Columns

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.

Do you like seeing trash and litter on our sidewalks, streets, yards and waterways? We didn’t think so. Not only do our open spaces look better when they are clean and tidy, it contributes to a healthier environment.

North County gardeners are in for a treat: top garden author and web publisher Steve Albert is the speaker at the free Jan. 16 meeting of the Windsor Garden Club.

In a few weeks all of us will mark a full year of living in this COVID-19 time of a pandemic, sheltering in place and worrying about what terrible things like more wildfires, a positive virus test or loss of a job might happen next. What has this year of disease, tension, uncertainty and new daily living patterns done to us? Are we all becoming Zoombies?

I feel sad, a deep down sadness. My good friend says there is a lot of that going around. My friend blames it on the current political situation. I tend to agree, but I’m not sure.

The status quo has got to go. It’s not healthy for the community, doesn’t adequately support our officers and costs the county money. John Mutz is running for Sonoma County Sheriff in order to cultivate a fundamental, long-term, cultural shift — based on community engagement and relationships — to keep our community safer, reduce costs and improve department morale.

Even though it feels and looks like it, it is incorrect to say our economy has been shut down. Cars are still going up and down Highway 101. All the grocery stores are busy. The list of essential services just got a little bigger...

“All good books are alike in that they are truer than if they had really happened and after you are finished reading one you will feel that all that happened to you and afterwards it all belongs to you: the good and the bad, the ecstasy, the remorse and sorrow, the people and the places and how the weather was. If you can get so that you can give that to people, then you are a writer.”