Columns

How many out there in the political wonk world would like to form a third party?

Looking for a lost pet or a new four-legged friend? See the list of incoming strays and the slideshow of cats and dogs available for adoption from the Sonoma Humane Society, Healdsburg Center.

For the most part, voters of Sonoma County have given strong endorsements to their local state senators Mike McGuire and Bill Dodd and assembly members Jim Wood and Marc Levine. These men just cast big votes to support affordable housing, parks and water projects, climate and environmental protection and for a sanctuary state declaration to limit federal raids on innocent undocumented residents.

“The Last Lion, Winston Spencer Churchill: Visions of Glory, 1847-1932,” by William Manchester. 973 pages, illustrated. Volume I of his detailed biography gives us the years of his early education, the pathos of his neglect by both parents (his American mother an adventuress and courtesan of the Prince of Wales and future King of England, but influential in promoting her son into an ambitious career), and his time as head of the British navy – and as general busybody in preparing all the armed forces for the onslaught of the Great War in Europe. The vast scope of his life includes an informative picture of the social conditions of his time and creates a large canvas of the world in war and peace, leading us to: “The Last Lion, Winston Spencer Churchill: Defender of the Realm, 1940-1965,” wherein this leading figure is considered to have saved civilization from the madness of the Teutonic hordes which had again overrun Europe in their quest for lebensraum and Aryan purity. His own search for help as England  underwent a blitzkrieg of rocket bombs brought him into constant meetings with Franklin Roosevelt and later Josef Stalin before the final end to the hostilities. In all, the books bring us into contact with a wide cast of world characters equal to any you might find in all the annals of war and peace. Just read it.

For every dollar the Sonoma County Library spends on library services, Sonoma County residents receive $3.82 in benefits, according to an independent economic-impact study...

I started my Monday morning by picking squash, cucumbers, some tomatoes, a handful of strawberries and what my Oklahoma family calls “a mess of okra.” Okra is a favorite at our house. My Oklahoma grandmother, Momo as she preferred, served it breaded and fried with nearly every meal as long as okra season lasted.

I’ve been remiss in writing the market column, and I apologize.

Hopper services to continue Thursdays through Sundays

A bill recently drafted by State Senator Mike McGuire but not yet law has mustered only modest interest locally. That’s because there are currently 11 other marijuana bills before the California State legislature, some aimed at protecting cannabis patients and consumers.