While walking along Sonoma Creek in Maxwell Farms Regional Park recently, Anna and Will Pier looked down and spotted two turtles sunning themselves on the big branch of a fallen tree extending into pooling water. Pleased to see again turtles they had spotted last year,... Continue
Columnist
Having moved two months ago from the home my wife and I lived in for nearly 30 years, I’ve been going through boxes, many of which were packed years ago and stored. Among them are boxes of material passed down to me by my father:... Continue
As this issue hits the streets, Sonoma and the entire nation is preparing to celebrate yet another bombs-bursting-in-air Fourth of July, replete with exuberant flag-waving, bands, parades, fireworks, speechifying and wine, until dawn’s early light. Given the political drama of current times, no one should... Continue
I believe that every child – no matter their background, income, disabilities, or immigration status – deserves access to a safe, supportive and equitable education. The preceding statement comes from someone with a high position and ability to make it happen – Dr. Amie R.... Continue
By David Bolling Among the compelling excuses espoused by American policy makers and warmongers for the extraordinary cost in lives, treasure and domestic tranquility invested in the Vietnam War, was the alarm frequently sounded by conservative politicians and from Christian pulpits that “losing” Vietnam would... Continue
Sonoma County, our beloved home, and the governing organizational structure within which our even more beloved Valley is encompassed, is an agricultural powerhouse. The climate, soils, topography, human and biological resources, access to water, and location with respect to large population centers of the Bay... Continue
Some things about death are final, most significantly that once gone a loved one will never be seen again. This departure can feel quite unreal, and I keep half expecting my late wife to pop in the front door and once again say “Hi Honey.... Continue
When my late wife and I moved across town, I cancelled our AT&T internet and DirectTV accounts. A month and a half later, a letter from AT&T arrived telling me we were entitled to a refund, and a debit card was included. The amount of... Continue
Why bother? They’re dead. Who cares about the past, and what difference does it make? But here’s the thing: sometimes we do something for its own sake, for the challenge, or just because. There was a five-year period from when I finished writing a memoir... Continue
Among the questions echoing in most of us these days is this one: “How can we be in this place of so much hatred?” I too, wonder, so, I lay in bed remembering my decade, and Joni Mitchell singing the beautiful, haunting, honeyed song “California,”... Continue