My holiday message is longer this year because I was not able to get out a Summer Solstice letter;  too much happening in the world and in my personal world. What you will read here is what came up for me in the several days I was composing the message. I chose to highlight my two fantastic trips—the pickleball vacation to Mexico in January and my natural world adventure in Colorado in October.
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The year began with me utilizing my passport for the first time since 1997 and flying to Club Med in Ixtapa for my “Pickleball in Paradise” adventure. It has been 39-45 degrees each foggy morning here in Santa Rosa and I have not been able to get out to the courts to join my hardy Howarth Park cohorts, who play daily even if clouds of breath puff before their faces. But in January 2025, I was ocean kayaking in warm waters off Mexico, beach lounging with a Piña Colada in hand, and having sweaty but amazing pickleball experiences with international friends and teacher Adam MacKinnon. It served as an excellent distraction from what was taking place at the same time in in Washington D.C.

[Photo: on the balcony of my room at Club Med]

I came back to the USA the day before a twice-impeached, convicted felon was inaugurated for the second time as President of my country. That begin a year of horrors it would take me pages to even list: due process gutted, universities and vital scientific research defunded, immigrants kidnapped, imprisoned, mistreated and deported, health care shredded, free speech punished, vital federal employees dismissed and essential departments gutted, the arts assaulted, racism rampant, the White House’s historic east wing demolished without due cause, women’s rights rescinded, etc. ad nauseum.

These days remind me of my late college years when I was very active in the anti (Vietnam) war movement, except it is much, much worse. I found myself on the streets many times throughout the spring and summer, marching for “No Kings” and protesting the Palestinian genocide. Now there are over 80,000 officially dead in Gaza from the Israeli government’s bombardment and denial of food, even meager tent shelter, and vital humanitarian aid. Foreign journalists are forbidden even now to enter the territories to document the atrocities (more than 250 Palestinian journalists have been killed since Oct. 2023).

What differentiates this from all other miseries in the world is that I am supporting it with my tax money against my will. Attacks and misery for Palestinians in both Gaza and the West Bank are ongoing today, as land seizure and displacement continue in spite of a so-called cease fire.

Over the last months, I have joined thousands, millions, protesting the most corrupt administration the United States has ever known. The president, his family, and  their cronies are openly enriching themselves via their power in office, to say nothing of the EXTREME abuse of the presidential pardon power (especially in the release of criminals who have been given due process and convicted to long prison sentences!)

The demonstrations that took place across the country in 2025 were born of anger and concern but also of hope. I experienced the power of coming together in community for the common good, as well as joy, encouragement, and good humor (I’ve seen some great signs memes, videos).

ON THE POSITIVE
I had a most extraordinary trip to Colorado in October, a check off my bucket list.  I stayed first with my cousin, Candace Frankovelgia at her home in the shadow of Pike’s Peak and Garden of the Gods. Then I took an 8-hour train trip across the state through some gorgeous country to visit my long-time friend, Karen Rose. My many adventures included some of the best hikes ever, even at altitude. The photo here shows Karen on the trail with her sweet dog, Nella.

TAKING CARE OF ONESELF IN CHALLENGING TIMES
The main feature of living longer than both my parents is that I must devote quite a bit of time to self-care:  preparing healthful food, getting plenty of exercise, spending time with friends, expressing my creativity and nurturing good sleep.

Resources I have found helpful for sleep, besides the relaxation/breathing techniques I learned from my headache coach (Tom Cobb of Freedom from Headaches), are: the newsletter from Hilary Samuel of Asleep at Last, and the Calm app. Calm offers a trove of meditations of all lengths, sleep stories, music, and more. I am fortunate to have access to it free as a benefit of my Kaiser health insurance. Among my sleep storytellers have been Lin Manuel Miranda, Matthew McConaughey, and for the Irish lilt, Cillian Murphy . I will send you a free trial for Calm if you ask.

MY TOP NEWS SOURCES
To close this letter, I’m going to respond to a friend who asked me to list where I source my information. I hope you will investigate the outlets yourself and perhaps choose to give some of your end-of-year financial support to some of them. I am especially keen on donating to independent/public media. One of the first acts of a fascist regime is to control thought through intimidation of educational institutions and harassment/punishment of journalists who speak inconvenient truths and ask uncomfortable questions of those in power.

