Columns

This week we closed our local schools for a holiday, something we do just a few other times during each school year. On Labor Day we honor America’s workers and common man. Thanksgiving and Christmas are holidays for families to gather, give thanks and share spiritual messages.

What’s wrong with the rest of America these days? There are too many places and hometowns where angry mobs are marching in the streets and hate speech is spewing from their town squares. Why are so many of our fellow Americans at odds about their own history? They are tearing down old statues from their plazas and courthouse lawns, but not everyone understands why. We should teach them a lesson about how to make better use of their public squares. We really should.

"There’s a rhythm to it all: the harvest, the heat, the soft plunk of fruit into baskets and the bubbling whisper of molten strawberries on the stove, " writes columnist Liza Gershman. She goes on explain that the gift of the 'Farm + Market: Healdsburg' book she's working on is in the people she's meeting, the friends reconnected with, and the beauty of walking through gardens, farms, ranches..."

Who was that praying for all the rain? Are you done yet? Wait, maybe we should remind ourselves where we live and what our flood and drought history tells us.

100 years ago – January 16, 1919

Hello, Healdsburg! With just over two months under my belt as Healdsburg’s new city manager (and your newest neighbor), I’m happy to share that what I have learned about the community so far has been overwhelmingly positive and impressive. In the months to come, I plan to use this space to provide updates about the work of your city government. This month, however, it may be helpful to introduce myself and share some of my initial impressions of Healdsburg.

It’s the slowest and fastest of times here at the newspaper.

Are unused and expired medications filling up your medicine cabinet? Don’t flush them down the drain because they will end up in creeks and streams and are harmful to fish. Don’t throw them in the trash because they can leach into the ground when they end up in a landfill and can contaminate groundwater. Help protect your family and the environment by taking your unwanted medications to a participating take-back location.

Sitting at a table with wine, food, family and friends was where Kathleen Kelley Young was truly happy. I think of the last project into which she poured herself collaborating with her husband and daughter establishing their Cloverdale Kelley & Young Wine Garden Inn. Early on she described the endeavor as sustainably farmed, passionately prepared, gratefully shared. It is the ‘gratefully shared’ part I hold on to now, as I remember Kathleen who died early last week.

Guiding believers toward discipleship and a closer relationship with Jesus is the mission of the Journey Church of Windsor, located at 332 Windsor Road, one block from the train station. Pastor Shawn Marshall says for each of us, loving people is at the heart of this personal journey that can change the world and everyone around us.