Columns

At this point, when so many of us so fervently disagree on so many issues, we do seem to agree that we are unable to talk with each other about the vital issues we face as a country and that we very much need to find ways to do so. Sadly, too many attempts end badly and further discourage us from the very conversations that we need to have as we lunge toward another election cycle.

Look What You Made Me Do 

The other day, I took my teenage daughter shopping for some new school items. We ended up at one of those large, overwhelming, colorful makeup stores. I gave her a budget and told her I would meet her in the front of the store in half an hour. I happened to see her talking with one of the sales associates. She was animated and happy; in her element if you will. I could honestly see her becoming a makeup artist for movies, plays and weddings.

The Windsor Garden Club is trying to solve The Great Tomato Debate: what's the best backyard tomato to grow in this town? And what's the worst?

So, is the world now coming to an end or not? Hurricanes are devastating Florida, Houston and a swath of Caribbean islands. A severe earthquake just struck Mexico and the western part of North America from Los Angeles to Canada is on fire. Here, in Sonoma County we just suffered a series of days where the official temperature set all-time historic records above 115 degrees.

Pot predictions: back to the future

Ultimately, there is no real good that comes with the historic devastation and destruction of property and loss of lives that Hurricane Harvey visited upon Houston and the nearby Gulf Coast. Twenty trillion gallons of rain fell on the area, 60 lives have been lost, 185,000 homes destroyed, almost 500,000 people displaced and an estimated total of $180 billion in damages to be expected.

Returning home from the recent Russian Riverkeeper fundraiser, for the umpteenth time I wondered what exactly makes for a successful event. There was so much I appreciated about the Ripp’n River Bash. Let’s begin with the invitation — blue, white and black, the creative artwork screamed “river,” with a mission clearly stated front and center:

Q) My printer was very old and needed to be replaced, so I went to Best Buy and bought an all-in-one printer. The young man demonstrated it in the store and I liked the quality of the text and the photos that he printed. I brought it home and a neighbor helped me set it up. But it doesn’t work at all. What did we do wrong?

This Labor Day is unlike any other we can remember in our lifetime. There is more labor to be done than there are willing workers. It seems there is a “help wanted” sign hanging on almost every other door or store window we pass. The biggest concern for local grape growers as the 2017 harvest begins is finding enough workers to pick their crops. With the official unemployment rate at 3.9 percent, this Labor Day in Sonoma County will be marked in stark contrast to recent Labor Days that were marred by a recession when the local unemployment rate hit a high of just over 11 percent.