Since last fall when we had the carpet replaced at our house, I have been trying like the dickens to get things organized and to pitch what I no longer need or want. Our church is having a rummage sale at the beginning of next month, so it is a perfect time for me to get my act together and pass on some items that are still usable.  My closet has always been a real challenge for me when it comes to disposing of items. Now, I don’t have a lot of high-quality clothes, but my cl

Cat Campbell/For The Madera Tribune This cookbook has been used a lot during the last 36 years, as evidenced by all the smudges and creases. We were a 4-H family and enjoyed it very much. There is a cookbook, one of those spiral bound fundraiser types, that I use quite often. It is called, California Cooking: Favorite Recipes of 4-H Families. I bought it March 10, 1990, during Madera County Demonstration Day held at the Madera Fairgrounds. My oldest son, Matt, was in the hors

Wendy Alexander/The Madera Tribune Madera County Supervisor Rob Poythress presents Bill and Bea Jones with a certificate in recognition of the couple’s 80th wedding anniversary, which was on Dec. 23, 2025. Poythress made the presentation at Cedar Creek Senior Living on Tuesday. Cogir Cedar Creek Senior Living was in celebration mode again, as Madera County Supervisor Robert Poythress made a presentation and short speech honoring Bill and Bea Jones on their 80 years of marriag

Thelmadatter, Wikimedia Commons Portuguese sweet bread is tender, light and irresistible. My family likes to make holiday breads, usually at Christmas time and Easter. This past Christmas, I had plans to make an Italian panettone yeast bread, enhanced with raisins, citrus peels and other aromatics. We also add pine nuts. I did not get to make any this time, because I came down with my first case (that I know of) of COVID-19. That pretty much took care of just about all of my

Most people who have a computer, or a cell phone, use the internet in some way. Most of us search for information on the “web” by using a search engine such as Google. It has become almost a knee-jerk reaction to go to Google to find out information, such as how to fix something, or to find out how old a celebrity is. Sometimes we want to know some history about a company or an individual. Often the search will take us to a page called Wikipedia, which can give up-to-date inf

Courtesy of Suzy Hazelwood/Wikimedia Commons  Smooth and creamy is a good way to describe a slice of cheesecake. There is an old TV show called Golden Girls, most of us are familiar with. Every time the gals are having a problem, it seems the first thing they do is get a cheesecake out of the refrigerator. I know that cheesecakes don’t really solve problems (except for coming to the rescue for a popular dessert), but I never say no when someone offers a slice. I must admit th

As I remember times in my past, I often think of things I said that I wish I hadn’t said, and things I did I wish I hadn’t done. I suppose we all have some regrets like that. I remember a time when I was in the sixth grade. Our class had put together a surprise for the teacher, and we were sworn to secrecy. Each of us had vowed not to tell a soul what the surprise was going to be. I honestly do not remember what the surprise was, but I do remember this incident. A group of ki

Evan-Amos, Wikimedia Commons Fresh, juicy oranges are great as snacks, or as ingredients in recipes, any time of year. Oranges are good any time of year, and we are lucky they are available whenever we want them. I can remember my grandfather on my dad’s side of the family, telling me that when he was growing up, it was a real treat to get an orange in his Christmas stocking. Back then, oranges were not easy to come by like they are now. Hearing about that made me appreciate