Baker's heartbeat

This is from July, 1975: That's my mother, me, Anita Alvarado and Aunt Lucille, at the Macarena in Cuidad Acuna, Mexico.        A person can hardly listen to the news, or read a newspaper,  without some mention of the U.S. border with Mexico.     Immigration is a hot-button topic in this country, with frequent requests for the U.S. Congress to fix issues that have developed over the years.      Many believe the lawmakers' inaction is a result of split public opinion on immigration.  According to the 2022 Gallup poll , about 31 percent of Americans prefer immigration numbers stay at the current level while 27 percent say the numbers should be increased and 38 percent would like to see decreased levels.    Current news reports are that today's border crisis is worsened by Central Americans who are coming to the  United States because of economic and safety issues in their homeland. The numbers seeking help in ...

      A variety of small handbags, since donated to charity.      Styles change, habits evolve, and, of course, many women (and men) do carry purses.     I'm with many other women when it comes to buying and choosing purses. There was a time -- not long ago -- when I carried a small purse that matched my outfit, especially when my husband and I went on dates. I had a variety of colors to match whatever I wore, and I regularly switched out the contents, left and right.     Back in the day, of course, I had a "Mom" purse, and that was basically a huge bag that held diapers and other necessities for a new mother.     That evolved to a "one-purse" at a time, except when the occasion called for a switch-out.     The practice of carrying a bag has a long history. The oldest known purse dates back more than 5,000 years and was a pouch, carried by a man.     Early Europeans used purses solely to carry coin...