Margie Teeter

I received a baby shower invitation, for Assistant Store Director Jessica Miller, with a note inside that read "A small request and we hope it's not hard, please bring a book instead of a card. It doesn't matter if it's well loved or brand new either way your book will remind baby of you. Write a sweet message on the inside cover and your words will be cherished over and over." What. A. Fabulous idea! And I know just where to buy it. Margie's Book Nook!


Margie's celebrates 36 years this month but Margie Teeter has been serving our community longer than that. Margie and husband Larry moved here for his job with BLM in 1978. Margie went to work for the Lassen Advocate, then was City Editor for the Lassen County Times. When the opportunity to buy a local bookstore came along she took it, also serving on our School Board and helping found Historic Uptown Susanville. Son David went away to college, worked in bookstores along the way and 25 years ago came back home to help run the shop. Just like his mom, David now runs the store and serves in so many ways but Margie can be still be found at the counter on Saturdays and Sundays.
                                       


                                           

We are so lucky to have an actual brick and mortar bookstore, walking through the doors you can smell the books. That’s the scent I remember from my Mom's house, an avid reader, I have fond memories of her reading bedtime stories to me, working our way through Charlottes Web a chapter a night. Later in life reading to my daughter as I tucked her in each night was pure joy. Some books I would read over and over just to hear her repeat some of the lines in that sweet voice. This is an experience not to be missed.
           

Why not curl up with a good book? When you're finished with it you can trade it in for another at Margie's!

Lassen County Times Makenzie Davis

News. Yikes, right? Imagine trying to report all the facts of any given story, putting your name on it and having your entire community read it. Sounds pretty scary to me. That is exactly what Makenzie Davis at Lassen County Times and many other locals do. Maybe not heroic in everyone's eyes but as someone who writes a little note every week about food or locals or the great place we live, it sure sounds brave.



Makenzie grew up in Paradise and Quincy so she is a small town girl through and through. Her college major was broadcast journalism but she quickly chose to get behind the camera instead. Some times her job leads to a sleepless Monday night but it's clear to me Kenzie loves what she does. She told me she is "keenly aware of how her articles can affect people" so she tries to always be respectful. I really like knowing that we're all taken into consideration. That's what makes a community. 
                          
                                   
I asked how we can help our local paper, Kenzie said their job is to tell our stories so if you have a good one let them know. Those are the articles we all really love! AND with that in mind here's a pretty sweet story that fits right into a Final Four ad...Lassen College Basketball coach Will Freedman used to occupy the desk facing Kenzie's at the Times. They became friends and now are a great couple. Kenzie gets to go to away games on the team bus with Will which is always fun but says the energy HERE for our LoCaL games is amazing! One more SUPER fun thing I gotta go see!


Thank you Makenzie Davis and everyone at the Times for keeping us informed! Thanks to Will and the Lassen College Basketball team for all the Hometown Proud FUN!

                     

Sheet Pan Meals

My friend Ronnie Chandler posts the MOST delicious, nutritious, soul satisfying food. It’s freezing cold out and she’s baking pies or a whole turkey in a wood cook stove. But vegetable roasts are where Ronnie really knocks it outta the park for me! Sheet pans filled with bright collections of cut fresh veggies with just a bit of olive oil, salt and pepper. Ronnie will roast enough to last her a few days and sometimes even sprinkle with a little parmesan.

       

I had to try this. When I did a quick recipe search I discovered sheet pan meals are like a BIG thing. It’s like the casserole age reimagined! Protein, veg and (sometimes) carb all in one pan but without the heavy sauces from the 70s. Don’t get me wrong, I still adore a heavy sauce now and then. First I tried chicken thighs with hard squash, brussel sprouts and shallots roasted at 350* for about an hour. Just keep checking until the squash is tender and chicken cooked through. YUMMO!
                           














Then I found a bunch of versions of a Jambalaya-ish dinner, throw in sliced turkey kielbasa, dump one container of our Fresh Cut Pepper and Onion mix, toss with 2 tablespoons olive oil then cook 10 minutes at 425*. Add shrimp tossed in cajun seasoning, halved cherry tomatoes, 2 cups cooked brown rice, mix it all up good to soak up the accumulated juices and sprinkle entire dish with cajun seasoning, salt and pepper. Bake 10 more minutes. Stir again and top with green onions. So far my favorite. The hotter roast will kind of carmelize everything, so good. 
                             
