After the fires

Our community is still reeling from the October firestorms – a number of us are still displaced and seeking housing, some have lost wages and some business owners are struggling to recover economically. The fires have forever altered our lives and experiences. For those of... Continue

Breathing new life into membership-based nonprofits

Thirty two percent of Sonoma Valley residents being 60 plus years old, it’s no wonder that the median age of member-based nonprofits in the Valley is increasing. But our member-based nonprofits, including service organizations and giving circles, won’t be able to sustain themselves if they don’t... Continue

Pot Shopping

My sister recently visited from New York, and was excited to see what an outlet for recreational marijuana looked like. Finding ourselves in San Francisco, we decided to drop in at Harvest, a pot shop on Geary Street near 11th Avenue. To be honest, I've... Continue

The race for Sonoma County Sheriff

As a West Coast progressive and a child of the 1960s counter-culture, I have not had a lot of contact with police. I can’t recall ever having a preference for who serves as County Sheriff. The field of law enforcement always seemed like an unlikely... Continue

A love story 

While waiting by the register for my sundae at Sweet Scoops, a small boy comes up next to me where the napkins are. He’s not quite tall enough to reach and I quietly catch the container just as it nearly flips off the narrow shelf.... Continue

Pour me a river

A few years back, Gov. Brown signed a bill sponsored by Senator Lois Wolk allowing wine sales at Sonoma State University’s Green Center for the Performing Arts. For those not familiar with the Center, its website notes in part: “The crown jewel of the Green... Continue

Are you being too hard on yourself?

I'm struck by how many people feel badly about themselves: thinking they're failures for not "doing enough," faulting themselves for not having accomplished anything, walking around feeling guilty. Feeling self-critical is not necessarily unhealthy, but like any activity of mind, it can move into unhealthy... Continue

Things said and unsaid

Relationship challenges never end. Difficult conversations are a part of life most of us want to avoid. We know if we tell the truth we might get “foot in mouth disease,” and lose a loved one. But, if we stuff all our feelings, we get... Continue

The resistance persists at Women’s March 2018

The second Women’s March inaugurated what I expect to be a yearly event going forward, for the duration. A political organizer will tell you that getting a big turnout two years in a row is a sign that the fuse is lit in the electoral... Continue

Sin and prayer

My parents were like black and white, like oil and water, like sin and prayer. My father, not one to boil over, married a kettle of emotions. If he could’ve loosened his grip and if my mother hadn’t completely unraveled, perhaps my childhood would’ve been... Continue

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