Category Opinion & Editorial

The names of dead friends in my contacts list are growing. Embracing mortality with a touch of humor, I’ve been joking for the past few years that I leave the dead ones in so when they outnumber the live ones I know it’s my turn…

Five hundred names. A nice, round figure. The list was composed of people (and a few pets) I met during our first 10 months in the southern Willamette Valley, 50 people at a time each month. We celebrated the list in December 2019 and pulled…

The lunar new year inspired many people to ask about their luck in 2021. One reader asked about his love life. He was born under the sun sign Gemini during the lunar year of the Dog. He wanted to know what sign he would be…

This week, Jim became eligible for the COVID-19 vaccination. He is 81, and we are eagerly awaiting the phone call or email that will give him a time to go in for his first shot. It’s been a long time coming, and we are so…

The right decisions can be the hardest to make, especially with the backdrop of a global pandemic.  When Lance and I were first engaged in December 2019, naive to the chaos that would soon be bestown upon us, we chose June 2021 for our wedding…

Pedro Gomez, Dee Dee and Noel Nash Where to start? A deep breath. Or two. A lifelong friend and colleague died on Super Bowl Sunday, unexpectedly, at age 58. Really, he was more of a brother. There is nothing new to say on the topic of…

Folklore suggests we should wear red for good luck two weeks before and two weeks following the lunar new year. As science-minded individuals, we might consider folklore to be a superstition and illogical. Superstition is based on unfounded belief, but it seems unlikely that traditions…

As 2020 ends and 2021 begins, many among us are thinking about how we can make positive changes in our own lives and in our larger community. Despite the turmoil of recent events, many of your neighbors have been getting involved in community affairs by…

Good writers understand “Brevity is the soul of wit,” which means, keep it short. Add another truth, “A picture is worth a thousand words,” and it’s a wonder we all don’t write comic books. I suppose the 160,000-word novel I wrote could have been 160…