Our Produce department offers heaps of Fresh Cut options so MY prep time is shortened and a healthy meal is a cinch, even after working all day. I’m loving topping my veggie roasts with Gia Russa Balsamic Glaze (aisle 9 :). Tons of flavor without a lot of calories. Oh and the sheet pans are also found on aisle 9. If you can’t find an item just stop by my office, I’ll be glad to help!
                              
We wish Ronnie and her team the best in the Courage Triathalon their training for, all those healthy dishes are sure to help!
                             
Hometown Healthy in a hurry!

Susanville Dairies

On this very spot we now know as Susanville Supermarket, or at least right beside this spot, Cy’s Dairy had cows grazing in 1933. Local Historian Tim Purdy still has a milk bottle perfectly preserved. How cool right? Milk was still delivered to porches back then. Today’s dairy business is a bit less personal but fortunately for us it’s still local.


Morning Glory Dairy is 98 years old. As long as I’ve been here it was owned and operated by Mike O’Kelly. Mike, a third generation milk man, and his father purchased Morning Glory from a co-op of farmers in 1975. They grew the business and Mike bought out his father in 1981. Last year he sold the dairy to Josh McKernan.


                         

Josh was hired at minimum wage in 2011 and worked his way up, gaining the trust of Mike as he went. Josh would work all day at the dairy then go do yard maintenance, I know because I was a customer of both Morning Glory and his landscaping. He was so talented when it came to making my yard beautiful and served all our dairy needs. Josh’s wife, Kimber McKernan, was born and raised right here in the Ville (her bestie is our own Kailie and their little girls are besties too!) and she remembers shopping in our store since she was 4. Taking on the dairy is definitely a family affair for the McKernans. Kimber says when she was in school, like a lot of small town kids, she couldn’t wait to go somewhere bigger but now there’s no where she’d rather raise their children. With the whole ‘save the dairy’ movement she has felt so much Hometown LOVE, seeing so many people come together to help. “It’s incredible” Kimber says.
                   

Sometimes we all think of businesses as these entities 'out there' and forget the faces and families on all sides. What we have right here is a little slice of heaven, mountains, wildlife, fresh air, clean water and countless people serving their community and caring for one another. It’s a beautiful thing.

                          

Modoc Line

The outdoors is my happy place. I start to get a little stir crazy if I’m stuck inside too long but just ever so little bit of sunshine can restore me quickly. One winter day when the sun was shining and the sky was that incredible blue we have here Rick and I set out for the Modoc Line. Stan Bales with BLM has been telling me to check this out for awhile now (Thanks Stan, it is a blast). The Modoc Line is an 89 mile portion of railway that has been converted by BLM to recreational trail. Beginning at Wendel road you can take this all the way to Likely. Rick and I covered about 30 m

                                                       

Rail grades are always gradual and I was surprised how fast we climbed to Viewland summit. However my previous experience was always going up 395 on a bike. MUCH slower :) We ambled through the desert for a bit before the landscape changed, valleys, rivers, rock walls, so beautiful and tucked right alongside 395! Local Historian Tim Purdy had asked us to get a photo for a ‘then and now’ piece he was writing about Horse Lake Station. At first look I totally missed it then Rick pointed the remaining foundation out. There were also rails off to the side of the trail that were dug out in the middle. Jim Chapman told me you had to have what was called a siding so the train could pull off the track and the opening was for getting underneath to work on the cars. I freaking love history. Especially ours! We didn’t make it over to Horse Lake which is just 5 or so miles, next time for sure. 

                                                                                          

                               

                           
Keep your eyes peeled, cuz you never know what you’ll find in the desert. Like a skeleton in a bathtub.


Hometown History with a side of sunshine please!