Opinion

Look for the Stars

I have a sappy, emotional mug. I love it. It says, “When it’s dark, look for the stars.” So, in the spirit of this season of love and light, I want to…

Holiday Gifts in a Post-Santa Family

There are no longer any children in my immediate family. No bouncing babes to scream as they sit on some creepy Santa’s knee. No toddlers pulling over the adorned tree, as they…

Our Topanga Community Center

What costs less than thirty cents a day and gives us 365 days of fun and community? Our beloved Topanga Community Center! The history of our Topanga Community Center (TCC) is well…

Letters – November 29, 2019

Grateful Support to our Firefighters During the last two years, Topanga has been surrounded by fires: the Simi fire, three Palisades fires, the Getty fire, the Hidden Hills fire, the Calabasas fire,…

I Got My Ticket

Two recent books and a movie about the Underground Railroad are bathed in historical fact. The enslaved ran away. They were helped by many others. Their journey was difficult. In each of…

Cyber Monday

This column is coming out on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving and considered to be the first day of the all-important Christmas shopping season for brick-and-mortar stores.    Super smoking “deals” are…

‘Tis the Season for a Brand New Fur Baby…Maybe

Parents tiptoe into the bedroom where their child sleeps toasty warm. With secret agent stealth they place a bow-bedecked basket on the bed and step back. Instantly, the fur ball jumps out,…

OK Millennials

Why must every generation think their folks are square? And no matter where their heads are, they know Mom’s ain’t there… —Younger Generation (John B. Sebastian), 1967 We’ve been complaining about our…

Another World: Sky Forest at Santa’s Village

I wanted something otherworldly, something with autumn atmosphere, something inspiriting. I longed for weather full of whispers and promises that make your heart dance with the joy of seeing colored leaves of…

Code You

American novelist, Elizabeth Berg, wrote, “You are born into your family and your family is born into you.” The DNA you carry comes from your mother and father, and there is no…