O’Neill: Traditions old and new

Casey O’Neill is a farmer and owner of Happy Day Farms in Laytonville, Calif. The opinions expressed in this column do not necessarily reflect the views of The Mendocino Voice. If you’d like to write your own column for The Mendocino Voice, send your idea to [email protected].

When I was a kid our lives seemed steeped in tradition, ways of being in the world handed down through both sides of my family. Ma held to her Portuguese heritage and culinary traditions, making caldo verde and roasting a leg of lamb at Easter. I picked up a love of Christmas from Pops, listening to “Misa Criolla” and “O Tannenbaum,” even though I couldn’t understand the words.