Columns

Grass is greener than you think

The Trump administration’s recent decision to “review” the protected status of our local marine sanctuaries is a troubling and vicious attack on the Sonoma, Marin and Mendocino coast, which supports an incredible diversity of marine life, tourism, fishing and research.

In a penultimate battle over political might and cultural correctness, the soon-to-be former United States of America chose its first female president. She was the daughter of a reality TV star, himself a former president. She represented the Inner Party against another woman candidate of the Outer Party.

When I was growing up I remember often complaining to my parents that I was bored. They would always say, "Go outside, ride your bike, put your roller skates on." And I did just that; I would ride around my street or lace up my skates. It passed the time and helped ease my boredom. Those memories of my teen nostalgia got me thinking. The world seemed simpler then, less chaotic. What I wouldn't do to transport my teenagers back to the ‘80s so they could get a glimpse of life less complicated. So they could truly understand what my teen years looked like.  

Concern over timber plan

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Thanks from Kiwanis

Let’s face it — none of us are getting any younger these days. Then again, who wants to? Counting our ages and tracking our generational footprints has become baffling. Old truisms, social definitions, markers for achieving adulthood and official government census numbers all need updating. If 70 is the new 50, and 35 is the old 25, how are we supposed to know how to act?

Last week, Katey and Nicole Bacigalupi welcomed me to their Russian River Valley tasting room. I remembered the first time I met these twins, when at five years old they attended horse camp at Hoofbeat Park. Seeing these adorable girls all grown up with families of their own, and managing sales and marketing for their family business of wine offered a much-appreciated small town memory.

One way or another, the current arguments in Congress over our national health care policy will bring new costs, changed services and more uncertainty to our local families, work places and medical institutions. In Washington, D.C. it’s all about politics; here, in our Sonoma County homes, it’s all about coverage, cost and care.