I had forgotten to turn up the volume on the scanner in my office, when Jack called me on my cell phone Wednesday just before noon. He was in Mountain Center seeing smoke. JP was in Hemet on errands. Steven King also was off the Hill. Jenny Kirschner wasn’t responding to text messaging. Holly was…
When people move to Idyllwild, Pine Cove, Fern Valley or environs, one of the first questions they ask is, “Why are there three water districts?” I mean, this isn’t a metropolis of cities with their own city councils and mayors to run water districts, etc. These are very tiny neighborhoods. A FVWD neighborhood can abut…
I just finished the annual budget for Idyllwild House Publishing Co. Ltd. last Friday, Jack and I had our shareholders’ and directors’ meetings Saturday, and I feel a tremendous pressure off my back so I can relax tomorrow, the Fourth of July. Because of our readers and those who see the benefit of advertising in…
It happened that late Thursday afternoon last week, a visitor appeared in the office to speak with me. I would say it was a pleasant surprise but most people show up without appointments so “surprise” may not be the appropriate word — probably pleasant “diversion from the mundane chores of budgets and management” fits the…
Have you ever celebrated those wacky celebratory days and months like National Popcorn Poppin’ Month (October) or Kiss & Make Up Day (Aug. 25), seriously? This month has some doozies: Go Barefoot Day (June 1), Best Friends Day (June 8), Eat Your Vegetables Day (June 17) and World Music Day (June 21). June is Children’s…
This Memorial Day weekend not only is the best time to sort through yard and garage sales, but a boatload of events occurring should attract both locals and tourists: music line-ups at many venues, the Art Alliance’s annual Plein Air Art Festival, the Associates’ Chairs for Charity fundraiser, the Rotary’s annual apple pancake breakfast, the…
Back in February, when I traveled to Sacramento with my grandson to attend a California News Publishers Association board meeting, a funny incident occurred that some friends suggested I write about. Carter and I flew up there for a partial week of my work and then a weekend of sightseeing. We packed lightly, taking small…
One of many reasons we open our Wednesday news meetings to the public is to gather story ideas from attendees. The people who show up oftentimes come just to relay a story idea or two — concerns of their’s or other newsworthy events. For a couple of news meetings in a row, we heard from…
Jack and I cannot afford the time to take full vacations — like a week away. But we wanted to celebrate my 60th birthday by taking our 1962 Terry travel trailer out camping on its first run since we had all the parts checked out, and repaired or replaced. We had taken it for a…
If you live or own property on the Hill and you care about the amount you pay for basic services — such as water, ambulance, fire, propane, electricity — and the quality of such services, you’ve probably come to find that the Town Crier is a valuable resource for you. Some of you tell me…
