Aesop’s ant and the grasshopper fable is on my mind as we enter week three of coronavirus shutdown.  Why weren’t we as a country more prepared? Why didn’t we have

“You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view…until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.”  – Atticus Finch, “To Kill

“‘People are always meaning well,’ said Edward. ‘That’s often the trouble.’”  ― Penelope Lively, Passing On  I have no doubt legislators have good intentions. The vast majority seem to be

The past decade seems like an era of huge disconnects, especially if you are talking politics. One side wonders what the heck happened. The other side wonders how anyone can

All this Ho-Ho-Ho is making me think about R-R-R. Reduce. Reuse. Recycle. True, that sounds pretty Grinchy. The holidays do seem like the epitome of consumerism, with $1.1 trillion in

A good portion of my job as an engineer involves process hazard analysis. A similar approach would help power companies and regulators seeking to reduce fire risk.  This year, the risk-reduction

As a business owner, and wife of another business owner, I’m not at all bothered by Assembly Bill 5, the newly signed bill that attempts to clarify what an employee

Today my daughter asked me how I memorized all the street names in town. I don’t have them all memorized, of course, but I explained that before we had Google

“I’ve learned that you shouldn’t go through life with a catcher’s mitt on both hands; you need to be able to throw something back.”  – Maya Angelou, American Author With

As I write this, I unfortunately wonder where our next mass shooting will be. I wonder how many more kids and parents, journalists, police and coworkers will die in our

Last week we went to see “Apollo 11, an Immersive Live Experience,” which is just starting its worldwide tour. Lucky for us, it’s playing at the Rose Bowl. (https://apollo11show.com/about/) The

“Mom, Scooter pooped!” So said a kid who could be anyone’s kid, walking their dog at the KOA before loading up for another day on the road in their RV. 

Foodie. Whether you view that as a silly term or not, if you like good food, you really need to check out our local farmers markets, especially in the summer.

As we venture into the next year and a half, approaching the November 2020 elections, we all will be told what “we” believe. Democrats want this. Republicans want that. Polls

WOW! Bella Vida is gorgeous. It looks like a high-end business hotel with on-trend décor, a professional-grade kitchen, gym, landscaped patio area, a ballroom, recreation room and multiple meeting rooms.

We’re bombarded with change. Most, but not all, of it is indeed “new and improved,” in that the new thing is better than the old thing. It’s the transition that

I keep telling my daughter she needs to invent a transporter (a la “Star Trek”) so we can get to our destinations on time. I am absolutely not kidding. I

As with all evolutions, the change sought by the #metoo movement to end sexual assault and harassment will be slower than we’d like. It’s a part of a culture of

The government shutdown, which is now the longest on record as of this writing, is ridiculous. It is sad that some cheer it on. This shutdown, like others, illustrates a

Merry Christmas! What a great time of year, even if you celebrate other holidays instead. People are in a good mood, and most are looking forward to at least a