Columns

Lots going on this week and last. St. Patrick’s Day last Friday, the first day of spring Monday and more rain—yeah, there’s that. Mother Earth drinking it in, replenishing underground water tables.  Rain can be good for farmers; however it can also be ruinous. During...

When our forefathers drafted the California Constitution in 1849, they included a requirement that “One or more grand juries shall be drawn and summoned at least once a year in each county.” Today, California is the last state still to have a comprehensive standing...

100 years ago – March 22, 1923 Style Show Scores a Hit  The fashion show staged by Rosenberg & Bush in their big West Street store was well received by Healdsburgers and visiting out-of-town people Friday evening and Saturday. The house was packed during the periods...

Over the last month, Sonoma hasn’t experienced the sunshine that Californians are used to.   With day after day of rain, it was especially uplifting to look out the window to sun beams backlighting this orchid, turning petals translucent purples and leaves light and dark contrasts...

Spring greetings from the staff at the Healdsburg Regional Library.  We have been overjoyed to see the growing number of visitors to the library over the past year—our current numbers are inching closer to those we used to see pre-pandemic. As always, we’re here to...

Last week’s column mistakenly identified California Spanish moss as Spanish moss. Oops—apologies.  What commonly hangs from trees in Sonoma is lace lichen (Ramalina menziesii), officially designated the state lichen by Gov. Jerry Brown in 2016. Lace lichen, also called fishnet lichen, is mistaken for Spanish...

Epic conditions in Sonoma County this past week. Snow warnings for one to two feet possible at elevations above 1,500 feet. Healdsburg’s elevation is 100 feet, Cloverdale’s about 350 and Hopland’s 500.  Snow the prior week fell to about the 300 foot elevation, and four...

After a rain, outdoor settings smell fresher, better. The word for that smell is “petrichor.” Scents are more easily detected on cool, moist days because water molecules capture scents and “hold” them for all to smell.  Morning dew aggregates scent molecules. That’s one reason why tracking...

Dear Editor: Since you kindly published my letter and that big, sexy photograph of my three-legged, bad self, a number of Healdsburgians have recognized me around town—an athletic woman on the Fitch Mountain trail, a handsome gent in Safeway check-out line, a homeless guy in...

The sculpture to the left is by Robert Graham. This statue, like others by Graham, is titled Untitled Torso. He did hundreds of untitled torsos. It’s a signature shape, establishing his reputation for sculpting large female and male figures.  This torso is made of solid...