Columns

Give sorrow words; the grief that does not speak knits up the o-er wrought heart and bids it break.”

Labor Day’s long weekend winds up summer. Vacations end. School starts. Days are progressively shorter. Autumn comes to mind and fall colors slowly show.  Labor Day honors the American worker. The U.S. was the first country to establish “labor day,” and the first parade took...

“Welcome signs” are scheduled to be erected, one at each approach to Healdsburg, within the next two weeks, according to releases from the Healdsburg Chamber of Commerce. Sponsors of the signs are the four Healdsburg service clubs: the Business and Professional Women’s Club, Kiwanis Club, 20-30 Club and the Rotary Club.

September marks several dedicated efforts throughout California that signify the importance of clean water and promote cleanups of local waterways. Pollution Prevention Week (starting on the third Monday of September), Creek Week (starting the fourth week of September), and California’s Coastal Cleanup Day all coincide in September to encourage public participation in keeping our water free of harmful pollutants, with a primary focus on removing trash from local waterways.

Last summer, I befriended a woman from Laos who worked on a Sonoma County marijuana plantation. Three other Laotians worked with her. All of them belonged to the Hmong, an ethnic group that has lived for thousands of years in the highlands of Southeast Asia.

It’s the holidays. I can feel the anticipation as Christmas break draws near, two glorious weeks off school for my teenagers. But I also feel the two stress balls festering as their workload doubles in the next few weeks as classes wrap up for the new year. So, what kind of holiday season will it be? “Bah-humbug or “let’s be merry and bright.”

About Fitch Mountain

Hey there, Healdsburg, how’ve you been? I miss you, and I miss being here on your op-ed page. I’m glad to stop in again, even for a week.