Sparked by an editor's comment that "creating a good column is like writing a letter to a friend," farmer and award-winning author David Mas Masumoto's column for the Fresno Bee is written in the form of letters. From the unique perspective of a farmer on a working farm, he talks about the deep concerns we all share dealing with change and trying to protect and preserve a way of life. Masumoto's farming and his community serve as a backdrop to the "letters" he writes, offering the concerns of a parent, the memories of a son, the advice of a friend. Mas Masumoto is also the author of Harvest Son, Epitaph for a Peach, and Four Seasons in Five Senses.