Mixed blessings
Always the most repeated and appreciated blessing we hear at local Thanksgiving tables is how we live among so many generous and gratitude-filled people and communities, even as Sonoma County has not been without tragedy, unmet needs and disputes. We’ve endured historic wildfires, loss of life, rising homelessness and new uncertainties. Yet, we remain #SonomaStrong, hopeful, faithful and determined. Witness how many of us today are on the giving side of the Thanksgiving free food lines and community dinners. Let’s remember that “mixed blessings” are still blessings.
Off the Top of My Head: Customer service used to mean a ‘customer’ got ‘service’
Having lived a few years sometimes seems to confuse my thinking. I get confused between what I grew up with and what I live with today — for example, customer service. When I was young, customer service meant someone would be trying to help me, the “customer,” with some “service.” Often, businesses were rated on their customer service.
Snapshot: When lumber was king
Sonoma County has one of three steam-powered sawmills in California that still work. About 60 volunteers meet each month to ensure it remains operational, fixing this or that, greasing gears and tightening belts so that when it fires up a few weekends a year it runs like it did in the old days.
Arts & Entertainment
Return to the Russian River
When Jake Messing stood in front of the mural he had just completed for Russian Riverkeeper on the north side of the nonprofit’s headquarters at 139 Healdsburg Ave., he had finished more than another mural. He had made a return to the source from the sea himself, like the salmon he portrayed.
