Beginning in July 2003, The South County Times, a weekly community newspaper published by the Times-Newspapers Inc., media company, allowed me, quite literally, one Friday column of type. For 17 years, I filled that space — 870 consecutive weeks without missing one deadline — until March 2020, when the paper ceased publication in those early, harrowing days of a global pandemic.
Eight months later, I returned to the Times-Newspapers family when new ownership resurrected a sister publication, The Webster-Kirkwood Times. I now contribute a monthly column, continuing to tell stories in and around St. Louis County. In 2021 and 2022, I picked up a couple of awards along the way from the National Society of Newspaper Columnists, second place and first place, respectively, in the “General Interest-Print” category.
Where do I get my material? I’m a mom first, thanks to Tom, my husband of 32 years and a retired history teacher who doubles as an editor and sounding board. Over the years, I’ve learned that the best topics were often right in front of me. Our boys, Matt, 31, and Jack, 29, grew up in the space — although I never wrote about them without asking permission first. In 2025, our family expanded by 50 percent as both boys married the most awesome partners they could find. Welcoming Hannah and Libby to our family has expanded my heart exponentially.
New material? You bet! No matter what I write from week to week — and now month to month– the heart of it almost always goes back to friends and family. “Mom, am I really that interesting to you?” a teen-aged Matt asked once. Yes. Yes, you most assuredly are.
I appear in The Webster-Kirkwood Times every month on the third Friday. Here’s how to access my latest columns.