Well, this has been a hard one to write. Amongst the holiday fracas, I learned this journey via Patch has come to an end. And so as I sit down to write thank you notes for so many blessings, on the top is this farewell. I am grateful for the opportunity to have been a part of your lives. Working for the Patch has been two years of small stories that connect us. To quote Walt Whitman, "I believe a leaf of grass is no less than the journey work of the stars." I honed my voice through Patch, over the last two years discovered I love to write (and on deadline), and have enjoyed one of the best …

I know there is some controversy regarding the post office. But here's what it does. It takes my mail, no matter what, and for a very reasonable and reliable price, delivers it by hand. And as we hunker down for our first big snow, just remember the unofficial mission of the PO.  Inscribed on the general post office facility on 33rd Street and 8th Avenue in New York City is, "Neither snow, nor rain, nor heat, nor gloom of night, stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds." I know others who share my intense fondness for the post office as an institution. Nancy …

So I was in the locker room with the group I call the "Amazon aqua boot camp ladies," relaxing after class at the it's-still-dark-out-when-I-get-home hour of 6:15 a.m. And, one said she was going to get some chocolate and wine as a gift for a friend at the Public Market downtown because, with Thirst & Vine closed, it's the closest place to get locally-made chocolate. Cue my big fat Shorewood mouth. "What — leave Shorewood? For chocolate and wine?" My voice cracked as it pierced the hair-dryer and suit-spinning air. "You can do all that here!" These power-houses who can tread water for a half …

Margery Sinclair has been consulting and citing cultural rules of etiquette since she was a little girl, when she received Amy Vanderbilt's "Complete Guide to Gracious Living." "I didn't realize it was a reference guide," she said. "So I read it cover to cover, and so was well-prepared for a private audience with the Pope and also what to wear to dinner on the first night of a transatlantic voyage by boat."  Saturday, international etiquette guru Sinclair will return home to Shorewood — having lived and raised her son here — to lead 21 lucky local children in a private lesson in etiquette …

To the joint propietors of the new Elements East in the new Ravenna project in Shorewood, getting the store open by Thanksgiving weekend required the collaboration and energy of a group of artisans and project managers.  It opened Nov. 19, just in time for the Black Friday shopping weekend. The original proprietors of the Elements East store were Alicia Urban and Therese Armbruster. That store was on Silver Spring, and drew customers from Chicago, Madison, Racine, Mequon, Cedarburg, and beyond, with their special artifacts and personal service. After losing the lease last year, Urban found …

Patch tracked down busy entrepreneurs on Monday to find out how Small Business Saturday went in Shorewood, and the response was a unanimous “Great!” followed by a Monday-errand-running, “I have to do a million things today!”  Shorewood staples such as the Garden Room, Anaba Tea Room, Shop, Goldi’s, Harry’s, Oakcrest, William Ho’s, Harley’s had steady traffic over the weekend. According to Doug McDonald, the general manager at the Garden Room and Anaba Tea Room, traffic was up compared to last year. “We reserve our big holiday sale for the Shorewood BID Stop, Shop and Restore! holiday event on…

Happy Thanksgiving! If you’re home for the holidays or have guests this weekend, enjoy the beautiful weather, the local shops that are open today and Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and the walkable community here in Shorewood.  I have gathered wisdom about Shorewood traditions that I now share with you, dear reader, about giving thanks, giving back, eating food, getting exercise and staying sane.  Giving thanks I am thankful for my family (though the kids are off a full day early (?), for the health of family and friends, and for my role here at Patch as your local columnist keeping up on our …

Lavish textures, touchably soft cashmeres, organic cottons, buttery leather goods and beautiful gifts greet the visitor to Min’s — Shorewood’s newest store on Oakland that will likely become a staple for gifts and special wardrobe items. If Min’s looks familiar to you but you can’t place it, you may have shopped there in Lake Geneva as recently as Halloween, where the store thrived for four years on Broad Street.  Owner Lynn Waite (a.k.a. Min) closed that shop and opened in Shorewood in the former Allstate location at 4451 N. Oakland Avenue on Nov. 3. The name has its origins in Lynn’s …

When other Shorewood moms were gathering pipe cleaners for the perfect spider costume, Gretchen Mead, the Executive Director of Victory Garden Initiative, was putting together an ingenious plan to answer Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett's Tournavation challenge. This competition solicited ideas to combat the issue of the broken food system within the city. "The lack of access to healthy foods can have profoundly negative effects on individuals’ health," she said. The winning idea in Milwaukee came from Mead and the VGI, which she titled "PUHA, the Post-Industrial Homestead Act," which turns empty …

Today instead of other topics, I’m writing about something that is very close to my heart. I’m writing about death. And really, I’m writing about loss, and how we as a community can help each other. I’m writing about it because last week was so very heavy in our community. We lost a fellow mom and friend. We also lost a dad. These people were neighbors, friends, business owners; whose lives touched many of us in different ways. Another family lost their home and everything in it. It was sudden, shocking and stressful for us all as a collective. How do we as a community a mile square deal with…

