My Mother’s Goneness
My mother is gone, but when she died, she left a few things behind — a battered old purse, a small sofa she liked to call the loveseat. Read more.
Confessions of a Carnivore: Why Eating Meat is OK — Sorta
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Cattle feed lot extending acres into the distance at Harris Ranch, CA. Photo by BF Newhall[/caption]
I don’t see a clear difference between slaughtering a pig and cutting down a seven-story tree. Between netting the wild salmon I eat for dinner and harvesting my breakfast oats. Faced with a choice between killing a pig and killing the tree in our backyard – I’d kill the pig. Read more.
I’m a Meat-Eating Loser – I Didn’t Win the New York Times Ethicist Contest
I’m a meat-eating loser. I didn’t win the “Why It’s OK to Eat Meat” essay contest the New York Times Magazine put on a few weeks ago. But I’m OK with that. Read more.
A Makeover in the Works — We’re Updating My Website
A Makeover in the Works — We’re Updating My Website
In My Rain-Battered Garden — Nothing Is Forever, Not Even Those Poppies
St. Jerome kept a human skull on his desk to remind him of his mortality. We gardeners don’t need a skull . We’ve got stuff dying on us every day. Read more.
Tulips, Orchids and More — Florists Put on a Lively Show for the Dead
It’s not often you get to do something for the dead. But every year, florists put on a show to benefit the Friends of Mountain View Cemetery in Oakland, CA.
It’s Spring in Our Brilliant, Bursting, Buzzing Front Yard
I live in California where spring peaks in March. And by last week the little patch of hillside that is our front yard was alive with color. Read more.
Jeff Greenwald’s Merry Band of Storytellers (Including Me) Makes Its Debut
It’s happening. Jeff Greenwald’s storytelling class will be peforming at 6 p.m. Friday at the Book Passage bookstore in San Francisco’s Ferry Building.
A (Lengthy) Case of the Human Condition: Married 35 Years
Jon Newhall and I have been married for 35 years today. Two kids, one house and lots of rewarding jobs later, we seem to be in it for the long haul. Read more.
A Case of the Human Condition: Our Christmas Candy Is — Gone!
Our Christmas candy is all gone. Gone. Like a lot of good things in life — mothers, fathers, old friends, colleagues. Read more.