Why write? It’s complicated. I never had any intention of becoming a writer, to externalize my life and expose it on paper. But as life would have it, I had a meltdown as the result of a course I was taking, and out of that... Continue
Columnist
A proposal is rumored to be circulating in the Valley (well, at least around my desk) which, if adopted, could have profound implications for school districts & students nationwide. It goes something like this: To graduate from high school, all students must be able to... Continue
I want to submit my first column since Val Robichaud’s death saying that he is in my heart every time I push the send button. He was a dedicated and witty magician - committed to the circulation of words and ideas in this newspaper and... Continue
There are as many ways of dying as there are of living. Often, they are the same. My father Norman, for example, was an anxious man. He wanted to be in control always. We’d go out to eat dinner as a family and he’d make... Continue
In 1943, my father exchanged his iceman’s uniform for a suit and tie. Union Ice Company was having financial difficulties, and Dad had enough sense to get out of the cold. Offered a management position with Sprouse Reitz, he had the option of running a... Continue
Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) is a fuel gas which contains a flammable mixture of hydrocarbon gases, specifically propane, propylene, butylene, isobutane, and n-butane. LPG is used in heating appliances, cooking equipment, and vehicles. 2 years ago over 100 railroad tanker cars filled with LPG were... Continue
Life’s diversity numbers in the many millions, and yet no two living things are exactly alike; all are heterogeneous. This is as true of oak trees and squirrels as it is of people, but the heterogeneous minds of people, particularly, generate many differing opinions. Among... Continue
Grumblings were recently overheard in a local bar-not-to-be-named, to the effect that if voters return Mr. Trump to the presidency, the sovereign state of California should -- MUST! -- Secede From The Union. Readers will find it hard to believe but the grumbling went something... Continue
The world is tumultuous by nature, a whirligig of happenings only a tiny portion of which any of us knows about, not including the bubbling froth of thoughts and feelings in individual hearts and minds. With its endless storms and earthshaking, as if the vicissitudes... Continue
It is with a heavy heart that I write in remembrance of Val Robichaud, Editor and Publisher of the Sonoma Valley Sun, who passed away on February 16th. Val began as a reporter for the Sun in 2009 before taking over and, in addition to... Continue