Tehachapi's Online Community News & Entertainment Guide
Tehachapi's Online Community News & Entertainment Guide
Sorted by date Results 1 - 18 of 18
It was bright-and-early and the beginning of another beautiful day! With my husband outside dealing with weed abatement issues, I called an emergency morning huddle with my three children, conveniently within earshot. My oldest son responded to my request by sauntering toward me still half asleep. My daughter, along with an oversized bow on her head, skipped into the room cheerfully and my middle child bolted down the hall like a race horse out of the gate. He dove over the back of the couch;...
There is a member of the family that I have unintentionally failed to acknowledge in the past. This oversight is in no way a reflection of the influence or unyielding commitment this individual has shown toward the development and well-being of my children. For this I am eternally grateful, which is why I reached out and brushed the top of this stuffed animal’s head, the prized plush companion of all three of my children since my oldest child’s birth. As I petted it, one of the long floppy ears...
It was the end of another beautiful day in Tehachapi. We had just finished a successful dinner and our family was spending quality time together relaxing in the family room. Suddenly I recalled an article that I had read online the night before about cultivating strong characters in children and equipping them with life skills for happiness. I turned to my husband and said, “It’s not healthy for our children to always be focusing on the negative.” “I didn’t know that they were,” he responded f...
“What do you want for Mother’s Day?” was the big question that lingered for the weeks leading up to the special day. I wanted to pick something that the whole family could participate in. Once I figured out what that might be, I called a family meeting to reveal the big surprise. They all sat before me spellbound, except my Mother who was in on the big secret. “So what have you decided?” asked my husband with a smile. I could hardly contain my enthusiasm. “I want us to plant a garden together!...
We’ve all seen the darling images, which depict the more rural lifestyle. The cute little salt and pepper shakers with the proverbial black and white cow smiling up at you, the decorative yard flag with the happy cows, the adorable “love you till the cows come home” plaque and even the occasion tasteless pitcher in the form of an utter. I can recall the sweet little cow on the milk carton at the supermarket. We also have the functional cow crossing signs that line our roadways heading out to St...
“That’s it!” My husband announced with bravado as he came barging through the front door. “Call your Mom and see if she’ll come watch the kids. We’re going to that dance class you’ve been talking about – it’s tonight, isn’t it?” I couldn’t believe my ears and wondered if he had snuck over to the Honey Wagon Brewery after work with the guys. “The one at the Parks and Rec?” I asked, afraid to get my hopes up too high. “Yes, and don’t look so surprised,” he said to my obvious shock. “Can’t a man...
As I was preparing to put a chicken in the oven I noticed through the kitchen window that my younger two were carrying something in from outside. I met them at the back door and demanded to know, “What is that?” But, before they could answer, I noticed, in complete horror, that it appeared to be something that was looking rather lifeless. “This is the kitchen,” I announced, alarmed. “We don’t bring dead things into our kitchen!” “That’s dead!” insisted my son, pointing at the chicken I was p...
I’m sure that I’m not the only one who signed up to bring cupcakes for the kids’ Valentine’s Day parties. I’m even more certain, I’m not the only one whose thoughts were filled with delusions of my offspring all working together on this project, while I took snap shots that we could reminisce over later. Unfortunately, that’s not quite how it turned out. My first indication that something was wrong was when the smoke alarm went off at 7 a.m. this morning, while all three of my children were enga...
“Valentine’s Day is coming up!” I announced excitedly, as the kids and I drove down Tehachapi Boulevard. “And everyone knows what that means, right?” “Hand cramps from writing ‘I love you’?” guessed my oldest son glumly, while my younger two went ballistic with excitement. “That’s right,” I answered, confirming his worst nightmare as we pulled into the KMart parking lot. I had every intention of raiding the collection of school-age Valentine’s while the selection was still good. I could hardl...
This year we ran a little late for the Christmas Eve church service, because I committed to bring a casserole to the family dinner at my brother’s house immediately following the service. I had been officially nominated to make the famous yam and marshmallow dish that no one ever seemed to eat, yet oddly still requested. Actually, that’s not one hundred percent accurate. The children always manage to eat the marshmallows out of the recipe, without touching a single discarded yam, and with a pre...
The holidays are always filled with surprises, so when I had reunited with my long lost Aunt and Uncle in Nevada I made plans for us to visit. I was thrilled because I hadn’t seen them in years. “I don’t know why you have to pick up the whole family and drag us out to Nevada when Christmas is just around the corner,” my husband was complaining. “It’s the holidays,” I reminded him, “and family should see each other. Besides they were so excited to get our Christmas card with the family photo, t...
The entire week had been blissful; with not a single unfortunate incident to report. One would have thought I'd be grateful that my children were acting like saints. I would have been except for one minor detail: The deadline for the article that I write for The Loop newspaper was rapidly approaching and all this role-model conduct was leaving me with no artistic inspiration. Usually this late in the week, something crazy would be happening. Somebody would have found a few left over cherry...
It had taken the whole family to load up the side dishes we were bringing to my Mother’s for Thanksgiving. Once we arrived the kids dashed excitedly into the house, leaving only me and my husband to unload everything. “I don’t know if there is enough food,” he said sarcastically. “Are you sure there’s not more in the trunk?” “Well, I had to make enough to feed 25 people!” I defended myself. “Yes, but eighteen of them, all put together, weigh less than all this food.” I gave him a dirty look...
I love the cooler autumn weather and the beautiful colors of fall in Tehachapi. Carving pumpkins and displaying them out front is a favorite seasonal pastime for our family. Regrettably, as the kids get older, their jack-o’-lanterns become less friendly and now I’m the one that’s afraid to walk up to the porch at night by myself. Of course, it doesn’t help that they are constantly sneaking up to startle me. I think the only one who shares in my sentiments is John Hancock our dog. He’s been a lit...
In anticipation of our family beach trip, everyone had taken time the night before to set aside something special they wanted to take with them. My husband grabbed his Beach Boys CD; my oldest only wanted his phone; my middle child had a plastic shark fin attached to his head; my daughter grabbed her sand pail in hopes of catching critters; and I had artfully applied my spray tan in a conscience commitment to minimizing my sun exposure. The next day we were on our way and we stopped to pick up...
The last few weeks our family has thought of nothing outside of Tehachapi’s first annual Gran Fondo. As the month progressed, we saw more and more participants riding the terrain in preparation for the upcoming event. This has motivated our entire household and today it has culminated into a near frenzy. With excitement in the air, the kids and I have drug out all our old bicycles from the garage and started the necessary maintenance for our family’s involvement. Mind you, none of us will be...
Today is the final day of our museum tour in L.A. and I’m super excited to see what the kids think about the La Brea Tar Pits. It’s amazing that such a thing could exist in the Miracle Mile district. As we began our tour, we learned how constant maintenance is needed to ensure structural integrity of not only the museum but also the surrounding areas. “It’s like stepping back in time, to see what was at this very spot, thousands of years ago,” I said hoping to point them toward a career in...
I love that Tehachapi has its own Heritage League Museum, the Errea House next door to it and our Train Depot on Tehachapi Boulevard, because origins are important. This is why it’s worth the tedious two hour drive, through the Valley of Traffic, to reach one of the worst areas on the planet: to spend the weekend at Exposition Park. So, that’s what we did. Our first stop was the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles. The whole day was culture filled, beginning with the much more con...
