Editorial

One of the reasons so many people in Healdsburg say “we are so lucky to live here,” is the Healdsburg Museum. On par with the city’s beloved library, the Museum is a keeper of the community’s culture.

I was heading home from a Giants game t’other day (that’s how Shakespeare would write ‘the other day’), sitting on the back of the ferry boat (or the stern of the ship as Shakespeare the sailor would have written). It was a lovely day. The sun was shining, the mist was refreshing, the Giants against all odds had won and the beer had given me a pleasant life-is-good-and-I-love-all-human-beings vibe.

The future of farming will be on parade next week during the

What do Hollywood’s Charlie Sheen, Sebastopol’s leaf blowers and

The Living Room is moving to a new home base in 2015!  We’ve been taking care of homeless women and children for 21 years at space leased from Church of Incarnation, in downtown Santa Rosa.  Sadly, due to the increase of homeless women and children in our community, we’ve seriously outgrown our space and need a new home.  We are glad to announce we’ve purchased a property close by that fits our needs and will allow us to improve our program.  However, in order to make it home, it needs some fixing up and improvement, including a commercial kitchen.  Since we receive less than 15 percent of our funding from government sources, our existence depends on the generosity of others.  In the months ahead, while preparing to move, we are reaching out for support with monetary donations and in-kind assistance to make our new home ready. WILL YOU HELP?

It is time to come together and sit around the Thanksgiving table. Family members, from near and far, will be together again. We’ll eat turkey, mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce. There will be pies and a family blessing. The couch will be full after the meal and a football game will probably be on the TV, just the way the original Pilgrims celebrated the very first Thanksgiving in 1621.

For some members of the Healdsburg community who took pride in Healdsburg being a big school district, enrollment decline may seem unfavorable. However, the research over the last 30 years on school size has demonstrated over and over that less is more. HUSD’s current enrollment of 1,850 students is an advantage, not just because there is more money per student but also because of the more intimate, personalized learning environment it creates. Our students are not just a number, but individuals with strengths, talents and challenges.

As an engineer, I have worked on projects ranging from anti-counterfeiting machines for currency to designing office furniture to a giant floating swan named Sandy. One thing is common in all these projects — I have to work well with others in order to accomplish a goal. I have had the pleasure of working with many people with many different personalities, good and bad. I realize that I may not have the best ideas myself, but as long as I have built a relationship with someone who has a good idea, we can work together and get something done.  

In the Fall of 2002, I enrolled in a course titled "Greed and Corruption in Corporate America" through the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Sonoma State University. We had recently moved to Sonoma County after I retired from practicing Pediatric Dentistry for 40-plus years in the Bay Area. The Enron scandal had just unfolded, and I wanted to better understand how capitalism works in this country and broaden my horizons in general. The course and the OLLi program changed my life. I have not looked back.

I have logged over 70,000 miles in the last 30 years at sea. In this time, I have seen many dangerous situations as well as unnecessary accidents as well as deaths, that could have been prevented with a bit of common sense as well as preventative measures. By writing this article I hope it helps to give a helping hand to all that enters the water this year, by boat or simply just swimming in our waters.