Putting away research materials now that my new book “An Eclectic History of Mendocino County” is done I got to thinking about how I came to be writing local history themed newspaper columns and books.…
Posts published in “Essays”
Three months after Edward Livernash's acquittal and a mere week after being severely bruised in a bicycle accident, John Livernash married a young woman, Lizzie Schultz, he'd known since early childhood days in Cloverdale. The…
In all my years, I never had a weapon. That's not to say that all my friends in Texas and New York weren't packing. And everyone on the Mexican side had all kinds of weapons,…
My favorite Thanksgiving as an adult began when my husband and I woke up with suddenly no one to cook for but ourselves. So instead of spending the day in the kitchen, we decided to…
The year of riotous living at San Francisco State University, 1968-1969, contained one of the most recent major upheavals of our society. In 1968 the country was yet again divided over race relations and colonial…
Editor-san reports a clamor at my absence, so I figured I had better get on the stick, even questioning the presence of anything clamorous. A susurration, perhaps, maybe even a faint buzz; but whatever it…
After passage by Californians at the ballot box, legal challenges, religious opposition, then finally the support of long-time opponent the California Medical Association, the California End of Life Option Act was signed into law by…
A good friend of mine’s wife called a few months ago and asked me to call her son. I called the young man and found out that he and his live in girlfriend were going…
The raiding party, dressed in ninja black, gathered at two in the morning on November 18, 2005 outside a doublewide trailer on County Road 307 on the outskirts of Laytonville. The trick to raiding is…