First and foremost, I listen five days a week to Amy Goodman and Democracy Now, which airs twice a day on the world’s first public radio station, KPFA. You can access Democracy Now online, watch the daily shows, get their headlines in your inbox, read transcripts, delve into their extensive archive and experience some of the best journalists alive today. I often share from Democracy Now to my Facebook page. Democracy Now also has a Spanish version.

I’ve supported KPFA since the 1980s as a member and sustainer. I traveled to Italy on a station-sponsored trip with one of their hosts, Kris Welch, in 1987. KPFA is not beholden to any corporation and has existed solely through user support for more than 75 years. The Pacifica radio network was named as an enemy in the right-wing Project 2025 document.

On KPFA, I am able hear Ian Masters, host of Background Briefing at two time slots, but can also listen online and with SoundCloud. The briefings are timely, in-depth conversations, usually three an hour. The archive contains a trove of the best political thinkers and authors of the day. It takes Ian a long time to read the credentials of each guest!

I subscribe to The Nation in print (still) and online. My all-time favorite national affairs journalist, John Nichols, is now the Executive Editor. Nichols is often a guest on KPFA shows Upfront, The Sunday Show, Law & Disorder, Living Room. Any time you can hear Nichols, go for it immediately. Like all publications now, The Nation offers a ton of newsletters, podcasts, etc. depending on your interests. If you want me to send you a gift digital subscription to The Nation, please get in touch.

On Substack, here are the people I subscribe to, or read/listen to regularly:

Of course, Heather Cox Richardson. She can’t be beat for her historical perspective. And she also does wonderful video “explainers” which really do explain hard-to-understand goings-on. If you don’t know her, get to know her. Her videos are on YouTube and once you start watching, her clips will appear in your sidebar.

I subscribe to Zeteo with Mehdi Hasan and to Bandy X. Lee, both on Substack. Dr. Lee edited two definitive books on the psychology of Trump and his ilk and what to do about it. This book of hers (second expanded edition out just before the 2024 election) just knocked me out: “The MORE Dangerous Case of Donald Trump: 40 Psychiatrists and Mental Health Experts Warn Anew.” The first edition came out during Trump’s first term.

Also on Substack, I support David Rovics, who has been harassed more than any other contemporary singer songwriter I can think of. He has been a movement troubadour for many years (I hosted a house concert with him during the “Occupy” movement in January 2012. In the photo, notice the “End Gaza Blockade” T-shirt. It has been a long fight for liberation of the Palestinian people). Not many are writing protest songs these days. David has been doing it his entire career with many albums to his credit and a world-wide touring reputation.

I don’t want to forget the late night comedians , especially  Stephen Colbert, Seth Meyers and Jimmy Kimmel  because watching their monologues on my phone is my best nightly pick-me-up, and usually informs me of things the mainstream media will never show, like Trump’s most insane speeches. You don’t have to stay up late to watch their complete shows. Just go to YouTube and type in their names and you will likely be sent to their most recent opening monologue, sometimes with a date stamp of only a few hours. I was surprised that Heather Cox Richardson confessed she had never heard of Jimmy Kimmel when there was that uproar over his temporary removal by ABC. He did some of the most brilliant monologues during the  presidential campaign, the one I remember most was the performance with clips he did “to send to your Republican friends.” It was brilliant, but evidently not convincing enough.

I’ll pick one last publication, the Capitol Hill Citizen, founded by the great Ralph Nader. It is a 40-page PRINT ONLY newspaper that, as its name implies, focuses on democracy. You can get for $5 by going to the website.

If you do Facebook, like some of us old folks, that is the social media where I am most active. I post every day at minimum with what I hope is a good mix of personal stuff (photos of my family, my garden, dancing and pickleball) and sharing things that have moved me. I hope to join the Substack community in 2026.

Finally, dear friends and family, I realize this is not a typical holiday catch-up letter. But because my health has stabilized and I am so-called “retired,” I have more energy to resist the policies of a man (and his evil brain trust) whose depravity and cruelty seems to know no bounds and no lows. We should have learned our lesson from his leadership during the COVID 19 pandemic, which resulted in so many unnecessary American deaths. Now he has expanded his reach to the world-wide millions who will die as the result of abolishing USAID, and the war crime of repeatedly demolishing small boats and killing 95 individuals (to date) off the coast of Venezuela.

The words “PEACE ON EARTH”  and “GOOD WILL TOWARD ALL” seem way beyond Hallmark sentiments this year. Please know that I thank you for being in my circle of life, on my list, and in my tribe. I send my heartfelt wish that you enjoy love, health and happiness now and throughout 2026.

With the family on a hot day at Sonoma County Fair