Hello, Readers, As we get ready for Thanksgiving in the USA, our thoughts increasingly turn to FOOD as we plan the feast: turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, and . . . Spam? This week, I have found myself thinking about Hawaiian food, including Spam, no doubt in light of Saffron Street: Island Danger, recently released and set…
Dear Readers, Did you see the news today about the “2022 Word of the Year”? It’s been chosen by the U.K.-based Collins Dictionary. In fact, its top ten words of the year have a definite theme: “the ongoing crisis the world is facing.” Some don’t pay much attention to these yearly “contests,” but this year’s…
Dear Kids and All Other Halloween Revelers, Some people do or do not celebrate Halloween for religious reasons. Regardless, many people love Halloween, and I am no exception. Did you know that there are important scientific reasons to celebrate Halloween? Embracing and celebrating scary things in life could compel us to make some beneficial changes…
Hi, All Readers, and Happy October! This month, culminating in Halloween, seems perfect for discussing creepy feelings! One, in particular . . . Have you ever experienced deja vu? That’s French for “already seen”–a perhaps paranormal sensation that you’ve experienced the same exact situation before, even though that’s impossible? If you have, you’re in good company.…
Hello, Kids, Readers, and Tennis Fans, I am saddened by the news that my favorite tennis player Roger Federer is retiring from competitive tennis tomorrow, September 23, following his last match in the Laver Cup, which is happening in London this weekend. Roger started his professional career in 1998 at the age of 17 and…
Dear Readers, Horse Lovers, and/or Admirers of the late Queen Elizabeth II, Here is a heartwarming story from the New York Times by Jenny Gross, dated September 12, 2022, that I thought might be as interesting to you as it was to me. Mr. Monty Roberts, an eighty-seven-year-old legendary horse trainer from California, has special reasons to…
Dear Kids and All Readers, I think it’s safe to say that all kids love birthdays. I mean, cake and presents! What’s not to like? My attitude is that birthdays are important because they beat the alternative, so light those candles and enjoy that cake. Did you know that certain birthdates occur much more frequently…
Dear Kids and Animal Lovers, Recently, on one of my morning walks, I saw a murder of crows in a tall, otherwise barren eucalyptus tree. The fifty plus large black birds were waiting for . . . um, coffee? Huh? A murder of crows? What’s that? That’s the collective name for a group of crows–one of…
Hello, Readers! Perhaps like me, you ran across this engaging op-ed by Ellen Jovin on page A11 in the Friday, August 12, 2022, edition of The L.A. Times. It’s available digitally and in print. Entitled “How Fighting Over Grammar Can Help Fix a Divided America,” it details Ms. Jovin’s goals to set up and run…
Dear Readers, Yesterday, August 10, 2022, was the 50th anniversary of my sweet paternal grandmother’s passing at the age of 88. Nellie “Gama” Lanyon Johns left us on August 10, 1972. I was lucky to have had her and my grandfather living with us while I was growing up. Gama (rhymes with “Mama”) was a…
