July 2025

If Things Should Return to Normal Judy Dykstra-Brown Just in case the world we know ever returns to normal, I feel we’ll need reminders for behavior less informal. So, let me reacquaint you with the former art of dressing. Introducing color-matching, underwear and pressing. It’s been a number of months now—five, to be precise— since […]

Part Three There are 104 countries which celebrate Mother’s Day; 77 of them (including the U.S. and Mexico) celebrate the day in May. It is a good thing to do, but I have always felt that the day should also include honoring the various women in our lives who have made a significant impact on

Admit it … when Dick Van Dyke trips and falls, or if you’ve ever watched America’s Funniest Videos, you laugh when the dunce falls. But, of course, in film, he jumps back up and is in play again. Let me explain something to you if you aren’t already aware. Things have changed, and getting up

I started late in life learning the ever-frustrating game of golf. Some kids learn it very early and by high school are performing in leagues and mastering the most basic skills of the game. I was not one of them. In my early forties I picked up a golf club and set the course for

Motorcycles, mariposas, and Mexico. These three things aligned in 2011 to bring Mike and Michele Bell to our Lakeside area, and since then they have arrived in the winters (like the butterflies) to ride, to enjoy, and give of their time and expertise to nonprofits like Tepehua and Rotary. I recently caught up with Michele

Embracing the Spectrum of Human Thinking Neurodiversity refers to the natural variations in how people process information, think, learn, and behave. It is based on the idea that there is no single “correct” way for the human brain to function. Individuals with neurological differences, such as autism, ADHD, or dyslexia bring unique perspectives and abilities

Part Two As a writer of autofiction short stories, I share personal experiences that do not depend entirely on factual information. I employ literary devices like metaphor, irony, and imagery to unlock dimensions hidden in rare moments of memory and enrich them. Imaginative storytelling turns the diary of what happened to me into what happened

Shelley Edson ElOjoLakesideLiving@gmail.com From the Lakeside Living Editor: Please send information for local cultural, civic, community, or charitable events to ElOjoLakesideLiving@gmail.com by the first day of the preceding month – for example, the deadline for the August issue is July 1. Thank you. ANAVETS UNIT 19 Fundraising In May, ANAVETS, working with The Sons of

The Power Of Trees [Editor’s note: We didn’t have enough space in our June issue, but here it is now.] The wonder of nature is vast. Forest and trees regrow after a fire and trees clean our air. In 2017 Nature Conservancy scientists led a seminal study that found protecting and restoring forest, wetland and

A Day at The Ranch About nine o’clock in the morning, one of The Ranch’s four part-time employees arrives to unlock the gate. The sound of about a hundred dogs can be heard in the distance. After entering the property, the staff member drives up to the small office “casita” and unlocks that. There, they