The Resistance Begins At Home

We came home from the wars–that is to say Cabo San Lucas–in 1999, after a sojourn there of five years. But in Lemon Cove, where we landed, my battles with Nature continued. You might even say the front expanded–to 96 acres. We moved in to an ancient, tatterdemalion farm house in a citrus grove owned […]

Death and Taxes

Here’s a finger in the eye of the Universe: It’s possible to find humor anywhere–even in an ICU. Unless you’re the patient. For those of us who are merely visitors, transported in a spoon to the bedside of our loved one, the experience remains harrowing. When I was a kid we used to have a […]

Buying the Place With Beads

Years ago now–and apropos of nothing–I wrote a poem that began like so: I long to linger among the Hmong; how I hunger to hear their tongue! These nonsense poems frequently come as a sort of whisper I strive to catch up with in writing. More often than not, I’m unsuccessful. And at this remove […]

Happy New Year!

If only to send a message to the remainder of the country, California should vote to secede from the Union. Not that it could ever happen–and its certainly not something I would ever truly wish for–but this would be a shot across the bow of the 49 other states: California is rowing an aircraft carrier […]

Donald Trump Is My President

I find revolting the election of Donald Trump as our president; then again, in voting for him, that’s what approximately half of the voting electorate did–revolt. As of 14 November, Hillary Clinton garnered 668,483 more votes than Trump. That’s about the size of Boston. The 60 million-plus who voted for Trump despite his antics did […]