Category: Culture
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A slow-motion accident
I have just finished the most difficult article I’ve written. It’s about special education in Scotts Valley, funding, and the fights between parents and the district. It was a real “she said / he said” experience, with those on the administrative side saying that everything necessary gets done for the kids in special ed, and…
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Some thoughts about our sacred holiday, Labor Day
Labor Day is one heckuva holiday. First of all, your kids have probably already started back at school. What’s with starting school before Labor Day? In my day, Labor Day was the end of summer. It had meaning. Now what does it mean? It means it’s still summer, but your kids are stuck in school…
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Thoughts on the human condition
The other day the phone rang. It was one of my husbands’ cousins on the East Coast. She inquired about our family’s health and happiness, and then I knew what was coming: “That fire isn’t anywhere near you, is it?” We often get calls like this when a natural disaster hits close to home. To…
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Seasonal delights
This morning I made Italian plum cake. My ten-year-old was helping me and it occurred to him to ask, “Are we going to Nana’s house tonight?” “No,” I answered. “Is someone coming over for dinner tonight?” he asked. “No,” I said, getting curious. “Why?” “Because you’re making cake so I thought it must be a…
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Pushing my feminist buttons
We went today to get my daughter’s hair hacked off. Actually, to get it very professionally cut off by the stylist who does my and my husband’s hair. Usually I cut my kids’ hair myself. But this was one job I wasn’t willing to take on. At one point, my daughter’s hair was approaching waist…