Moms rejoice as kids go back to school, Lois Henry gets some well deserved kudos and more on those old sidewalks about our community

 * ... SCHOOL DAYS: So just how happy were all the moms to see their kids go back to school last week? Apparently ecstatic, as evidenced at the Broken Yolk Cafe across the street from Stockdale High

School. I was told the place was packed on the first day of school as celebrating moms consumed three cases of champagne after dropping off their kids.

 * ... COLLEGE DAYS: In a few short years many of those same mothers will be tearful when they drop those same little darlings off to college, a right of passage that is in full swing right now. So there is to all those friends of mine who have shared that final tearful embrace while leaving their kids at places like Arizona, Baylor, Berkeley and UCLA. You have earned the right to be proud.

* ... LOIS HENRY: Kevin Cornelius dropped me this note about my former colleague Lois Henry: "(She) is the Mike Wallace of 60 Minutes when it comes to covering or uncovering a story the public should  know about. Take for instance her article in the newspaper on August 17,  'Kern High School District has some explaining to do'....  Briefly put KHSD police officer Chief Joe Lopeteguy was fixing to get railroaded when he wasn't even on the train. Seems KHSD were trying to get Lopeteguy to take the rap because they got caught up in there own quicksand. All I can say is when this gal digs into a story she leaves no stone unturned. I have advice for all you public agencies... when Lois Henry comes knocking on your front door, run out the back!"

* ... MEMORIES: Don Ambriz added this to the discussion of old markets in east Bakersfield. "My grandmother lived near the corner of Kentucky and Kern streets - right across the street from Mayfair Market. During the 1950s, my cousin and I would buy 10 cents worth of liver from the meat counter and would go craw-dad fishing in the Lake Street canal."

* ... GOOD FORM: Here is a shout out to a group of people who rarely get recognized, our postal carriers. Thanks to Madeline Parra for passing this along: "Just wanted to share how great of a mail carrier we have. In the 28 years I have worked at Brown Armstrong I’ve never had a problem with mail delivery, and all because of Rosemary. Boy did I find out different when she went out on leave!
Rosemary Baca Arauza is a 30-year postal employee who delivers to the 4200 Truxtun Extension area where I work. About a month ago, Rosemary went out on leave and the mail delivery has been hit and miss. We are lucky to get our mail by 5 p.m. and there have been some days where we have not received our mail at all. When I called the Stockdale post office to complain, the supervisor said Rosemary has such a high-standard and she’s been doing it for so long that nobody can touch her.  I want to give a big shout out to Rosemary for going over and beyond.  I was aware Rosemary was good and always had a smile on her pretty face, but I had no idea she was in the elite class until she went out on leave and I had something to compare to. Hurry back Rosemary!"

 * ... SIDEWALKS: William Dean wrote with a personal story behind some of those old stamped sidewalks about town. In his words: "My name is William Dean and I was reading your blog about the old sidewalks in town and the contractors that poured the cement and also paved the roads as they went along. My grandfather and my uncle were two of these. They owned a company named Dean and Stroble cement contracting. And from the early 1900s to just about the time of the depression they paved and built many of the old roads and sidewalks in Bakersfield, a lot around Baker Street and also in Oildale. They had 10 model T trucks and about 40 mules plus some big cement mixers that they moved down the street as they went. I don't know how many of the mixers they had but I know of one for sure because I have an old picture of the mixer. My grandfather and my uncle are standing next to it with there work crew. I think it was taken in the area around Baker Street around 1920. My grandfather's name was Fred Thomas Dean and my uncle's name was Vance Stroble."