Columns

Welcome 2021 — a new year that comes with new resolutions and reflections on the past year. For many, the past year dramatically changed how we live our lives and where we live it. Those lucky enough to have a garden, lawn or greenspace have found a place for gatherings, play and relaxation. However, a lawn can have unintended environmental consequences, especially in California’s semi-arid climate where it needs frequent watering and provides little biodiversity for native species to thrive.

Near as I can figure, Arline and I arrived in Scranton, Pennsylvania, about seven years after Joe Biden, at age 10, moved to Delaware with his family. We had been married in Pasadena, California, exactly one week before, and had driven from the wedding reception to Scranton in six days. Happy honeymoon, dear.

The following snippets of history are drawn from the pages of the Healdsburg Tribune, the Healdsburg Enterprise and the Sotoyome Scimitar, and are prepared by the volunteers at the Healdsburg Museum & Historical Society. Admission is always free at the museum, open Wednesday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

This Week in H’burg is a weekly column featuring photos and fun facts from local photographer Pierre Ratté. Each week we’ll feature a new photo from Ratté along with a fact about the subject matter of the photo.

The staff at the library have been glad to see many of you taking advantage of our increased hours since November, even with the series of holidays interrupting the flow of traffic. Our statistics have increased since announcing our new curbside hours, even during the hours we were already open. So far, the evening hours have been sparsely attended, but we expect as the days become longer and warmer, we will see more visitors at that time as well. If you're not sure about our new hours, consult our website at sonomalibrary.org or give us a call for the full information.

This news organization and community journalism institution focuses on local news, leaving national and world events to larger news sources. But there are times when our close-to-home happenings are overtaken by historical occurrences. Certainly, the violent attack on Jan. 6, 2021 of our U.S. Capitol and Congress was such a date.

Sitting at a table with wine, food, family and friends was where Kathleen Kelley Young was truly happy. I think of the last project into which she poured herself collaborating with her husband and daughter establishing their Cloverdale Kelley & Young Wine Garden Inn. Early on she described the endeavor as sustainably farmed, passionately prepared, gratefully shared. It is the ‘gratefully shared’ part I hold on to now, as I remember Kathleen who died early last week.

The following snippets of history are drawn from the pages of the Healdsburg Tribune, the Healdsburg Enterprise and the Sotoyome Scimitar, and are prepared by the volunteers at the Healdsburg Museum & Historical Society. Admission is always free at the museum, open Wednesday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

This Week in H’burg is a weekly column featuring photos and fun facts from local photographer Pierre Ratté. Each week we’ll feature a new photo from Ratté along with a fact about the subject matter of the photo.

Are you confused, angry and sad about the mess at the U.S. Capitol last week? Me too.