After living in our house for 34 years, my husband and I decided to re-carpet. The original carpet had held up pretty well, but we knew it was time for a replacement. We had discussed this project for many years, but held off, finally realizing the difficulty we might have if we waited much longer. It takes a lot of personal energy (and work) to have a house redone. We are not getting any younger, and new carpet will not get any cheaper. Re-carpeting the entire house is almos

Cat Campbell/For The Madera Tribune Cook stuffing in the turkey or in a casserole dish, it is your choice. About half the people in my family called it dressing, and the other half called it stuffing. I think as a kid, I used the term dressing, but now I find myself saying stuffing. No matter what you call it, it is the same thing. My family has prepared it every Thanksgiving for generations. There are a few who don’t like it at all, and that’s okay, too. We actually do stuff

Nancy Simpson/The Madera Tribune Nick Esqueda is surrounded by fellow firefighters in Madera, as they were honored by Madera Sunrise Rotary Club last week. Madera Sunrise Rotary Club honored local firefighters at its meeting last week, and gave its Humanitarian Award to a special firefighter, Fire Captain Nick Esqueda of Station 56, selected by fellow local firefighters. The Club contacted the Fire Chief’s office to ask them to select a first responder in the fire department

Last week I went to the doctor for my annual exam. I normally have very good results from the exam, the bloodwork, and the screenings that make up an annual check-up. When the doctor came into the room, he gave me a greeting and asked if I was feeling as well as I normally do. I admitted that this time there were a few items I wanted to share with him. The first, and the most troubling concern was my frequent heartburn. He said he would put through an order for an endoscopy,

Wildfeuer, Wikimedia Commons Fresh chestnuts are now available in many stores. You can also find processed ones that are precooked and peeled. I always look forward to Fall, partly for the holidays, the weather, the colors of nature and of course, the meals. Chestnuts are a must at my house, and I am very happy that chestnuts are now available already cooked and peeled, ready to eat or use in recipes. I can eat a whole bag of them. I wish I knew how the processors can get the

For The Madera Tribune Chowchilla’s Asterisk Talley is making Chowchilla proud with her exploits on the golf course, including leading the American Junior Ryder Cup team to a win over the European team a couple of weeks ago. While the American Ryder Cup golf team failed to bring home the cup after losing to the Europeans, the American Junior Ryder Cup team brought their cup back home.  Chowchilla’s Asterisk Talley led the American team with three wins and a tie in four matche

Courtesy of Daniel Mendoza/Gonzalez Boxing Madera Unified girls get in the ring to participate in a free boxing summer camp, hosted by Gonzalez Boxing. The camp teaches the students discipline and provides them with a positive outlet. Gonzalez Boxing, founded by Daniel and Adriana Gonzalez, hosted a summer class in partnership with Madera Unified School District to offer free after-school programs and summer camps designed to build discipline, confidence, and community.  Adri

Whitney, Wikimedia Commons Banana breads fresh from the oven are a wonderful treat on a Fall day. When my youngest son was very small, he went through a period during which he refused to eat vegetables. I resorted to baking quick breads, using all the spices that usually go along with them, such as cinnamon, allspice, etc. I bought strained, pureed vegetables in the baby food section of the grocery stores, including yams or sweet potatoes, spinach, green beans, carrots and ot