Opinion

You know, when you write a little story each week and try to keep the subjects fresh, there are times when you really have to sit back for a while so you can bring forth — through the keys on a computer keyboard —...

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...

I have always enjoyed words and how they are used, but as I have not kept up on the grammatical, I frankly admit to longer being able to accurately describe, or recognize in use, the dangling participle or the gerund, nor would I be...

It took me forever to get a college degree. Really. It was nearly 30 years and over 330 miles apart — from September of 1970 when I enrolled as a drama major at Hartnell in Salinas until March of 2000 before I got an...

Since Memorial Day is coming soon, I thought perhaps we might write a few words about why we have Memorial Day and who benefits from the holiday. It isn’t just the military that stands tall on this day. I know lots of folks that have...

This week’s column will be, of necessity and choice, a bit shorter in length than normal. Since I was a little boy raised in the Eisenhower Generation I have, as have many others of my generation, seen War movies from World War I (the...

There are many things that drive me crazy about this country; but the lack of opportunity is not one of them. I have always known that I can do whatever I want to do here, when I set my mind to it. Years ago, I...

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...

Growing up in Greenfield in the late 1950s through the ’60s and beyond, we (“we” meaning those whose parents, grandparents and beyond spoke English) were introduced to foreign languages and English with idioms and accents previously unknown to us. I doubt I’m alone of...

“Darling, darling, we have to stop! This is my cousin’s house!” Car comes to a screeching halt, dust flying. We unload, remove our shoes at the door. Everyone sits in the family room. Boiling hot chai tea is produced in tiny glass cups with...