Editorial

T’was the night before Christmas and all things were a Twitter. Yes, the mice, all the other creatures and the rest of the house was abuzz and full of clattering. The stockings were not hung by the chimney with care; they were overstuffed with “stuff.” When was it that getting through Christmas Eve started feeling like making it to the finish line of a race?

Naked, ceramic woman a casualty of the storm

Did I read it someplace, or did I just dream it? At this stage of life it’s sometimes hard to tell the difference, but somehow I got the impression that older people are now forming virtual retirement villages. These villages exist on the Internet by means of social media, I believe.

Teaming with fish

Last week’s rains lived up to their advanced billing. All parts of Sonoma County got a real soaking from a bona fide Pacific storm, the kind of blowing and hard downpours that have always marked our northern California winters. The average annual rainfall over...

Returning to Church Series

Along with the dedication of a new park atop of Fitch Mountain, a community treasure has quietly slipped into the past. On a sunny Sunday in September, Fitch mountaineers gathered for a potluck at Del Rio Beach to share memories of a lake that is no more. Al Pucci, director of the Del Rio Woods Recreation and Park District, Fitch Mountain Association trustee, addressed the group and thanked everyone for their involvement and support. About 30 people came to pay their respects and share stories of their time spent on the Del Rio Woods summer lake.

The holiday season is here with the accompanying shopping, decorating, gift giving, entertaining and feasting. As we celebrate, we also tend to generate lots of waste. Did you know that an extra million tons of waste is generated nationwide each week between Thanksgiving and New Year’s? Here are a few ideas and suggestions on how to have a wonderful, gift giving holiday season and still be earth friendly.

Dog-friendly diners

Before my head and my heart could accept that the end of a decade might be a good transition time, my body made a point of telling me that the chapter as Farmers’ Market Manager was coming to an end. In June, my back refused to be comfortable in my ‘69 Ford Market Truck, and I had a big epiphany after Epiphanio Juarez offered to purchase the truck. When I handed him the keys a few weeks later, I realized it was not that difficult to let go. And so began a summer and fall of small letting gos, until finally, after the market on Oct. 12, my back just stopped working. Fortunately, the market was beginning to wind down, and we had two well-trained assistants, Carl Hubbell and Teo Tomerlin, to work at the market. Thank you Greta Mesics, David and Sally Hubbell, Leslie Kelley Byrnes, Steve and Cheryl Caletti, and Zack Schwa for your help. And thank you to Ann Carranza for cheerfully managing the Pumpkin Fest and the Arts and Crafts Fair.