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New teachers in Sonoma: Jennifer Panicacci of SVHS

Jennifer Panicacci is the newest teacher at Sonoma Valley High School's Independent Study program. Each day she meets with five or six students to lay out a week’s worth of self-paced instruction. Ryan lely/Sonoma Valley SunStaff Report Everyone who works in the education system knows... Continue

Writings from the Inside – SVHS

Time alarm clock went off: 6:04 a.m. Number of times pressed snooze: 6 Actual time out of bed: 6:17 a.m. Minutes getting to school: 10 Minutes spent stressing about being late to school: 10 Some people say high school was the best time of their... Continue

Jolly Green Goddess busted!

There I was, peacefully hand-watering and trying to salvage my tiny “crop” of chard, spinach and tomatoes on that famously hot southern side of our white house around 9 a.m. one day last week, when suddenly to my eyes and ears did appear the rumble... Continue

The Venus/Mars marriage myth (Part 1 of 2)

One of the most popular, and destructive, of the modern myths about relationships was captured by author John Gray. This latest repackaging of the old sexual stereotyping is known as “Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus." Sorry folks, I wish it were that... Continue

When a sanctuary becomes a trap

Shunning conventional wisdom, Councilman Ken Brown straddled the third rail of American politics recently. In view of both his constituency and the rest of us – the silent ones, those who hail from the unincorporated badlands and are denied a vote in council elections –... Continue

The Venus/Mars marriage myth (Part 2)

As I discussed last week, we each come from our own planet. However, at the core, beneath all our learned thoughts and behaviors, we are all the same species. There are many words for this experience at the heart of being human: self, soul, spirit,... Continue

“Tibetan Buddhist Path” class offered at Shambhala Center

The Sonoma Shambhala Center is offering a seven-week video class on the teachings of Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, entitled "The Tibetan Buddhist Path." Chogyam Trungpa, a renowned Tibetan meditation master who came to the U.S. in 1970, taught extensively on Buddhism and established the Shambhala meditation... Continue

A look back at the granddaddy of all Sonoma festivals

From funnel cakes to face paints to fast-paced wine races, this year's Vintage Festival will be held on September 29 through 30.When I joined the Valley of the Moon Vintage Festival board of directors a year ago, I had no idea of the event’s storied... Continue

Creating your ideal wine cellar

Have you ever tasted a wine that you liked, then brought it home, only to discover that, a month or two later, it didn’t taste anything like it did when you first tasted it? How did you store it? Part of the home winemaker experience... Continue