Talk Around Town is back!

When I started work at the Patterson Irrigator, little did I know that 27 years later, I would have my own blog and enter the "blogosphere" of the Internet world. Our town has seen so many changes in that time and so has our newspaper. The World Wide Web has brought us all closer together and through this I have the chance to share community news, thoughts and concerns about our town.

I've named my blog "Talk Around Town" after my column of the same name that ran from 1981 to 2003. That column featured news about the folks in Patterson back in the days when the town was small — under 20,000 people.

One thing has not changed, however. We still have community contact with the people who live here. When my husband and I raised our four sons in Patterson, there was plenty to keep all of us busy as they moved through school and into college. Our sons have married and are gone from home, but our family's connection with the townsfolk still remains.

The network of Patterson news flows through the neighborhoods, schools, grocery stores, churches, gatherings and local offices.

And folks can still come through the front door of the newspaper office and talk to a reporter in person. New brides bring in their wedding albums for us to see, proud parents introduce us to their new babies, folks stop by to laugh, cry, and share their lives with us. We are so fortunate to have that close bond and connection to our readers.

I look forward to sharing the community news with you via Talk Around Town.