Country singer and writer Willie Nelson pens his first novel, an exciting western called '"A Tale Out of Luck." A young orphan boy nicknamed Skeeter is taken in by rancher Hank Tomlinson who raises him with his son Jay Blue. Skeeter, who is half-Mexican, has always longed to know more about his family, what their names were and who was his birth father. He and Jay have always been close, but sometimes Jay taunts Skeeter about not having a real Dad. They work on Jay's father's ranch and sometimes get to go into the little town of Luck for a drink and some flirting. A small band of Indians are camping near the ranch to hunt for food. A series of misunderstandings fueled by some vindictive whites almost wipes out the peaceful Indians. The survivors decide to lavish a full scale attack with their tribe to wipe out the two closest ranches. Hank's past has come to haunt him, but in spite of the turmoil, his story is finally verified and enemies unite to face this new threat to their homes and lives. ...more

March 18, 2009

First of all, although I voted Republican, I give my full support to President-elect Barack Obama. We will see. A man is judged by his deeds. It will help if we understand the problem. First of all there was 9-11, the three wars, tornadoes, earth quakes, floods and hurricanes (aid to tsunami victims, aid for malaria, AIDS and famine,) two years of Democrats saying how bad things are (how things are perceived becomes reality.) Add crooked Wall Street executives, crooked Congress involved in Fanny Mae-Freddie Mac (their directors also,) greedy people speculating on properties, filling the market with bad paper and you see it is no easy task. It will take the effort of all of us. Citizenship comes with certain responsibilities: you must vote, keep working in spite of all hurdles, and pay your share of taxes, no exceptions. We cannot get free stuff, it all comes at a cost. The more the government pays our way or does stuff for us, the more power it gives the government over us. Was your vote dependent on a tax break or cash stimulus? ...more

November 14, 2008

Imagine buying a car based on convenience. You'd shop for the car only at dealers located within a five-minute drive of home. You wouldn't dare ask the salesman any questions. He or she will ask a few of you and decide which car is the best fit. And the price? You'd find that out when you picked it up. ...more

May 30, 2008

Dunkin' Donuts has pulled an online ad featuring Rachael Ray after complaints that a fringed black-and-white scarf the celebrity chef wore in the ad offers symbolic support for Muslim extremism and terrorism. ...more

May 30, 2008

Today's Birthday (02/14/08) Get the place you've always wanted this year. Fix it up in style. Develop a nurturing environment. If you're already on this path, do more, happily. ...more

February 17, 2008

Mayr Malool wrote a beautiful letter on evolution and Intelligent Design. This was followed with a thoughtful written letter by Bob Glavey who raised good points. Both these letters are topical given the proposed school board resolution on evolution. I am concerned about the misunderstandings surrounding the scientific theory. The word "theory" is confusing this important debate because it means something different in the context of science. Here, a theory must satisfy three criteria: it must explain the outcomes of many experiments, it must be tested, and it must be predictive. Newton's Theory of Gravity, for example, predicts how quickly an object will fall to the earth. ...more

February 7, 2008

Hello Lyn: My father has 24/7 care in his home. He has dementia, yet is quite independent. His caregivers cook and otherwise just keep an eye on him as he continues to do his "chores." (In other words, he doesn't require any "hands-on" care.) My question is: What is considered an appropriate gift for these wonderful people? I want them to know how much I appreciate their help. I don't know if it's appropriate to give cash. Can I give different gifts to each person? Do I give gifts to the helpers who work for agencies? Is there a "formula" like one day's pay? ...more

December 7, 2007

Have you ever noticed that the best communication usually happens at the end of the day? When we are so tired we don't feel like talking, and even less like listening, that's when the truest communication happens — between friends, between lovers, between marriage partners, between coworkers, even between parents and kids. One of the best ways to spend meaningful time with a child is to sit down together at the end of the day and simply ask questions, then listen — really listen — to the answers. You don't have to think up fancy questions. "What did you do today?" Or, "How was school?" can give your child a chance to vent. And telling him or her about your day shows the child you consider it a two-way relationship. That is coin of the realm when it comes to avoiding problems and heartaches down the road. ...more

October 28, 2007

Many of the actors in this traveling troupe don't need a script to learn their roles. ...more

October 19, 2007