As September gives way to October, the weather - hopefully - is changing to more of a fall feel, baseball (at least in San Francisco and Oakland) has given way to football and it's time to start preparing for the next big few holidays. I see Halloween costumes, turkeys and stockings in the near future.
I'm sure by now some of you have noticed my byline in the Oakdale Leader. I took over the civics and hospital beat in the last week of August and I think it's about time that I introduce myself. My name is Andee and I am new to The Leader and to Oakdale, but I have been working for Morris Multimedia (The Leader's parent company) for a few years. I am currently working for both ...
Mistress By Midnight Publisher: HQN Books ISBN: 0373774885 HHHHH Recently, for a change of pace, I've been reading historical novels. I love the richness of detail inherent in a well-written historical romance novel and I was lucky enough to find two I really enjoyed so I'm sharing. The Blurb: Merryn Fenner is on a mission to ruin the Duke of Farne. A beautiful bluestocking with a penchant for justice, Merryn has waited ten years ...
By the time you read this, my youngest sister, Kamrin, and her fiancé, Kyle will have tied the knot. You see, Kamrin and Kyle got married on Friday, Sept. 16 in Sanger. I'm sure the ceremony was lovely and I'm sure there were plenty of sniffles from the audience because weddings - although joyous occasions - never fail to start the waterworks no matter how jaded you are about the whole process.
On Sept. 8, 2009 Brent Layton of Escalon and Nikki Freitas of Riverbank got the news no military parent ever wants to hear … their son had been killed in action while serving his country.
As I drove off after work the other day, my otherwise "healthy" car stopped running. Right there in the middle of the street.
When we - meaning the group of reporters and I that work together each week to put stories into print - sat down for our Wednesday morning staff meeting this past week, the question was raised about how we were going to mark the upcoming 10th anniversary of 9/11.
The seasons move on. The schools are back in session. We're headed toward Friday night football, cold and rain, and Christmas. Forget shopping. Did you know Riverbank officials are already planning the Christmas parade? "But not yet, not yet," as the hero's friend in the movie Gladiator says. The summer crickets are still calling, metaphorically, and doves still cooing across town.
With the start of the new school year, I have a senior, a junior, and a first grader. The two teens are dialed in, they know their routine and it's been an easy transition from one grade to the next. However, with my little one, it's been a different story.
My original plan for this month's column was to discuss my transition into "retired life" and the phases I went through on the path to ultimately accepting that decision. It was something parallel to the five stages of grief, starting with a denial and isolation then ending with acceptance.
You could say I have a little history in this neck of the woods.
The lockout is over, but the effects of a disgusting and greedy battle between overpaid athletes and their employers has painted a grotesque image onto the canvas of professional sports.
There's nothing quite like a vacation. Especially if you take it 3000 miles away; it kind of discourages people from work calling to ask questions. Although my co-workers did manage to send a couple of text messages my way, it was nothing earth-shattering, nothing that couldn't be handled through a quick text back. Having the chance to travel back home, we hit upstate New York at the perfect time - getting in and out before ...
As I write this I'm sitting in a borrowed apartment that was set up for our arrival by my friend Dulcey. I can hear bananaquits (or Sugarbirds) and frogs that sound similar to very loud crickets, a rogue rooster crowed at the break of dawn, and the ocean is a short walk away from our back door.
With all respect to my colleague, Teresa, this month's column could be easily titled "Daddy Musings."
Resigning from any job is bound to quicken the heartbeat but retiring from a career is downright frightening. I did just that at the end of November although I've been on medical leave since August.
When you start adding it up, a column a month for 19-plus years working for The Oakdale Leader, The Escalon Times and The Riverbank News, I've probably covered about all there is – and some topics, more than once.
Happy Holidays to our wonderful community! MOPS/MOMSNext would like to extend a warm wish for love, peace and togetherness during this holiday season. We here at MOPS/MOMSNext have been having a great time crafting, cooking, sharing meals and also listening to some amazing speakers. We recently went out into the community and attended our very first community block party put on by our local Center for Human Services. What a great and fun family outing! ...
Elections are over, the political ads are gone from television, radio and the print media, and now people can turn their attention to everyday life and getting back into the routine.
What a difference a month can make. Our columns here give us a chance to put down our 'reporter' or 'editor' labels and just be real people for a change. It provides us with an opportunity to offer an opinion, talk about something personal as opposed to writing a story about a football game or a council meeting.