We produced a paper this week without either an interim operations manager or our incredible Halie, who is on maternity leave, as many of you know.
She will be returning at the beginning of the year and though we all here are immensely excited about that, it will be difficult for her to leave little Finley, as it was for me to leave her when I worked when she was a baby.
All our employees toil mighty hard to produce this little paper every week. I appreciate all of them and in particular — during this time while we’re waiting for Halie’s return — one staff member has stood out. If we gave Employee of the Month kudos here, it would go to Teresa Garcia-Lande.
Teresa is a tireless, humble, talented multi-tasker, always wearing a smile and willing to do anything necessary. She possesses a strong work ethic and has made it her ambition to learn whatever she needs to to get us through this bumpy ride until Jan. 2.
As I write this column early Tuesday afternoon, she is upstairs finishing pages to shoot to the printer.
Another person I’ve come to rely on heavily is my husband Jack. He thought he would be retired with little to do when we bought the paper in June. Instead, he takes on anything that needs doing — from building bookshelves to hauling trash to picking up papers at the printer to proofreading.
When we prepared to move into our new, much smaller office, Jack designed each staff member’s space. He forgot a space for his own. He works at the office with me daily and, during summer, he worked outside at one of the tables.
But with cooler weather, he required an inside space. He created one at the small table in the lunchroom/circulation room. The space is a squeeze but he manages. We all do. We have a tight but comfortable home now.
Becky Clark, Editor
