Churches. Movie theaters. Shopping centers. Hospitals, Concerts. Schools. We watch with horror the news coverage of mass shootings and then with further disbelief the fall-out of blame, outrage, opinions, accusations, analysis and all manner of political warfare.

Isn’t summer wonderful? So, are we all ready for donning a swimsuit? Hmm … some of us would rather walk a plank with a gang of blood-thirsty pirates behind us and a bunch of sharks with their jaws wide open waiting for us to jump, before going “public” in a bathing suit.

Naomi Judd. Robin Williams. Katie Meyer. Anthony Bourdain. Kate Spade. So many more and too many to count. Loved ones, neighbors, friends and celebrities.

Oh, Rich Strike, how we love thee!

Mother. One small word. One universal meaning. We are all bound by the shared realty that we had or have a Mother. This is a central person in our lives.

Would you marry your pet? Hmm, I didn’t think so. Sure, they might be loyal and loving, but isn’t marriage between two humans? Evidently not.

And so it begins. The Crooks Fire in Prescott and the Tunnel Fire near Flagstaff have grown to monsters, as high winds and plenty of fuel keeps them rapidly growing and moving.

Uh oh, it’s allergy season. Kachoo! Excuse me, Dear Readers, because it seems I cannot stop sneezing! And I guess I am not alone.

Are you ready? Because the deadline for filing your taxes is looming, causing quite a few Americans to become upset (if you owe) or happy if a refund is coming.

Did you watch the fight last week? Oops, I meant the punch (more like a slap) that Will Smith planted on Chris Rock during the Oscars.

I saw a spider. I went to the bathroom at 2 in the morning and there sitting on a wall was a big brown spider. She had eyes like the devil, glaring at me.

Brother, can you spare a dime? Actually, 30 trillion might help.

What is the greatest invention of all time? No, not the wheel. Not the combustible engine. It is the round sphere, better known as a ball that has dominated the world.

Have you been taking many road-trips lately? Hmm ... maybe not. Now that gasoline is around four bucks a gallon, it appears we’re all trying to find ways to drive less.

How is your year shaping up? With so much tension swirling around in the world, mental health experts claim that people often get into a “February funk.”

Sports. We have been able to sit back and watch the greatest shows on Earth. The Waste Management Phoenix Open at TPC Scottsdale, the Super Bowl, and Winter Olympics. Almost too much to comprehend in the span of a few short weeks.

Are you ready for love? I hope so, because Valentine’s Day is tomorrow and it is time to order flowers (red, of course), buy a box of chocolates and get the best bottle of champagne that you can afford. Prepare to celebrate love in honor of the “most romantic day of the year” that actually got started in the fifth century as a pagan holiday.

What are you doing next Sunday? Let me guess, you might be joining about 100 million other Americans to watch the Super Bowl, where the Bengals and Rams lock horns (no pun intended).

The weather has been chilly. And most of us enjoy warm clothes, heated homes and maybe a fireplace burning to help us through a winter season. Yet, many families and children are not so fortunate, living in conditions that are unstable and below the poverty level.

Been to a hospital lately? My husband, Doug, has been there for the past week with pneumonia.

Oh Betty, how we miss you. That mischievous laugh, perfect comedic timing, beautiful smile and funny zingers are just a few of the reasons why the whole world is in mourning.

Brrrr, it’s been cold! Yes, even here in Arizona, it has been frosty.

Another year. And another year older. It is my granddaughter, Bella’s birthday today. She is thrilled to be six years old. My husband, Doug’s birthday is Friday. He has little enthusiasm for being a year older, but Bella has enough excitement for all of us.

Are you ready to board Flight 2022? Well, fasten your seat belts because we are on the verge of saying “hello” to a New Year. Ready or not, it is coming, so we might as well pop the cork, pour the bubbly and watch the ball in Time Square (or boot in Prescott) drop. Time, once again, is marching into the beginning of a new calendar, dragging us along with it.

This week, as we make the Big Approach to all things Christmas, we might be flooded with memories of days gone by.

Do you believe in Santa? Yes, of course you do. Who can honestly say that there is no Santa? As we approach Christmas, there are so many reasons to believe.

How was your Black Friday?

It seems we are all thankful for the ability to get together this year. Last year we had to cope with words like “social distancing” and “nuclear family gatherings,” with suggestions of holding dinner outdoors.

Have you ever wondered, what is the real purpose of the kitchen’s center island? Ponder this question no more, dear readers, as I think I have found the answer. It is a place to collect, stack, put, place, spread, leave, toss and lose things! It is a trap for all things unrelated to cooking.

