I've been griping to my husband that we needed to visit Lodi ever since Myrl posted her photos of Lodi, because Myrl is my inspiration for fun places to go from Sacramento. She's always tripping out of town somewhere amusing, and Lodi is no exception. We couldn't leave a week ago because that was the day we needed to do blood curves for our diabetic cat, which means we have to be home all day. But this last Sunday was a perfect day to get away for a few hours and also to visit a winery in Lodi I've been meaning to check out.You can read more and see all of the photos in my personal blog today about our Sacramento Getaway to Lodi. 05/05/2015

I’ve lived in and around Lodi, CA for a very long time and it’s not too often that we have a lot of options when it comes to shopping. Oh, we have our much loved Kohl’s, Target, and Wal-Mart, but just shy of venturing out to the malls in Stockton, Modesto or Sacramento, sometimes I’d like a little variety. Well here it comes in the form of a brand new Costco being built in the Reynolds Ranch area of Lodi at the corner of Harney Ln and Hwy 99 Frontage Rd. I’ve even heard that there may be a Best Buy and/or a Home Depot to join in on the same center location.  I don’t need the Home Depot, but a Best Buy would surely be fun! For now let’s just get this new Costco completed and open for business.  I’m ready for all it has to offer, which will most likely be at the end of this summer.  Can ... 03/22/2011

The idea of “Sisters Cities” has a long history starting eons ago in Europe.  The earliest known "twinning" in Europe was between the German city of Paderborn and the French city of Le Mans in 836.  The US versions started last century in 1931 with Toledo Ohio officially creating a “person-to-person” connection with Toledo Spain.  Since that time many US cities and towns have forged bonds with other cities world-wide, enriching each city’s cultures and enlarging local understanding of cultural diversity. Lodi, California has several such cities … each adding a dimension to the local community.  Lodi has Sister-cities relationships with Kofu, Japan and Lodi, Italy.  Lodi, California has a long international history that has produced a dynamic impact on the agriculture and culture of the... 01/31/2011

Ten things to know about SUPER BOWL XLV and where to find them Ok, our local paper carried a section on the Super Bowl and highlighted what needs to be known if you’re going to have a chance of sounding like you know what’s up!  I admit to being surprised by some of them … but then I did “pass” if I graded on a curve … So what are the 10? First and second – you gotta know about the teams (and the order goes in whichever you prefer.)  So you can check out the Steelers or the Packers by clicking on their name and going directly to their respective websites. Third is the “history” of the most talked about Super Bowl commercial … the 1984 Apple crashing into the IBM “big Brother.”  If you don’t get this oblique reference … stick with your own age group and it will never come up! Fourth – J... 01/29/2011

The “Hunger Free and Health by 2020” summit held on January 27 at the Robert J Cabral Agricultural Center, is still looking for means to achieve their goal, but is taking steps to provide plans for building and rebuilding relationships in the drive to provide for the County’s poor and hungry.  Part of the goal is to pay particular attention to the “kind” of food donations received.  They are taking steps to provide for healthier food in their drives.  Another focus of the summit was to establish relationships in the local “distribution” communities to work together.  Major not-for-profits seem to “network” well together, but other smaller organizations like service clubs, communities of faith and small businesses are not as well organized.  Business Administrator for the Salvation Army... 01/28/2011

An activity that is going to become more prevalent in real estate are the auctions held on the local county court house steps.  Now there are times that the name of something and its actual place of occurrence are different.  Well in this case these auctions are actually held on the court house steps. This is a pretty serious process where people’s property is being sold and some very large amounts of money, in the form of checks and sometimes cash, are being exchanged.  Seeing as how this is happening right on the steps of the county seat of government you would think that there would be procedures and standards of practice written with everything in triplicate tied up with a ribbon. Not the case interestingly enough. When I went to a recent auction and asked around about a written pr... 01/26/2011

  Lodi Unified School District is requesting community input as the board considers cost cutting actions.  The reductions are needed as the expected State Budget cuts will have a direct impact on the District’s budget. It is widely expected that even if Governor Brown’s budget plan is approved, there will still be local cuts required.  There are a number of methods of getting community suggestions to the district:  email at breductionidea@lodiusd.net; complete at survey on the district’s website – click here; speak directly to the District at scheduled Budget Advisory Committee meetings (call 209-331-7002 for schedule and further information.) There seems to be little doubt that reductions will be required.  Here is an open invitation to be part of the solution!   If you may be conside... 01/25/2011