Things we lost and found in the fires

By Supervisor Susan Gorin -- It is not often that life hands you huge dichotomies in the same day, same night, same week, but for many of us the past several weeks have been a master course in contrast between destruction and beauty. Every moment since... Continue

Garbage in, garbage out

To stave off the impending collapse of planetary ecosystems under the twin onslaughts of global warming and human overpopulation that are rapidly eradicating all forms of life, I wanted to make sure I was properly recycling. So I dug out my copy of the four-page... Continue

On ants and massacres

Speculation and conspiracy theories naturally flow from horrific massacres such as occurred in Las Vegas: Steve Paddock was trying to sell guns, was killed to make it look like a suicide; he was a hit man with a specific target among his victims, all others... Continue

Mixed feelings

It’s still difficult to write a column now, after these horrendous wildfires. Moving into the rainy season and holidays, my eyes are bulging out of my head. We enter winter with mixed emotions. I’m sure most of us share more vulnerability while others are grateful.... Continue

Wisdom of the ancestors

During the particularly tense night of October 11, I received a phone call from one of my Oaxacan friends. She was watching news reports of the Northern California fires and wanted to know if I was all right. After we had discussed the number and... Continue

Kim Heddy, 1946 – 2012

Kim joined our office as an agent in 1994. As it turned out we had a lot in common: we both loved real estate and dark chocolate. In 2002 she became a partner in my practice: she took over showing property to my clients, which... Continue

Getting a grip on suffering

Are we doomed to suffer? There seems to be widespread belief that suffering is the nature of human experience; (a) we are all born sinners afflicted with original sin; (b) we are bound within the circle of Samsara where our attachments breed suffering; (c) we... Continue

Learning our words & sums

If a humble taxpayer can pretend to fathom the situation in the Sonoma Valley Unified School District, it appears School Trustees (the Bosses) hired a part-time interim superintendent (the Employee) to tell them what to do. This became necessary after the popular former superintendent apparently... Continue

Are wildfires a taxable event?

My heart and prayers go out to those who suffered a loss during the California wildfires. The widespread destruction of life and property saddens us all. On the positive side, the community came together and with the help of our first responders and because the... Continue

Volunteers make us Sonoma Strong

By B.J. Bischoff It's been a somber and stressful two weeks here in Sonoma Valley. Everyone I know knows someone who has lost everything in the wildfires that started October 8 and blazed for over a week. The Nuns Fire (and Partrick Fire, which merged... Continue

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