Columns

All you readers out there know by now that I’m constantly at war with the technology that infiltrates the lives of my two teenagers. Their cell phones are my worst enemies, my son’s Xbox coming in second. I often write about my frustration with competing for their attention and their lack of participation in our house.

The shooter has mental health issues. Duh, I think anyone who perpetrates a mass shooting has mental health issues.  I also believe most of us have mental health issues. The rest of us work at keeping ours under control. The problem is that it is getting harder and harder to do that.

It was Valentine’s Day, it was Ash Wednesday, and that evening the Golden State Warriors lost to the Portland Trailblazers in an exciting baskeball game. But there was an infinitely greater loss that day — 17 precious ones were killed at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida. Yes, we had another mass shooting at a school in America.

Born in Kansas, Feb. 5, 1916, former Windsor resident Marietta Showalter recently celebrated 102 years of life at her home in Healdsburg. Marietta is a dynamic centenarian who remains active today: painting, reading, nurturing her plants and attending church each Sunday.

Many people in this community know Michael and Lynette from Cricklewood. I know so many of us can identify with the loss of their home in the fire. Just imagine the loss of your business, thereby your income at the same time.

A friend recently turned 50, which gave several of us gals a good reason to get together and celebrate her, friendship and birthdays. There was a limo, and wine tasting, and picnicking and lots and lots and lots of talking and reminiscing and laughing … and it was wonderful.

While the Commander-in-Chief back in Washington, D.C. fantasizes about having his own military-themed parade later this year, here we’re too busy getting ready to launch our own year of parades. All of them honor our veterans with a lead-off color guard and salute but all our local seasonal and themed parades mostly honor our culture, traditions, our young people and our diversity. For the most part, they are more like peace parades than martial processions.

Editor’s Note: This month we welcome Gary Quackenbush to the Windsor Times. This is the first in a series of monthly columns, written by Gary, highlighting the many congregations to be found in Windsor’s faith-based community.

Tax-Aide Program – Thursdays, Feb. 8 through April 12; 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. This AARP program provides free tax return preparation and advice. Preparers are highly trained. Please bring last year’s return and all documentation for this year’s return. No appointment needed; first-come, first-served. There is frequently a line so coming early is recommended. All donations from this program benefit the Windsor Senior Center.

In January we lost one of our most celebrated agricultural leaders, Richard Kunde. Rich, and his beloved Saralee McClelland Kunde, both from multi-generational Sonoma County families, had the rich qualities of the place of which they were born.