When this column comes out, the Ortonville Downtown Development Authority and resident girl scout Madi Waatti will be unveiling the new pet-friendly initiative during the Farmers Market. I have to say, I’m a fan of this initiative. I love dogs, and having a dog friendly downtown is great for pet owners. I see several dogs […]
It is no secret that I love reading, and that love started very young. When I was a little girl, my mom and I read a book every night, eventually moving to chapter books where we alternated reading chapters. My dad always had a book in his hand or his back pocket. Reading was very […]
When I walked up to the Edna Burton Senior Center this week, Faye Bindig was loading a car with groceries from Focus: Hope and Commodities from the Emergency Food Assistance Program. I set my stuff down and propped open the door to give her a hand, and once we sat down in her office, I […]
Abby Rowe wants to give people a space where they can be themselves and feel safe, and that is what she has accomplished through her nonprofit Abigail’s Pride. I had the opportunity to sit down with her prior to the third annual Abigail’s Pride festival. “I wanted to go to a Pride festival when I […]
I said two weeks ago when I wrote about the Brandon Groveland Youth Assistance Youth Recognition Awards, which was on April 25, that it happened to be the same day as Challenge Day at the High school. That is by far one of my favorite days as a BGYA board member. I love volunteering for […]
Eight-year-old Dilyla Laga recalled seeing a homeless man while traveling with her family. The youth encouraged her father to turn around so she could give him $20 of her own money. Dilyla’s story was just one of many shared about local students at what has become one of my favorite yearly events as a community […]
I’ve written before about my love of mysteries. I’ve been a reader of mystery novels for a long time, and I love mystery games and puzzles. Even as a kid, Scooby Doo was one of my favorite cartoons, and I’ve been known to listen to the version of the theme song by Simple Plan on […]
It’s no surprise that I’ve always been an avid reader. Even as a child, I was rarely without a book. I got in trouble for reading in English class once, no joke. She was not my favorite teacher. But it didn’t discourage me from always having a book with me. And growing up, reading was […]
This week I went to pick up a prescription, and when the pharmacist asked my name, I told her ‘Shelby Stewart-Soldan’ which is my full name. She couldn’t find anything under that last name, but eventually found it under ‘Soldan’ which is only half of my last name. I made a joke that the fun […]
This week I had the opportunity to speak to local aspiring authors about self-publishing. A few months ago, fellow self-published author Jordan Schwarz approached me about combining our efforts for a self-publishing 101 workshop at the Brandon Township Public Library, and I thought it was a great idea. I write for a living, I love […]