In his classic, “The Pretender,” Jackson Browne lamented, “I’m going to be a happy idiot and struggle for the legal tender.” As Browne keenly observed, money (and life) creates angst. It is also the major factor that leads to civil lawsuits. When asked to explain what a civil attorney does, I say that it usually boils down to either arguments about money or arguments about what to do with money.

It’s that time of year again to start making preparations for the flu season, which can begin as early as October and last as late as May.

Once upon a time, honest, hardworking Americans who didn’t want to gamble with their money could put it in savings or money market accounts and collect a decent amount of interest. When they retired, the interest helped them pay their bills.

Some plants have become the darlings of the garden, while other perfectly good plants are being left in the dust (no pun intended) and ignored.

"Gardening is a way of showing that you believe in tomorrow." — Anonymous

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Eggs are on my list of perfect foods. They are nourishing, delectable, quick-cooking, versatile and conveniently individually packaged.

In the mid-1990s, after many years in the states of Colorado and California, I returned to my home state of Washington hoping to find a job. Eventually I did, and I was asked to attend a day-long orientation for clergy newly arrived in the Diocese of Olympia (western Washington). The session was to help people become acquainted not only with the diocese, but also with the region. For that portion, I sat quietly and observed the comments of people who had lived elsewhere all their lives.

Theodule John Tuariac was born to Jennifer Anne and Demetrius Paul Tauriac of Ben Lomond at 6:05 p.m. Aug. 5, 2011, at Dominican Hospital in Santa Cruz. He weighed 6 pounds, 1 ounce.