afternoon winds that seem like they’re powerful enough to give Dorothy another trip to Oz. The morning and evening calms, however, make it all worth it. For those who...

A friend on an errand was heading up to Greenfield the other day and asked if I’d like to tag along, and because the town had been on my mind of late, I readily took her up on the offer. I was feeling a...

We’ve been planning this road trip for a very long time. Too long. So long I thought it would never happen. I had every stop marked on my extra-large map of the country; never mind we were only going to be seeing a slice...

It looks like we may get a few reprieves from our SIP (shelter in place). Since March 17 we have had to wear masks, stay in the house and not congregate. Walking on the beach or even in your own neighborhood has had severe...

Joanne's Got It: Column by Joanne Banuelos