Columns

Hot air. Sonoma summer. So much going on, including Sonoma County’s Hot Air Balloon Classic. Early morning reveille and revelry at the County Fairgrounds with gates opening at 4am. Although it was dark, once the hot air balloons “stood up,” propane flames and glowing balloons became a sound-and-light spectacle...

As the New Year approaches, many of us are thinking about turning over new leaves with a list of resolutions. Some of you may have ambitious goals like training for a marathon, or quitting a habit or taking a trip to a foreign country.

When he was still the managing editor for this newspaper, Ray Holley, had a hand lettered sign on a piece of cardboard like you’d see in the hands of a homeless person on a street corner. His sign read: “Will write for food.” He meant it is a visual joke but he also intended to impart a message that local journalists need to get paid. Holley has moved on and, like two other of his predecessor managing editors, is now working in the public sector and getting paid with taxpayer funds.

Windsor Creek has been having a ton of exciting events and we have many more to look forward to. In November, we had our annual food drive and donated over 400 cans of food to the Windsor Food Alliance.

Last week’s column mistakenly identified California Spanish moss as Spanish moss. Oops—apologies.  What commonly hangs from trees in Sonoma is lace lichen (Ramalina menziesii), officially designated the state lichen by Gov. Jerry Brown in 2016. Lace lichen, also called fishnet lichen, is mistaken for Spanish...

Writing a letter to the editor is a great way to get your voice heard in your community. So email us at laura@sonomawest.com. Include your first and last name, what town you're from, and a phone number so we can contact you if need be.