Columns

I’m fairly confident in my ability to say that the newsroom here at Sonoma West Publishers is primarily made up of introverts — we love our jobs, we love our communities and as long as we’re not forced to be the life of the party, we’re good to go. Contradicting our collective social trepidation, however, is one of the staples of community journalism: interviewing.

We are anxious for our next generation to get here and take over what’s left of this world. Some of us older folks are trying to reverse our global climate emergency and we are trying to get our elected leaders and giant corporations to pay attention to us. But we are mostly failing. As members of this older, tiring generation, we pray that the youngest among us may take our places in time to make real differences.

I love genealogy and family stories. There’s something amazing to me about how traits and characteristics get carried down, generation after generation, and in ties we have to the past. I look like my mother, think like my father and am built like my paternal grandmother.

On Monday, Sept. 23, from 6:30 to 8 p.m., Supervisor James Gore will hold a town hall at the Windsor Grange #410, sponsored by the Windsor Chamber of Commerce and the Windsor Democratic Club. Supervisor Gore will speak on several topics of major interest to Windsor and 4th District residents, including Sonoma County roads and wineries and wine events. Known for his passion and interesting stories about the issues he has dealt with in Sonoma County, Supervisor Gore will explain the problems that we all face and solutions that we must all involve ourselves in.

Recently, I was asked, “What is the value of your library card?”

Latino music playing in the vineyards as the sun rises, men shouting to be heard over roaring engines as their hands move with the precision of a surgeon with scalpel cutting one cluster then quickly another. Trucks barreling along narrow country roads delivering grapes prior to the heat of day. The entire county smelling of grape aromas — earthy, fruity, sweet and floral smells permeate the air. 

What has the city achieved lately in providing more affordable housing and reducing homelessness in our community?

The crowds that have been playing all summer along our Russian River are now dwindling which makes room for this weekend’s crowd of river workers and volunteers who will be bagging beach garbage, hauling flood debris and checking on the condition of our primary waterway and watershed.

On the Saturday of Labor Day weekend, we traveled the busy highways to the spacious New Song Church in Windsor for the Memorial Service for Don and Jean Klein.

September 14 the Zucchini Festival takes place at the Healdsburg Farmers’ Market: zucchini decorating competitions, giant zucchini contests and zucchini car races. It is such a blast to be a part of and/or to watch. Every year Patrick would engineer his car using TinkerToys, making sure the axle of the vehicle went through the body of the zucchini.  It was a thrill to watch the car careen down that track, with the announcer calling it, making it to the finish line most of the time.  I cherish the video I took of a winning run.