Opinion

Farmers have always been the world's busiest, hardest-working people. Farmers are perhaps the only people whose profession commands universal respect. Between milking the cows in the morning and getting that milk to market, and collecting the eggs at day's end and getting those eggs to market, who has time to date?

It is hard to believe that two months ago we were all going about business as usual, going to the mall, to the gym, seeing family and friends and having dinner together at our favorite restaurant. Now, with life in lockdown, the way forward feels uncertain and bleak. We are faced with a pandemic we didn’t see coming, which has caused an economic crisis and cost many lives. This is particularly difficult to think about when you consider those most affected are the elderly and people with pre-existing medical conditions.

Since I started walking instead of running I'm enchanted by the simplest things. I guess trading "runner's high" for "walker's enchantment," is not such a bad trade.

The polarizing attitudes and ideology that has taken over the American political environment -- as witnessed in recently-held political debates and rallies, nationwide -- is a danger to traditional American democratic values of diversity and respect of the “marketplace of ideas”, where people are not listening to each other, where respect for diversity is lacking, where the prevailing political attitude seems to be “my way or the highway”.

Since when does the Carson City Chamber of Commerce promote and back a political candidate. Is it ok that almost every Facebook post the Chamber makes is immediately posted on Ronni Hannaman’s election Facebook page. Is it odd that Hannaman’s page has virtually nothing about her campaign.

America's Red Light District originated in Dodge City, Kansas, where train crews would leave their red lanterns outside when entering a bordello so they could be located in the event of an emergency, and America's madams were quick to embrace this tradition as an excellent way to advertise.

Trousers came into being when it was discovered, before Christ, that hand-to-hand combat was most unpleasant while wearing a robe, not to mention the discomfort endured while riding a horse while wearing a robe.

We all remember our first, our first love, our first kiss, our first colonoscopy. The procedure was developed in 1969, but was overshadowed by the moon landing. There were no headlines, "Colonoscopy Arrives! What is it? Don't ask."

Staying at home alone gives one time to pause and ponder. Today I'm evoking the war in Vietnam. This was an American booboo that was partly my fault. I was in college, 1966, majoring in pizza and beer, when I received a lottery number in the mail.

At this time with so many having so little due to the pandemic’s impact on the economy, I have decided against purchasing campaign yard signs. If you are inclined to donate to my campaign, I ask that you, instead, donate to the Food Pantry, Food for Thought, FISH – or possibly help a family by providing them a card for Smith’s, Save Mart, Raley’s, Walmart or Grocery Outlet.

We all know who our Governor Steve Sisolak is, but we did not know him until he did his press releases during this COVID-19 Crises.

A gifted poet friend of mine, Jack Wright, penned a verse to welcome a flattening of the COVID-19 curve.

Like everybody else nowadays, I'm lugging a heavy heart around in my chest. So I like to escape into the past now and again, and dream about how things might have been. I would like to have been in Boston for the Tea Party for example, and I picture myself at the Bell In Hand Tavern, holding forth in front of my fellow Bostonians.

In full disclosure, I opted out of pre-med when confronted with analytical geometry, but have never lost my interest in good health. So I stand in awe of our country's show of courage in our sudden shift of values. A new energy is emerging in America, a new altruism. With the arrival of COVID-19, mastery of fear is our new normal, bravery our new mantle.

They told us the C-rations they were delivering to us leathernecks in Vietnam were prepared and canned for troops fighting long before us in Korea.

This morning we wake up to a new reality in Carson City.

Last night at midnight, by order of Gov. Steve Sisolak, all casinos and gaming machines in Nevada shut down, and with them a large chunk of the state's tax revenue.

Today at noon, all non-essential businesses are supposed to close their doors. A majority of the state's workforce is starting today not knowing if they have a job, if they will be paid, or how they will pay their bills.

Feeling it the right thing to do, the only thing to do, really, I scratched out a short letter and delivered it to our community hospital.

What I know about gorls you could put in a gnat's ear. It's not because I haven't tried to understand gorls, I have tried to understand gorls. They make great mothers and grandmothers, I know that. But you show me a man who says he understands middle-aged gorls and I'll show you a big fat liar. Though just because we can't understand gorls does not mean we can't love gorls. There is something comforting and contenting about a gorl's voice, a gorl's laughter.

The first European to see America, so far as we know, was a Norseman named Barney, somewhere around A.D. 986. Barney was wading ashore, holding his shoes, when he encountered some Native Americans who were not in a good humor that particular morning, and they gave Barney the bum's rush. So he absquatulated (cut stick) in his dinghy, and rowed like crazy for home, anywhere but America.

Letter to Mayor, Dear Mayor Crowell: I am the Carson City Chapter President of the Retired Public Employees of Nevada. The group is dedicated to issues important to senior citizens and is active in monitoring actions both statewide and nationally that concern the status of Social Security and pension. I would like to make you aware of recent events that are of concern to my group.

One of the nice things about portraying characters out of the past is the feeling you get when you stand where they stood and see what they saw. Within this confluence of past and present, there is a palpable kinetic link to be embraced and enjoyed.

Valentines is the day to show love to not only significant others, but to everyone in our lives that we love and cherish. In classic mythology, the god of love and desire known as Cupid, shoots people with his golden arrows and with this very action the person that was shot has now became filled with uncontrollable desire for someone. The moment I laid my eyes on my gorgeous girlfriend, Edith, I knew that I was shot by cupid, and as our relationship grew my love for her grew as well.

I've long wondered how the marathon run came to be 26 miles in the first place. So I did a little research and found the history to be fascinating. It all started, like so many other events in history, after tossing back a few beers, away back in 490 B.C.

Was there humor to be found in the Impeachment Trial? You bet there was. To begin, you can't ask a senator who is used to jumping up and pontificating every five minutes to sit still and listen to somebody else for eight hours without interrupting.

A rescue at sea is always riveting, but the 2020 New Year's Eve Rescue gave me chicken skin all over. In full disclosure I have not ventured out to sea since our honeymoon when my wife did most of the fishing and I did most of the crabbing. Unless standing on shore, anchored in sand, I have no love for the sea. To me a sea cruise is being under house arrest, but with a chance of "drownding."

Last week, I wrote about overwhelm and how to approach it. But, there’s one part of the process of overcoming overwhelm that will trip you up if you don’t understand it - setting priorities.

Priorities fall under a number of categories:

• Critical priority. (Example: Something that has to be done in 24 hours, often has a consequence if not done)
• The deadline is approaching. (Example: Hard deadline, no moving it, often has penalties for missing)

When I was a little kid I read a Donald Duck comic book and was fascinated when I saw Uncle Scrooge McDuck had a coin with his likeness on it. I thought, "I'd like to have a coin like that someday." Well, it only took 70 years, but it looks like it actually might happen.

The Board of Supervisors will review the Andersen Ranch Estates Tentative Map this Thursday, January 16th.  The special session starts at 5:30pm at the Sierra Room of the Community Center at 851 Williams Street, Carson City.


If you were involved with the Vintage project, you will know that the same players under a different owner, Christy Corp., will be presenting their application at the Board of Supervisors’ meeting.

The following is a short conversation between a mother and her high school son.

What the world needs now is a strong shared narrative that transcends politics, a strong shared narrative that transcends "us verses them" and guess what? That very thing is in the skunkworks. I can't tell you exactly what it is, for that would jinx the whole mission, but it's coming our way soon, perhaps by the end of January. Stay tuned to these pages.