Will you enjoy a Veterans Day Parade? Nov. 11 is the one great day to honor our men and women who served, watch the bands, the flags and the display of pride as we are reminded just how much we owe those who wear and wore the uniform.

It’s a scary world out there. Sometimes, we just need a friend.

It is time to get spooky. The approach of Halloween may cause a whole lot of ghouls and witches to come knocking at your door and it also brings the joy of candy!

Do all dogs go to heaven? Yes, of course they do, along with all of our other beloved pets.

Does big government come from small minds? Which might then lead to dumb laws?

Are you good with money? Yes, I thought so. We have to watch our pennies even more closely with inflation.

I found something. When my parents died a few years ago I was left boxes of recipes, photos and papers to sift through.

Oh, Emma Raducanu, let’s count the ways we love thee. First, the improbability of a tennis player to emerge from qualifying status to win a Grand Slam tournament, is a stunning triumph.

Are you there, God? Just checking. We have troubles from the Afghanistan war. Hard to read about, much less comprehend what just happened.

I wear lipstick. And I dye my hair. There, I have said it – all secrets are out – I am admitting to you, dear readers, that some of my “beauty” comes from a tube and a bottle.

Oh, those Olympics. Inspiring, incredible, heartbreaking, fun and heartwarming. No other sporting event on Earth can produce so many plots, twists, turns and moments to enjoy and ponder as the games of summer.

Missing a few neighbors and friends? We might all be in San Diego. The locals call us “Zonies,” poking gentle fun at us. Californians claim that every other person in their state is a vacationing Arizonan from Memorial Day through Labor Day.

Stay alert! Watch the crosswalks! Yes, school has started again and parents everywhere are rejoicing.

Oh to be a billionaire. They seem to have all the fun. When Richard Branson, founder of Virgin Galatic, launched his Unity 22 rocket plane last week, he went where few have gone. Into space on his own spacecraft.

Lord, could we get some rain? Our prayers were answered. Okay, can it stop for a while? Because it was a doozey of a storm that trounced Arizona.

What would you take? The smoke and flames are approaching, you are being evacuated and you have minutes to grab things.

Alexa never seems to stop listening. Evidently, our “helpful” devices never turn off, meaning that your private conversations are not so private.

Love is in the air. And so are the doves, finches and hummingbirds. Spring brings the promise of hope, new life, fresh beginnings, green leaves and babies. Lots of them.

Ah, 2021 is feeling like a breath of fresh air. So many of us are delighted to move on, yet this past year has probably made us stronger. Maybe even taught us lessons.

The promise of a “better life,” sounds pretty darn good. Perhaps our lives have become too mundane.

Moms and Dads, we know this has been a tough beginning to the school year. As our governor likes to say, “Arizona is open for learning.”

Have you ever been lost? Yes, I guess at some time or another most of us have taken a wrong turn, had trouble reading a map, or just gotten mixed up about where we are headed.

Hmm, lately it feels as though we are in the midst of the “dog days of summer.”

Teenagers who are 15 count the days until they hit 16 – the blessed (and dreaded) day of driving. Young people actually hold their breath until they turn 18, believing that being “legal” will transform them.

Love is in the air. Check out the stores and see all the heart shaped candies, cookies and cakes. Buy a bunch of red roses. Maybe champagne. Jewelry is nice too. Grab a card that professes “true love” to that “special someone” in your life.

Where were you the weekend of January 11th and 12th? Perhaps riding the Phoenix Light Rail pantsless to “celebrate silliness” (more like madness) with folks in about 30 cities all over the world? No, I didn’t think so.

The next chapter starts now. Get out the pad and pen, because the New Year is upon us. Ready or not, here it comes.

Sarah I got on a ladder.

Freedom. What we all want. The ability to live freely, go where we want to, speak our minds, not be oppressed and be able to engage in the pursuit of happiness.

Do you want to grow as fat as a pumpkin? Yikes, I meant to say, Dear Readers, do you want to grow a fat pumpkin?

Alexa, are you spying on me? Evidently, so, because the latest analysis of how our “devices” never turn off, seems to allude to the fact that your private conversations are not so private.

Keep the faith! Never give up! Always believe!

Oh, Hillary, how we worried about you. Yes, we can all breathe a sigh of relief, as Hillary, the stranded donkey who was marooned for three years on a tiny island, has now been successfully rescued.

We are in an all-out search for the “special” friend of New River resident Diane Wilson.

I bought my husband, Doug, a pair of yellow shorts. Who knew that color was so important?

It happened again. I was stuck in the misery on I-17 over Memorial Day weekend. What should have been an easy drive became the nightmare called “going nowhere fast” for more hours than I care to consider.