Columns

One of my best friends recently became a mother, and I, along with our other friends, am completely smitten with her beautiful daughter, Cecelia.
I wanted to get baby CeCe a gift for Christmas, and ended up settling on an ornament her parents can love now and she can appreciate in the future. It is personalized to serve as a memento of her first Christmas.

By Sheila Mitchell

Christmas is creeping up on us and I know many of you have not quite finished your shopping.
Money and time may be factors and I’m here to give you a few inexpensive ideas for gifts from the heart.
You’re on your own for finding the time.
Handmade gifts can range from third-grader art projects to museum quality items, depending on your talent and, just like in gardening, some folks have a black thumb. While I can’t draw or paint, and my woodworking skills resemble a Lincoln Logs meets Superglue disaster, I can cook.

Here’s why fools should stick to the business of being fools and leave the serious work to those who know how to do it.
Following the general election, I used this space to blow off steam about those who placed what amounted to garbage in our drop box in an effort to anonymously smear a candidate for judge-executive.
From personal financial documents to outrageous claims about his private life, these people were looking for someone to do their dirty work, apparently for fear of soiling the reputations of their chosen candidate.