Opinion

“I’ve come to realize these holidays are about more than exploring other countries and decompressing from our professional and familial obligations. What’s really happening is a sort of extreme relationship test. The good news is the marriage is still going strong, despite my sometimes adolescent chimp-like behavior and tendency to shift from jovial to sullen as my blood sugar levels drop.”

I have been living in Claremont since 2008. I walk and bike all over this beautiful town. I love the variety of architecture I see in houses and other buildings. But above all, I love the trees.

Claremont has a dog problem. With few exceptions, our public parks prohibit canines. I believe that limiting dogs to the city’s two “off-leash areas” harms canine welfare and does a tremendous disservice to the entire community.

“The first injection rendered Scooter unconscious. My left hand was directly over his heart. I could feel it slowing as he relaxed, his mouth slack. After a few minutes, and more goodbyes from the kids and me, we were told the second injection would stop his heart. The room was hushed, reverent, but for the sounds of their sobs. I kissed Scooter, and the veterinarian injected him at the top of his left front leg. By the time the syringe was empty, Scooter’s heart had stopped. His body went limp. He was gone.”

As you might know, I have been a busy Village Mouse, advocating for and supporting small businesses. Again, choosing what you want to see to thrive takes intentionality.

by Donald Gould Twenty-five years ago, I started Gould Asset Management in a small office above what was then Goldstein Optometry, on the east side of Indian Hill Boulevard between First and Second streets. The occasion of our silver anniversary prompted me to reflect on the major changes I’ve witnessed in the investment world since […]

“Aging can give us a broader perspective or a rigid, narrowed view, based on our experience. I certainly feel more secure in my skin than I ever have at 68, but there is much less that that skin wants to do. I envy artists, thinkers, and writers who are able to consider views not necessarily comfortable or immediately advantageous to their popularity or bank account. Most of us are too busy worrying about navigating our day or the grocery store parking lot to think big thoughts.”

“Our free and open to the public ‘Sip and Socialize’ open house at Garner House takes place from 5 to 7 p.m. next Friday, September 27. It will include beverages, snacks, a book signing of ‘Timeless Claremont,’ raffles, and a community ribbon cutting with an aerial photo of everyone at the party we will publish on our front page on October 4. Have a story idea, complaint, compliment, or question? The entire Courier staff will be on hand at this event to hear you out. We hope to see you there!”

“I awoke Thursday to a chill in the air for what seemed the first time in weeks. It was 55 degrees when I stepped out onto my front porch before sunrise and took my first sip of coffee. And I thought about the perils of living up against the wilderness. These horrific wildfires are increasing, both in frequency and size. What does the future hold for folks like us who live adjacent to their source of fuel?”

“I grew up envying friends who could trace their families back through the generations. Not knowing anything about my family made me feel untethered, temporary, invisible even, like I didn’t have a story. But now I feel connected to my ancestors, to this country, to the earth. My family has become a tangible thing and an unexpected, deeply gratifying gift.”

“I do not intend to dignify Trump’s political name-calling by giving it a venerable classical lineage. Far from Trump’s cavalier, libelous (and yes, often childish) name-calling, Cicero had a sense of rhetorical decorum and understood that while playful nicknames could help criticize vices and point out crimes, they also raised a problem of the appropriateness, moderation, and decorum of legal and political speech.” Photo/

When my husband Frank and I founded our theater company Inland Valley Repertory Theatre in 1990, we did so with the mission of building a community of storytellers whose work together would enhance not only our lives but the lives of our audiences.

My son started ninth grade Wednesday, his first year at Claremont High School. The youngest of four, he’s the last to wind his way through Claremont’s public schools. We’ve no more middle schoolers, and have long since said goodbye to the sweetness of elementary school. Soon my boy will be driving himself to CHS and staking out his independence before flying the coop for college. Presumably.

“There are caustic people in this world. Sometimes we find that we are related to them. Sometimes it’s a friend who changes, maybe due to some very difficult life event. Sometimes they sit across from us at the conference table at work or school. Their bitterness is insidious and cancerous.”