Radon is the No. 2 leading cause of lung cancer in the U.S.  It is odorless, colorless and invisible. The gas is caused by a leaking of decaying soil around the base and under the home. The gas affects anyone who spends time in the basement, and is much worse in the winter months here in Wisconsin because we close the windows and cover the drafts that would otherwise help to vent the gas. In essence, we’re coming up on radon danger season. I have been witness to painful devastation caused by radon. My husband’s cousin — a wonderful, warm woman — died of metastasized lung cancer caused by …

I have noticed for a while, but especially now, as the leaves change in Shorewood, red stands out as a color choice for many homes' front doors. And I am beating the mags in spotting a 2013 trend – red is back for the front door.  More than 50 red doors There are by my non-scientific discovery over 50 residences in Shorewood with red and red-tone hues. There are three purple doors. The rest are brown, mustard, or glass and wood. Which led me to wonder — which reds are recent and which ones went red long ago? “I hadn’t done a red door for maybe the last eight or nine years, when we’ve been …

Get your spirit gum, your fake muscles and your rocker wig now — before the rush.  While shopping the local seasonal Halloween store, Winkie's in Whitefish Bay, the big boxes and talking with the costume experts, I gathered these tips for you to be ahead of the curve (or scythe — Grim Reaper is back) this season. Tips from the experts: Zachary Bartz, costume expert at Bartz’s Party Store, has three tips: “Go to a store and look at things, pick them up, imagine what you're doing that day or party. It’s really an interesting piece of fun and self-discovery." If you're like me, you might get a …

Have you been "torched?" There's still time. The "Shorewood Games" originated in 1988 as a fundraiser for the MACC (Midwest Athletes against Childhood Cancer) Fund when Shorewood High School had a senior, Gus Rich, fighting childhood cancer — who as a guest director from Milwaukee School of the Arts, helped co-direct the musical AIDA last spring with Barbara Gensler. Shorewood continues to hold the games approximately every four years, which have grown to include many events and raised thousands of dollars.  This year, a committee of students planning events is quite “fired up,” and has …

Riding the momentum that is surrounding her with others’ voices, opinions, feedback, emails, voicemail and letters, Lori Compas is excited about the launch of the brand new Wisconsin Business Alliance. I spoke with Compas on Friday, who will serve as executive director of the new alliance, and she does sound hoarse, and absolutely thrilled with the success of the launch. On Thursday, the Stowell Associates hosted the Shorewood launch of this new organization, and Compas gave a half hour presentation to a room of about 12 small business owners curious to hear about the new organization. With a…

Thief Wine in Shorewood has hosted large events on both sides of the political spectrum.  But how far is too much activity? Is it a sign in the window, or a generous gift to a campaign? If there is media coverage of the support, does that increase a negative impact to those customers who disagree? Patch asked, and you answered.  Some clear opinions Jane Gebel Prentice, Shorewood resident, said, "I won't shop at any business that supports (GOP presidential candidate Mitt) Romney, (Jim) Sensenbrenner, etc. Period. With Wick's it was easy. I could tell by their huge Bush sign out front. At the …

Many parents in the village who dropped off a student at college have been navigating the often quiet, personal reorientation that comes after 18 years of involvement in the day-to-day, moment-to-moment lives of their child. Anne O'Meara, who with her husband Mike Stillwell dropped off her younger child (the elder went two years ago) at St. Olaf, said, "I guess I'm finding I didn't want this part of my life to be over yet. I was so involved with every day activities, and I liked that involvement. It's so sudden." "It happens very fast," agreed resident Scott Jonas, who took his only child to …

Come for breakfast and stay for lunch — the menu at Shorewood schools just got a little healthier. There are some new foods lining plates in the district due to new federal regulations. In a nutshell, the new regulations push for more fresh fruits and vegetables, raise the percentage of whole grain in a lowered amount of breads, and put a minimum and maximum calorie intake on meat or meat alternative (i.e. an egg) per child per meal. “That is the first time the USDA has issued a max for meat protein,” said Shorewood Taher Food Service Director Barbara Marr. Marr, who is in her second year at …

So despite the lack of fanfare — literally, no marching band, no honking parade, little toilet paper — school started this week. Oh how relaxed and happy all us parents are now that the kids are in school, and it is true — there is love in the air for the dear children, the teachers, the crossing guards, the neighbors, as well as fellow man and the universe.   And hey, I will admit it, I did sneak away yesterday and stay in Chicago after an appointment, and I had thoughts about other things besides getting supplies or clothes for the kids for school. I walked around. I stood and absorbed …

"So, how ya doing here? Is it working out?" Proprietor Steph Davies of the Waxwing hears this question a lot. And the answer is a resounding "Yes," with a big smile. The warm, cheery and engaging Davies always has time to hear her customers and visitors, while managing 96 artists and their work, as well as creating her own pieces. Everything at Waxwing is handmade, largely by local artists, and everything changes out every two months. Starting Tuesday, you can expect a fresh look for Fall.  Davies is making a difference in the creative community in her store that she describes as "A kind of …