Tehachapi's Online Community News & Entertainment Guide
Tehachapi's Online Community News & Entertainment Guide
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Books are my friends and the characters within them hold precious memories. While some people use Advent Calendars to usher in December, I use picture books. I collect my old and new friends together with their holiday additions and let them usher me into the season. From Charlie Brown and Winnie the Pooh, to Madeleine and Dr. Seuss, Clifford the Big Red Dog and the very mischievous cookie mouse, I treasure our first meetings and our ongoing adventures. More recent additions like Llama Llama,...
Have you noticed the light? Though our days are now shorter, there is a golden light that drapes over our mountains and valleys during late afternoons and makes individual leaves, single blades of grass, as well as dried out bushes and dead broken branches, glow with beauty. It is like the sun is emptying its goodness upon us. Autumn is truly a special time of year. A gift. As the nation turns to the celebration of Thanksgiving, holiday tables reflect that light with candles, gleaming silver...
Today the leaves are blowing from trees in great numbers, hurtling down streets and gathering in yards tired and spent. Fall has finally arrived. Blustery winds and chilly nights offer a good time for adventure in the warmth of your own living room, preferably snuggling in a recliner with feet up and one of those extra soft blankets wrapped around you. In this position, one can face any adventure with confidence. The question is, where to begin? For this review, I searched for differing...
People say they love being scared. Then one little itsy bitsy spider comes along, lands on their hand or sweeps across to tickle their face and chaos erupts. There is flailing and leaping and high pitched screaming, all from one little itsy bitsy spider. Forget vampires and ghosts. Spiders rule! What do Shelob and Aragog have in common? Both are mammoth-sized. It is rumored that Aragog is the largest between the two, according to Harry Potter fans. Bilbo and Frodo may disagree. Lord of the...
There once was a little girl whose mother let her wear Pippi Longstocking braids to school whenever she asked. This mother encouraged her daughter to "march to the beat of her own drum." She let her little girl be herself, even when it was weird. What a beautiful gift to give a child. The world is full of pressures, stressing one to tow the line, be acceptable. Expectations that do not necessarily "one size fits all." Some of the most creative and heroic people in this world were a bit out of pl...
Many people think back upon their school days with nostalgia, especially those who grew up in the "Leave it to Beaver" world that emerged after the world wars. The 1950s brought forth a kinder, gentler national image. Beaver ran home to his mom who cleaned their middle class house wearing a pretty dress and a string of pearls. She calmed her world. Father knew best in those days and Donna Reed managed to feed and nurture her family through any storm. Children's books of that era displayed...
Daydreaming and fishing are a perfect fit for many 8 year old boys. A diverse forest to explore is a nice addition. Measuring approximately 50,000 square miles, the Ozarks spread across four states and 93 counties. Plenty of room for one small boy without boundaries. It becomes apparent within the first few paragraphs in J Lee Bagan's novel "Billy Dee of the Ozarks," that this 8 year old deserves a set of loving and doting parents. But with a father in prison and a mother on drugs, he is...
In most every school there is a mysterious room hidden from view from the students, a place of great and sometimes wild speculation. The faculty lounge. A place where most students never dare to enter or get invited in. In eighth grade, I took a course in Practical Business. I was plunged into the workings of the student store, learning how to deal with customers while gaining cash and change skills. The counting of money included feeding the large machine that separated all the coins at the...
Did you feel it? We experienced an earthquake in Tehachapi this past week. It was a moderate quake and broke some glassware but did not bring devastation. The next time could. We live in a very active zone where the earth is stretching and pushing itself in all directions. This quake was a good reminder to be prepared for the ever rattling of the earth beneath our feet in California. Families have checked their evacuation kits and talked to their children again about earthquake safety and emerge...
When looking for a good read, I don't necessarily reach for a literary tome full of weighty revelations and ponderous journeys. Depending on the moment, I might search for a reckless adventure or be tempted with something softer, letting a story wrap around me like a warm summer breeze. It can be lightly written, with characters not deeply carved but rather sketched in soft pastels, people that would fit into my own life. That is what I found in "The Hotel at Beach and Forgotten" by Nellie...
Mail delivery used to be the highlight of the day. The mailman would drive up to the box by the road or drop mail through the slot in the door, and the sound would have everyone running to see if perhaps they "got mail." My grandmother wrote often and profusely about both the growth and bloom of each flower in her garden, and the death of every person in her community, whether we were acquainted or not. It didn't matter. It was a connection. In early America, letters with family news and importa...
Have you ever been in a bragging contest? Trying to one up the other guy with something like, "my fish was so big the boat started to sink." Swearing that a series of incredible events really happened in relation to subjects like ghosts, aliens or time travel? A tall tale is an account that is fanciful and difficult to believe. Perhaps exaggerating in order to make a story more enticing while creating an incredible visual for the entertainment of an audience of one or a roomful. The difference...
I was looking out at the crazy winds, having their way with everything in their path, when out of the corner of my eye I saw a large brown something twisting around. It could have been just the wind whipping free a banner attached to the baseball fencing behind home plate. But I have to say, my first impression was a dragon. It honestly looked like a dragon. Not a big one – rather small in size, but a dragon nonetheless. With a large enough wing span to be mighty and some spiky things on its b...
