Murmurations of Being (King Salmon)

Watching snails copulate

on the sandy bluff beside the bay

Bubbles form tween their horns

shells sealed as one

motion imperceptible

A pet cemetery

a trail buffered twixt rock and field

New growth and old,

ossified turds nestle-in,

ice plants, pink, yellow

We come not to bury Fluffy

nor eulogize Spot

We nod to greet the living

commune with spirits

Listen to the lapping tide

Pelicans swoop, seagulls shriek,

single-file we follow the trail

Working off breakfast, notice

clouds, childhood memories

how polite and still it all is

Larry Crist, Trinidad

EXTRA!

Compassionate Care Through the Power of Pets

By Jarad Petroske

August 7, 2026

“Happiness is a warm puppy.” — Charles Schulz Charles Schulz knew a thing or two about dogs. After all, he created “Peanuts,” one of the most enduring and popular comic strips, in which a beagle is depicted with the same intellectual depth as his human counterparts. At Hospice of Humboldt, our patients know t...

EXTRA!

These Are the Dogs of Our Lives

By Brenda Cooper, By Ted Pease

August 7, 2026

Over the last 38 years or so, we have shared our home and life with six dogs. From Eddie the timid golden retriever in Ohio in 1988 to Stella the black Lab mix, who joined the household from underneath a Fieldbrook trailer in 2013, these are the dogs of our lives. They have all been rescue dogs in the sense t...

Letters to the Editor, Opinion

Needed: People Power

George Clark

July 30, 2026

To the Editor: The influence that personal experiences have on public opinion, public policy and allocation of public resources cannot be overemphasized. Voices of courageous individuals and media describing personal challenges, struggles and suffering are what form the foundation on which progressive legisla...

August 2026 - Animals Are People, Too, News

Life with 5 Goats Is Never Dull

By Vanessa Kibbe

July 30, 2026

I remember it well. Shortly after moving to our two acres in Westhaven from LA, Michael said “Look at all that blackberry! We should get a couple of goats.” We had a barn and a pen and lots of overgrown yard, so it seemed a good idea. After calling around, off he went in his truck and brought home an Alpine d...