Rich In Thought – The Joy Of A Man Cave

As I look over the last 50-plus years of my life, I am grateful I was born into the male gender of the human race. I'll gladly accept the daily chore of shaving or grooming facial hair over the responsibility of childbirth, I can take my shirt off at the beach without worry of arrest or gawking, and there are rarely, if ever, lines for the bathroom in ...

Dawn’s Column - Married And Adjusting

I'm still settling in and adapting to this new aspect of my life called marriage. People frequently ask me, "So how's married life?" My answer usually includes the words, "It's an adjustment."

Marg-Ins - Seasons Change

Winter arrived the other day, just in case you weren't paying attention. It really seems like we went straight from our 90-degree weather to pouring rain and wind from one day to the next, with no time to prepare.

Stuff ‘N Nonsense - A Slice In Time

Like many people, I'm fascinated by the idea of time travel. I'm the furthest thing you can get from a science geek but I get giddy at the theory that time travel is possible because it sets in motion all sorts of cool scenarios in my head, like where I would go and what I would do if it were possible.

Dawn’s Column - Fun Fall

Even though the weather has radically swayed from cold and rainy to hot and sunny - all within a few days' time - the cooler weather is definitely the signal that fall has finally arrived. Although I think there's something great about every season, to me, this is the best time of year.

Marg-ins - The Way It Was

Years ago, in another lifetime, October would be a month when I would be pounding a keyboard, getting pages and pages of copy ready … not for publication in a newspaper, but writing the annual Halloween production at the radio station I worked for at the time. For those of you who keep up with my life outside the newspaper walls through my column, last month I dealt with my family's move to a new ...

Ramblings - Concerning Three Sons

My two youngest sons, ages 26 and about 30, took off this morning on a camping trip to Point Reyes and I hope they don't murder each other. They are so far apart in nature, argue constantly, and sometimes almost come to blows. I've heard this is normal for brothers. But why are they both so volatile? The least thing sets them off. Why ...

Stuff ‘N Nonsense - Back To School

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Mommy Musings - Ruts And Responsibilities

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Dawn’s Column - The Newsroom

The newsroom at our office is what my colleagues and I call our "classroom." We sit with our desks lined up facing the "teacher" &ndash; our editor, Marg, who is in an office &ndash; and we do our "homework," a.k.a. producing material for the newspaper.

Mommy Musings – Good, Bad and Ugly

This week as I sat preparing my thoughts the words that keep cropping up are: What should I have done? or What would you do?Perhaps I should offer a little clarity on what has me so confused and perplexed.Recently, our family, along with some friends who were here on holiday, visited an area park for some outside activity.It is ...

Marg-Ins - Of Moves And Shoes

So much happens in a month. Regular readers are familiar by now with our column rotation, with a submission each week for the 'Perspective' page, myself the first week of the month, Dawn M. Henley the second week, Craig Macho the third week and Kim Van Meter the fourth week. If there happens to a fifth Wednesday, we let John Branch sneak in a column on this page as well.<span style="font-family: ...

Stuff ‘N Nonsense - A Love So Strong

On the day this column reaches the newsstands, my oldest son will turn 17. I'm still trying to wrap my brain around that concept. Was it really 17 years ago that I brought that nine-pound, 10-ounce kid into this world? I guess so. When I look into his eyes, I see the boy he was, but when I pull back, I see the young man he's turning into.

Mommy Musings - More Than One Reason

In a past column I shared a little insight into my recent undertaking of helping with costumes for the Oakdale Community Theatre Production of "Annie" the musical.

Kimberly’s Book Reviews

As Good As It Got by Isabel Sharpe

Still Matters – The New Girl

Hello, Escalon, Oakdale, and Riverbank. I am the new girl at the Oakdale Leader office. You may have seen my name on a few different articles, pictures, or both in various issues. Or by now, you may have even met me in person.

Community Corner – What’s Growin’ On …

Happy New Year! We all survived the Mayan calendar apocalypse and the "Fiscal Cliff" &ndash; kind of started to remind me of the Y2K phenomenon 13 years ago.

Stuff ‘N Nonsense - A Graceful Exit

I have an issue with finality. At the end of every year, as everyone is celebrating the ball drop on a New Year, I'm lamenting the fact that I'll never be in that moment again - another year lost to time, never to experience again. In that second before the big calendar change, I panic just a little knowing that it's over. I'm happy to report that the panic doesn't last but ...

RICH IN THOUGHT - Be Prepared, Do Something, Denial Kills

Ramblings – This Scribbler Calls It Quits

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.

Marg-Ins - Keeping The Perspective

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 &ndash; and some topics, more than once.

Community Corner – Sending Out Holiday Wishes

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! ...

Editor’s Notebook – Holiday Season: Opportunity Knocks

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.

Marg-Ins - Reaching Out

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.