Ojo Del Lago

JOHN MUIR—Defender of the Wilderness By Dr. Lorin Swinehart “The mountains are calling and I must go.”   Once when a fierce windstorm raged through California’s Yuba Valley, John Muir, perhaps our greatest wilderness advocate, climbed a 100-foot Douglas pine to better experience nature in all her glory. He was spellbound as trees six feet

DEAR PORTIA —Advice to the Lovelorn, the Overfed and The Deeply Disgruntled   DEAR PORTIA: I have been writing short stories and poems for most of my life, yet have never had anything published. But that’s not what bothers me. By now I am on a first-name basis with rejection. Yet I still derive great satisfaction

Water For All By Margaret Van Every   The high walls of Las Delicias, armed with broken glass on top, were a formidable bulwark against the needy of San Antonio, who subsisted in squalor just on the walls’ shadow side. Every dwelling in Las Delicias had its own swimming pool, tennis courts, orchards and ornamental

Child of the month By Barb Corol Meet Joaquin   Joaquin, who will be three in December, was diagnosed with West Syndrome. This is an uncommon to rare epileptic disorder in infants named after an English Physician. The syndrome is age-related, generally occurring between the third and twelfth month, generally manifesting around the fifth month. There

UNCOMMON COMMON SENSE By Bill Frayer What We Think We Know   This column, which I have been writing every month since January of 2007 is called, of course, Uncommon Common Sense. This phrase, coined by Benjamin Franklin, infers that common sense is indeed a good thing.  Many would agree. After all, we see lots

Los Ancianos By Antonio Ramblés AKA Tony Passarellowww.antoniorambles.comantonio.rambles@yahoo.com   Few contrasts between American and Mexican cultures are more striking than the way in which each views and treats its senior citizens. America’s seniors are often cloistered in assisted living facilities or nursing homes far from family and friends.  Mexico’s oldest – los ancianos – seem

The Saint Of The Dead By Bill Dean   Nadie se va de este mundo vivo.(No one leaves this world alive). Mexico can hardly be credited with being the country of origin of something so obvious. Yet, Mexicans can be credited for recognizing that dreading death is not the only way to think about it.

Anita’s Animals By Jackie Kellum   Have you noticed that cats and dogs seem to get along better than many people?? Cat and dogs are quite different from each other, but seem to encounter, or create less negative interactions with each other than humans seem to do. Animals do not have calendars or watches  to

XILL FESSENDEN: Lakeside Icon By Lisa L. Jorgensen   People who have contributed significantly to communities are known as icons. Their works are the flowers they wear on their heads so we can see them. But something interesting must also be brewing inside. Xill Fessenden is known for her remarkable photography that has won critical

A Mexican Village By Maggie Van Ostrand   This story could take place in any village in any state in the paradise that is known as Mexico. The names of the people may be different, but the stories will be the same. Once upon a time, a man named Tomas earned the title of village Solver