Friday, April 27, 2012
Columnist Joe Smith describes his teeter-totter emotions while watching a family member graduate from boot camp.
I was privileged to witness my brother-in-law graduate from Marine Corp boot camp this past week. It was in beautiful San Diego. Our whole family was able to fly out there and attend the Family Day along with the graduation. We took a tour of the Marine Museum which chronicled past exploits of the Marines and individual officers that stood out in times of combat. We saw weapons of war from every skirmish Marines have taken part in. We listened as a Marine officer took us through the program, explaining the how’s of breaking down a civilian just to build him/her back up as a Marine. We met other families and conversed about the family pride at seeing what our sons and daughters have accomplished. We talked with each other about our …
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Why aren’t we using the incredible resources that our school provides?
Timberland High School could become its own country. The cafeteria’s abundance of toasted ravioli and processed beans could provide us with mediocre, yet sound, food. The family consumer students could sew everyone’s clothes while the chemistry lab could provide us with heat by Bunsen burner during cold nights. We even have thespians and the school band to provide entertainment for us when we’re bored. Our high school has unlimited resources and is bursting with talent from students and faculty. But why aren’t we using the incredible resources that our school provides? One reason we can’t are the strict rules and policies the district has on using equipment. I am not saying there should not be rules—some of the equipment at Timberland …
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Thursday, February 9, 2012
You've had your first cup of coffee; now relax with the second and find out what's up for the day in Lake Saint Louis.
Good morning, Lake Saint Louis! I was one of those people who had to be dragged in, kicking and screaming, to the Facebook phenomenon. At the time, it just looked like a fad and a waste of time. Now I appreciate it for what it can be—a wonderful networking tool. (I should mention that I had to be dragged kicking and screaming into the computer age, too, many years ago. I loved my old IBM Selectrix passionately, and I considered my husband's Commodore 64 a toy, not a serious writer's tool. Ha! Not too many years later, I was the first of the family online. Remember GEnie?) Case in point: my birthday used to go by fairly quietly, with just the family—and sometimes not even them—offering birthday wishes. Now, on Facebook, I get birthday …
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
You've had your first cup of coffee; now relax with the second and find out what's up for the day in Lake Saint Louis.
Good morning, Lake Saint Louis! I want to send out some kudos to Kalen Ponche and her team for their coverage of yesterday's Santorum rally and post-election coverage. Good job! The nominations are in, and today you can vote on the most romantic restaurant in St. Charles County. I've been to McGurk's, and I love their mushrooms, and I didn't realize that there was a St. Charles location of Spiro's. My husband and I used to go to the Spiro's in Bel-Nor. Nothing says romance like flaming goat cheese! I haven't been to Fratelli's or Bradden's, so I'm going to have to check them out soon. If you've got small children, you might be looking for something Valentine-themed to enjoy with them. Take a look at all the free programs offered by the St…
Thursday, February 2, 2012
You've had your first cup of coffee; now relax with the second and find out what's up for the day in Lake Saint Louis.
Good morning, Lake Saint Louis! I had to laugh when I got today's Picture of the Day from Joe Snell yesterday. He titled it "Orange you happy it's February and 50 degrees?" I'm sure this winter's mild temperatures are making a lot of people happy. My last two electric bills (we have an electric heat pump) were $16 and $35. How could that not make me happy? But I got to thinking about stores with piles of unsold rock salt and ice scrapers. Snowplow drivers who might have been counting on the overtime to help pay their Christmas bills. And the farmers who cut and sell firewood. This isn't going to be a good year for them, I suspect. Okay, a little snow might not be a bad thing. Orange you happy it's Thursday? Today we'll post the Get Out …
Monday, October 24, 2011
You've had your first cup of coffee; now relax with the second and find out what's up for the day.
Good morning, Lake Saint Louis! This weekend I had yet another of those reminders that I'm not as young as I used to be. I had a horse-related injury a couple of years back, and it never got completely back to normal. I didn't help matters because I would keep re-injuring it, but lately it's been feeling really good, and I've been pushing myself. Then on Saturday, my husband and I had a dance class for a upcoming event, and we attacked the waltz and the polka with enthusiasm. It was the polka that did me in, I think. Or maybe the Charleston. Another busy day on deck. If you have any questions or would like more information about the proposed sewer lateral insurance program in Lake Saint Louis, make sure to stop by the Open House at city …
Saturday, August 27, 2011
Sometimes, you can't make this stuff up. When pigs become the topic at a city meeting, you know you've hit pay dirt.
Memories of a bygone era at a local mall, the value of pigs and how school officials should deal with bullying were topics that got you talking this week around Patchland. Here's a set of highlights from your comments. We hope you'll find something that inspires you to click and chime in. What's more sad? The memories or the ghost town? Crestwood Court Gap to Close "I visited Crestwood Mall earlier this year. What a ghost town. I remember going to the mall as a kid, navigating through the crowds, passing the big Christmas tree in the atrium, grabbing a frozen mocha at Gloria Jean's, watching the race cars (go) around the track at that store down by the movie theater, grabbing a bite at the food court while the kids ran wild around the …
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Ever catch yourself wishing your life was like a movie?
“I wish my life was more like High School Musical.” I caught myself saying this very phrase just a couple days ago. And although it got a chuckle out of my friend, who was with me at the time, I was completely serious. Although the movie is supposed to reflect high school life and shows the characters going through struggles, the plot would more than suffice my high school desires. A basic recap for those that haven't seen it — a very smart teenage girl loves to sing and does so with her hot boyfriend. She's also the editor of yearbook and winds up at Stanford. I’m sorry, but if that was my high school life, then I would not be crying and complaining like she does through half of High School Musical II. But like I must remind myself, it is…
Saturday, August 20, 2011
A selection of your comments across St. Louis Patchland shows an appreciation for the content you've created.
Thanks for the thanks! We heard from a few of you who appreciate the contributions from our readers, and we're grateful. We love hearing from readers, whether they're posting photos, comments or just shouting onto the home page. Here's this week's comment highlights. If you see a spot to chime in, we hope you'll click and comment. And we love hearing your voice, too! Wonders Around Wentzville: Reader-Submitted Photos "I always enjoy reader-submitted photos. I look at it like we are getting to see the world through other people's eyes. Keep 'em coming!" -Jared England, Wentzville Patch Happy to pass along the message Journey to the First Day of School "Love the pictures! Especially that Route 12 bus :) We had a rough start that first day. I…
Saturday, August 6, 2011
Calamities abound in this week's "Comments from Patchland." Plus, we revisit the ever-popular issues of smoking in public.
Sometimes you just can't make this stuff up. A kid gets locked accidentally in a gun vault, and all anyone can talk about is whether the parents were negligent? Plus, the sound of lightning striking and a few opinions about a new automaker coming to the region. Got comments of your own? We hope you'll click a link and add your 2 cents. That's one opinion, we suppose The Debt Ceiling Deal and Who Holds the Cards "If everyone you talk to agrees with Sarah Palin, you need to expand the size of your sample." — Robert Usher, Fenton-High Ridge Patch The kid was fine, by the way Wentzville Firefighters Extricate Child from Gun Safe "What a fine use of tax dollars. I believe next time a horribly irresponsible incident like this is reported, the…
Jana Kertz
1:41 pm on Friday, April 27, 2012
Amazing job Joe! I loved how you shared so much of the incredible experiance, including the heartbreaking as well as how extremely proud we are of our sons and daughters. Read it through tears.. Thank you so much for putting what so many of us feel, into words. more ›