Marshallville Stories Now on Audible.com
Optimism

Elections Fair & Square
When is an illegitimate winner not a winner? Photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash When I was a kid, Fair & Square was the rule. “She won…

Weather Weirdness for Humankind
A report from beautiful snowy Montana Author photo “It’s going up — (UP!) — to zero tomorrow,” said one adult in the room; “we…

Holiday Revelry: To Mask or Not to Mask
MY SURVEY RESULTS ARE IN Photo by Belinda Fewings on Unsplash That is still the question. A holiday-sized group of passengers was recently gathered in the waiting…

Welcome to my digital world. I’ve been writing (for newspapers, magazines, online sites) since the 1950s, and blogging since first introduced to the idea via a paid blog for news aggregate site True/Slant in 2009. My roots are in small town Virginia and my heart is in hometown San Francisco. For more than you ever wanted to know, click on the tabs above. Current essays and hopefully enlightening &/or entertaining thoughts are under the Blog tab, or grouped in my most frequent categories below. Thanks for visiting!
Current big news: MARSHALLVILLE STORIES is HERE and available on Amazon and Audible. You can read about its genesis in this blog post. Or, here’s a 2-minute sample from the audiobook (video by Sara Vitale, narration by Katherine Conklin.)
COVID Collection

Parting Words from a Too-Short Life
Ronald Lockett, “Fever Within” (1995) — Author Photo Artist Ronald Lockett died at the age of 33. I’d never heard of him, or seen any…

Five Steps to Guaranteed Optimism
Today’s word is – – Panglossian Photo by Sandy Millar on Unsplash Optimism is dead! I was told this by a good friend yesterday. He said, “It…
America

Help Celebrate Hug A Cloud Day!
Photo by engin akyurt on Unsplash You can do this! Cloud-hugging (instructions below) benefits all of humankind. Hug A Cloud Day came about because this is the…

The Joy of Supplements
Today’s random health report Photo by Myriam Zilles on Unsplash Dietary doomsday may be upon us. For instance, how’s the eicosapentaenoic acid? And should we be REALLY worried about…

Planes, Trains & Automobiles+
A 3-day Getaway trip that’s all about the journey Photo by Martin Sanchez on Unsplash You’ve gotta love Scenic-Route trains. Or maybe you don’t, if you’re some…
End of Life

Legacy Gifts: Join a Feel-Good Club!
Photo by Marc Najera on Unsplash The invitation is always open. One of the all-around best societies to belong to, and it can cost a lot less…

Last Minute Midterm Week Survival Plans
Photo by Brett Jordan on Unsplash Next Tuesday is election day. On Wednesday I have a root canal. Clearly, something’s wrong with my planning mechanism. For all…

A (Summer) Book for All Seasons
Photo by Todd Trapani on Unsplash The Summer Book was recommended to me as an antidote to the fall blues: stressed over climate change, midterms, earthquakes, disinformation — I needed…
Feminist Collection

Deliver Us from Updates . . .
How to ruin someone’s day? Update her computer while she sleeps. Microsoft, in its infinite wisdom, enjoys doing this. Don’t Turn Off Your Computer,…

Climate Change, Women and Hope
“Climate change is happening,” she says; “it’s real, it’s urgent.” The speaker is Paola Gianturco, a strikingly pretty octogenarian photojournalist/author, retired from a distinguished business…