Columns

Visiting Cleveland isn’t complete without checking the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame off the bucket list. If in Cleveland, it’s an easy checkmark. It’s Cleveland after all. Despite former claims to fame, Cleveland’s currency now is a museum commemorating rock music, the Rock Hall.

One day, when I lived in Poland in the early 90s, I was detained by a police officer who pulled me over in the Tatra Mountains for some minor traffic violation. In getting my driver’s license and registration, he decided I needed to be breath tested at the police station. Puzzled, I went along in the back of the police car, tested 0.00 alcohol content, and the entire staff at the station apologized profusely as we got to talking. 

The usual headlines announce: “Father shoots his children and then himself.” Or, “He is a lying lowlife and the worst person ever.” Or, “California fires are the new norm.” Or, “Lifting bans on drilling proposed for California coast.” (Thank you, Secretary of the Interior, Ryan Zinke). Or, “Build that wall and keep out the M-13s.”

Always the most repeated and appreciated blessing we hear at local Thanksgiving tables is how we live among so many generous and gratitude-filled people and communities, even as Sonoma County has not been without tragedy, unmet needs and disputes. We’ve endured historic wildfires, loss of life, rising homelessness and new uncertainties. Yet, we remain #SonomaStrong, hopeful, faithful and determined. Witness how many of us today are on the giving side of the Thanksgiving free food lines and community dinners. Let’s remember that “mixed blessings” are still blessings.

The following snippets of history are drawn from the pages of the Healdsburg Tribune, the Healdsburg Enterprise and the Sotoyome Scimitar, and are prepared by the volunteers at the Healdsburg Museum & Historical Society. Admission is always free at the museum, open Wednesday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.