Page 36 - Sonoma County Gazette Janaury 2019

As we approach the New Year, I am praying that we all get to experience an abundant, “normal” year—preferably one without fire or smoke from fires, near or distant. Right now I am grateful for the rain which has come on relatively slowly, letting the earth and our Great Tree here at Isis Oasis Sanctuary take a nice, long drink without fear of anything flooding.
“Kindness In Giving Creates Love.”-Lao Tzu
The glorious season of thankfulness, gift giving, and gift receiving may have just passed; but in our city, as everywhere, its spirit doesn’t have to be limited to just one month each year. Nor does keeping that spirit alive all year long require ribbons and wrapping paper, as the photos below demonstrate. Three delightful examples of the 75,000 “Little Free Libraries” (LFLs) springing
We are in the quieter time of year, but that doesn’t mean everything is completely asleep. Our brightest springtime greens actually show up now, in winter. While most of the flowers are still asleep, the grasses are growing and covering the hillsides and providing a sharp contrast to the vines, some of which are only now surrendering their bright red and brown leaves. Though I don’t like driving in it, I love the sounds of the rain on the road.
up in 88 countries around the world, they are book exchanges created and managed by volunteers. Like all LFLs, they invite everyone who passes by to take a book and/or share a book with the common goals of inspiring the love of reading, building community, and sparking creativity.
It’s also the season of mist and fog. One evening, coming home along Highway 101 under the full so-called Super Moon , the entirety of Alexander Valley was filled with a low-lying fog. It looked like an ocean, rising right up to the illuminated River Rock Casino which resembled a big cruise ship on top of this perfectly smooth sea of fog.
Cloverdale’s LFLs Are Among 80 in Sonoma County:
I don’t mean to Harp on this subject but ...
From left to right, these inviting, self- constructed and decorated LFLs are placed in front of their homes or right inside their business by: Renee
Conlon of 14 So. East St.; Plank Coffee, with our Kiwanis Club, at 227 No. Cloverdale Blvd;
Our annual Holiday Harp Concert was well attended and as usual, a
delight to all who were present. It feels like we are well “tuned-up” for the coming year. But while passing out flyers about the upcoming concert, I had an interesting experience.
I approached a mother and her three daughters coming out of a major local discount retailer to the south of us and gave them a flyer, asking them to please consider coming to our harp concert the next evening. The youngest, a girl of about thirteen, asked, with honest curiosity, “What’s a harp?”
Coe and Ian
I was visibly startled by the question, and her older sister chimed in “It’s kind of like a violin, right?” For the next couple of minutes, I attempted to describe a harp, drawing it in the air with my hands and trying to convey a sense of what it sounds like.
Brad and Janet Horrell at 323 Pepperwood. NOTE: Due to space limitations, photos do not show full structures and contents.
Of all the comments I expected to hear... “No, I don’t want your silly flyer!” or “Don’t bother me, I’m busy shopping for Christmas!”, this was not what I expected
In 2009, the first LFL was built and placed in his front yard by the late Tod Bol to honor his school-teacher and avid reader mother. In fact, it was stocked with her books. Within a year and a half, there were 2508 LFLs—2 more free libraries than those built by Carnegie! (Visit littlefreelibraries.org for the full history plus “How To” guides.)
I know that arts and music education funding is always the first to go, and has been diminishing to microscopic levels for years, but nothing has ever brought home to me what that can really mean. These were bright, fashionably-dressed teenagers headed to a nice car accompanied by a parent—in short, by many standards, they were among the lucky ones. But somehow, they had apparently never been introduced to this common instrument which is shared by cultures worldwide and is among the most ancient of instruments.
Consider These Year-Round Gifts...Sometimes Lasting Many
Years
We are already reaffirming our
commitment here to bringing more cultural
events to Isis Oasis, but this simple encounter makes me feel that we all
may have a real duty to increase our efforts to make sure that the younger generations get to experience more of music and the arts while they are young.
Then there are the Gifts of a Good Deed and a Heartfelt
Around Thanksgiving, travelers Madeline and Linda wrote just such a letter to our city after they had parked their trailer to have lunch in Furber Plaza, just off the first Cloverdale entrance, and upon return at 1 p.m. “found people around it” who told them their “three little dogs” had gotten free and “were running around the parking lot!”
27th Annual Winter Wineland
A number of Geyserville-area wineries will be participating in this year’s Winter Wineland to be held January 19-20th. Trentadue, Trione, Locals, Virginia Dare, Zialena, and Pedroncelli are just some of the local venues participating in this fun annual event. Advance tickets are required. You can buy tickets and get information at the Wine Roads site at wineroad.com. For maximum enjoyment, consider staying overnight in Geyserville for the event— members of the Geyserville Lodging Association will be happy to help with that—swing by the website for a wide variety of options.
36 - www.sonomacountygazette.com - 1/19
Two had been “captured” by these kind, giving, hospitable strangers; but
9 year-old, “afraid of strangers” Mona was still missing. The hunt for her continued through the evening and next day with a host of Cloverdalians stepping up to search, print Mona’s picture to distribute, and help in many ways. Sure enough, a call came in from someone who spotted Mona and soon all was well!
Let’s take a moment to thank Marta Cruz and Jason Turner (newly installed, first-time city council members), Gus Wolter (re-elected to a 4th term; 2019 Vice-Mayor), Melanie Bagby (2019 Mayor) and Mary Ann Brigham (first elected in 1998.)
In the coming years, each will give Cloverdale’s government, residents, businesses, community organizations, and projects a very special gift by taking on a demanding, energy and time-consuming, sometimes painfully public job that is, essentially, a volunteer one. To do as it as it should be done typically requires the full support of their families and friends as well as their employers, business partners, and/or customers. Definitely no ribbons or wrapping paper here...but, then, the gifts of themselves and their love of Cloverdale should need nothing more.
“Thank You!”
Madeline’s and Linda’s beautiful letter concludes: “Equal to the gift of finding Mona was the gift of the loving community we found in Cloverdale... is this what the heart of America is!?!?!?”