review by Mark Steger “This Tender Land” is the 2020 selection for “Richardson Reads One Book.” “The tale I’m going to tell is of a summer long ago. Of killing and kidnapping and children pursued by demons of a thousand names. There will be courage in this story and cowardice. There will be love and betrayal. And, of course, there will be hope. In the end, isn’t that what every good story is about?” Grade: A- Krueger lays out his entire novel in that excerpt from the prologue above. The plot is straightforward. Four children escape from a cruel orphanage in southwestern Minnesota in 1932 ..read more

by Carl Youngberg Greetings in the time of quarantine. It has been said that in all crises, there is also opportunity.  Here at our home, David has found the opportunity to work on some garden projects that needed doing. As for me, I have had several writing assignments from Richardson Living on-line.   Conventional thinking is that this is the time to ramp our minds up to our A-game.  Whether we work at home or have been furloughed, this pandemic has so disrupted our lives and work that many of us are now caught between the pressures of work and family.  And the press ..read more

by Lindsay O’Conner As we enjoy sunny spring days amid social distancing, community members creatively continue with meaningful work. Among them is well-known Richardson resident Amir Omar, who is pressing on with an initiative to beautify the city despite the challenges presented during this unique time.  In our January/February issue, we introduced Amir’s community-focused organization, Tree The Town. Amir presented the idea as a city initiative while he was on the Richardson City Council in 2010. Since then, he has revived the program as a non-profit with a mission of “fostering a bene ..read more

by Lauren Decker With a heart for community, Dr. Brandon Brown of The Specific Chiropractic Centers in Richardson is leaving a wake of kindness and hope as he supports local businesses.  Originally from a small town in Oklahoma, Brandon Brown says he loves calling Richardson home for his family and his business.  “Richardson has that small-town feel in a really big city. It feels like a small, well-connected neighborhood. It’s where I want to be.”   Nicknamed The Migraine Doc, Dr. Brown says he’s been lucky and blessed to still have his doors open and seeing patients but ..read more

by Lauren Decker Shelter-in-Place: a term that evokes quite the range of emotion for so many of us.  Some are content hunkering down at home.  Some are chomping at the bit to get out.  And some experience both feelings at any given minute.  But, it’s safe to say that almost everyone has experienced a great deal of change over these last several weeks.  What hasn’t changed in our community though, is the watchful presence of the Richardson Police Department.    With his long-standing career in policing, Richardson Police Chief, Jimmy Spivey, says this ab ..read more

The Counseling Place, A Richardson nonprofit dedicated to affordable mental health care, is seeking support during North Texas Giving Day Now.   The CP says their number of referrals of suicides and assaults tripled, and domestic violence increased 30% from February to March of this year alone.  They attribute this increase in numbers to the stressors of COVID-19; anxiety, depression, and emotional exhaustion caused by the virus, uncertain employment, and isolation.  According to a press release from The Counseling Place, “Of special concern is the mental health of the ma ..read more

In these uncertain times, one thing is certain: so many people need help, and often that means they need food.  The same is true for hundreds of students at the University of Texas at Dallas.  UTD’s on-campus food pantry, the Comet Cupboard, is in need of specific food donations so that they can continue to serve their students. In 2012, the Comet Cupboard was started by the Director of Undergraduate Programs, Hillary Campbell.  The Cupboard’s claim to fame is being the first food pantry on a college campus in Texas.  Campbell says when she first started this role, “I was s ..read more

North Texas Giving Day Now is March 5th from 6:00 am to midnight.  You may be thinking, “Wait, isn’t North Texas Giving Day in the fall?” and you would be right.  But according to Leigh Schaefers, Director of Accounting for Communities Foundation of Texas (and a fellow Richardson resident), “Tomorrow is not our regular North Texas Giving Day (which is still scheduled on September 17, 2020), but instead is a special event because of COVID 19 and its impact on our North Texas non-profits.”  She says, “ Communities Foundation of Texas recognized the immense need all non-profits hav ..read more

On April 7, 2020, the City of Richardson announced that it would temporarily suspend recycling pick-up and move to once-a-week trash pick-up starting on April 9.  A press release from the city explained, “service changes are due to staffing shortages related to the spread of the COVID-19 disease. Crews are being reorganized to fully staff vehicles in order to maintain the essential service of collecting waste at least once a week. Service will be brought back to normal as soon as it is safely possible to do so.”   Fortunately, the city just announced that our hiatus from recycli ..read more

This is our boy, Charlie.  He’s an Australian Kelpie who turns 9 this June. Australian Kelpies are herding dogs who were originally raised to work with sheep, but this one doesn’t seem to mind suburban life.  Most Kelpies’ ears stand up straight, but only one of Charlie’s does. His other ear flops over, which actually makes him pretty adorable and suits him to a T. He’s awkward and shy, but also very gentle and full of love for anyone who shows him affection. We got Charlie when he was 3 months old from a ranch down in Ennis.  We brought him home to our little house in Richardso ..read more