This year’s been a roller coaster ride. We were waiting nervously at the top of it, then whooshing down the wheel, gasping for breath, we landed. Sort of. Cancelled travel, pandemic panic, unpacking evacuation bags, wondering if the fire season is really over, or if... Continue
What's Up With That?
The year that lasted forever is finally coming to an end. We hope for better days soon. Election jitters, along with pandemic pandemonium, mutes our usual social festivities and song. Winter darkness descends with daylight savings, ominous winds swaying half the town’s timber and next,... Continue
What I hear from people constantly these days is, it’s just too much. We are worn around the edges. We are digging deep to stay resourceful in critical, trying times. When I despair, I remember seeing thousands of people converging and holding hands, back in... Continue
How to survive in scary times? After the last phase of suffocating smoke, intense self-care and safety was needed. The constant crucibles of our lives seem to continue nonstop. At least you can save money on your next trip to Burning Man – we’ve got... Continue
Lately, life is like a monopoly game. Go directly to jail, do not pass go, do not collect two hundred dollars. We’re either on lock down or looking for money. Searching for Park Place, stuck on Baltic. I gobble treats and carbs at midnight to quiet... Continue
Social solidarity hasn’t vanished in Sonoma during this butt-kicking pandemic. We share hardships and we care. All of us are challenged at this time with the entire globe off its axis. If I wash my hands one more time I’ll wonder if I’ve gone completely... Continue
Even in Sonoma, it’s a stretch getting through this worldwide pandemic. Death by Covid stares us in the face everywhere – at the grocery store, with every conversation, mask over the nose, eyeglasses fogging. It's getting old – and so am I. Next comes the... Continue
In spite of fire season, politics, pandemic, police, and panic, there are moments of serenity in Sonoma. We look like bank robbers – masked, with eyeballs and hair sticking out -- but the new silence is soothing. I’m calmed by birds singing sweetly and by... Continue
My question is this: why, oh why, do humans, century after century, continue their violence, slaughter, torture, neglect, cruelty, and prejudice? Black Lives Matter forces us to face racism rooted deeply in society with its brutality and hatred. And, we have discord and fighting in... Continue
This pandemic is preposterous, painful. It’s unnerving not knowing our future. Still, humans often make the greatest progress in the face of major obstacles and even despair. This is an ominous time, pushing us to review what's not working in our world. It’s a... Continue