Crayon Box for Christmas There were so many colors! It’s not like I was gonna do that much coloring, but somebody had made and packed this box, bigger than my world to date. Sometimes when I go to an Open Mic’, the experience is the same. I may or may not be stirred or […]
Stewart Hall: What I took away from attending a City Council meeting
By Stewart Hall Special to the Herald On July 17, I was able to attend the Benicia City Council meeting. It had been several months since attending meetings after the yearlong debate over cannabis. After seeing how that topic and how it was handled, I considered not attending or witnessing another session. I read in […]
Devon Minnema: Dixon vice mayor’s controversial comments not reflective of today’s generation
Over the last few weeks, I’ve had the unfortunate role of needing to defend my hometown and constituents. First defending them from our own Vice Mayor Ted Hickman for a column he wrote in the Dixon Independent Voice calling for a “Straight Pride American Month,” and then from the dozens of emails echoing him that […]
Benicia Letters Once More: That Teacher
The following “letter” is part of the continuing series from the unpublished novel by James Garrett, “Benicia Letters Once More”. He does not plan to publish the book but instead is choosing to share the letters with the readers of the Benicia Herald. The letters continue the storyline of Garrett’s first novel “Benicia and Letters […]
Mrs. B’s Blather: What turns us into screaming banshees?
The other day I was at Robin and Co. beauty salon. I was looking forward to a relaxing time catching up with Robin, getting my hair cut, my roots covered and a lovely shampoo. I arrived to find her compatriot had a client. Even in close proximity, we were able to have our separate space. […]
Les Overlock: Rob Jenkins’ ‘Faces of Cuba’ brings music to portraits
Art Review by Les Overlock Special to the Herald “The Buena Vista Social Club” movie, which was spawned by Ry Cooder in 1999, set the tone for the revival of music emanating in pre-Castro era of Cuba. The movie is as exciting as the photo display produced by Rob Jenkins, which is on display at […]
A Different Drummer: Ready and able to disable cable
We’re considering cutting our television cable. We feel like we bought the buffet ticket, but are only eating the soup and salad. We tasted the other morsels, and we enjoyed being free to do so, except that it wasn’t free. I posted our intentions online and received a flurry of encouraging and instructional responses. It […]
Jeff Burkhart’s “Rhyme and Reason”: The REALLY BIG Rhyme & Reason Summer Sales Event
Extra, Extra; Poems for sale! For lovers, friends and cousins Get ‘em while they’re fresh today They’re cheaper by the dozen Here’s a way that you can help To raise the GDP Just take a little bread you’ve earned And send it on to me I can write you poems of love Or I can […]
Dennis Lund: Trump the Puppet? Words speak louder than action, it seems
President Trump’s recent European tour created an uproar from the anti-Trumpers that has surpassed election night 2016. The outcry, over comments to Putin, has not previously been seen or imagined in recent history. One member of the deranged left, Congressman Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.) asked for a coup d’état in his tweet: “Where are our military […]
Voice of the Village: Do you want the rest of your life to be better?
By Lois Requist I continue to learn from my friend Judie Donaldson, as I did with her column last week about attitude adjustment and what older people prefer to be called. Because there has been so much negativity around growing older, it may be that a phrase everyone likes hasn’t been invented yet. Village Movement […]