If you know what a huckleberry is, you are mighty lucky! Smaller than a blueberry, a luscious dark purple when ripe, they are sweet with a hint of wildness. Huckleberries are found growing in the Pacific Northwest along mountain slopes, in forests, around lakes and are almost impossible to grow commercially. So they remain wild and free for the picking. At elevations above 5,000 feet, competition for a ripe huckleberry in late July into August is intense. Equally relished by both man and bear...
Tehachapi is not known for an easy or speedy spring. While most of California basks in early flowers, Tehachapi is whipped with winds and a threat of frost for those impatient to plant gardens early. Today as I look outside, the bushes at my windows have finally budded, the row of poplars across the street are resounding like ocean waves as winds rush through their fresh new leaves and last but not least, the mighty oaks have lazily stretched their limbs accepting the inevitable. Spring has...
May is the month we focus on flowers and mothers. Flowers can be tended in gardens or found growing free on hillsides and in unexpected places like cracks in the sidewalk. Though flowers look delicate blowing in the breeze, they are made of hearty stuff and endure with great strength whatever life throws at them. The same can be said for mothers. It would not be an exaggeration to say that mothers are the backbone of society, civilization and life as we know it. We owe our very existence to a...
I love the song "Blowin' in the Wind," written and first sung by Bob Dylan, then performed by many folk icons including Peter, Paul and Mary and Joan Baez. The words and melody weave between war, freedom and peace, asking and answering its own questions. How many roads, how many years, how many tears? The answers are both obvious and intangible at the same time, intangible as the wind. The Tehachapi Wind Festival at Meadowbrook Park was promoted for April 20 as a family affair of kite flying, ga...
The bee's knees was flattering praise used by flappers in the 1920s and even earlier in the 1800s when shop owners sent their buyers out to "find me the bee's knees," meaning they wanted the best materials for their business. The term bee's knees defines something that is surprisingly wonderful or cool. It's a compliment. It's also a descriptor from the olden days, grown out of its prime and now passe'. But did you know that bees actually do have knees? They have what could be termed balls and s...
This is the season where families invite rabbits into their homes, rabbits who bring baskets of goodies. The most playful ones take joy in hiding colored eggs for children to find. Dyed eggs and chocolates abound, with an abundance of jelly beans and the occasional sugary peep. Spring has sprung and Easter is nigh. Rabbits as main characters in novels abound as well. The poignant "Velveteen Rabbit" by Margery Williams brings us the tender story of love between a boy and his stuffed rabbit. A...
It's time again for green beer, Irish butter and corned beef with cabbage, or for non-meat eaters, maybe a lovely veggie platter of potatoes, cabbage and carrots garnished with parsley and pearl onions. Yes, St. Patrick's Day has arrived. The wearing of the green comes with leprechauns and perhaps a sprinkling of fairies. Or maybe cowboys. I did cover Irish cowboys a few years back, but as with many good books, revisiting with a new eye brings a fresh perspective. The Irish cowboy was real,...
What do dogs, bears and meerkats have in common? Well, usually not that much, but in this review they all are surrounded by mystery and murder. Three authors have woven stories around these animals, and it may be hard to recognize the leading characters, because as you know, children and animals tend to steal the show. I enjoyed sharing a dog's point of view along with runaway Chase Ryder and grieving veterinarian Sully, in "Wanted." In this first book by K.J. Corgan of the Chase Ryder series,...
After all the reds and pinks of Valentine's Day, I think of February as being a lavender month. Perhaps that is because February's birthstone is amethyst, with its deep purple brilliance and luster. Or perhaps I am ready for spring flowers with the happy faces of pansies, an early contender in the garden. Whatever the reason, I chose the following books to review because of their covers. This is not my usual process. "Tea is for Trouble," by Karen Sue Walker, presents cover art of a pretty...
What can be more romantic than the moon? That big mysterious orb shines softly down on earth in the darkness of night, while sliding translucent across daylight skies. Whether full or merely slivers of itself, the moon is surrounded by billions of stars holding the secrets of the universe close, while enticing lovers to embrace. February is the month of love, offering an abundance of flowers from florists, to grocery stores and street corners. There is candy too, especially tempting chocolates...
January is a good month to dream as it is the month that we honor Martin Luther King Jr. We are reminded of his dream speech and his desire for a time when promises of freedom, justice and equality becomes a reality for all. There are so many books on King, written for all ages and all kinds of readers. The book I enjoy the most is the illustrated picture book "I Have a Dream" with its simplicity and vibrant art embracing the spirit of King's speech and giving weight and purpose to each one of...
I can't remember not having some kind of snowfall before or right after Thanksgiving in Tehachapi. Yet, here I sit writing this review a few days before New Years, without a flake in sight. What is up with that? It is totally possible that between the time I submit my book review and the actual printing and physical delivery of the paper, snow will have fallen. But then again, it may not. I am prepared with either outcome as I have books filled with snow. Timeless picture books have introduced c...
