Page 44 - Sonoma County Gazette April 2018

Fortunately the weather here has proven to be enough of a distraction that we have a good reason to get out and watch the varied clouds and listen to the seals yipping away. Even the whales have co-operated and reminded us of the bigger picture.
It has been a lovely month. The Cabaret was wonderful; the townspeople delight in the unexpected skills of the local merchants and o cials. We are all grateful for all the energy our neighbors put into this production.
45th annual Bodega Bay Fisherman’s Festival is sending you an
envelope with the ra e tickets for the Fish Fest. It is for a good cause. BUY
TICKETS, please! This event that has long been a backbone of the community,
will be held April 14 & 15 at Westside Park. The Festival honors and supports
local shermen and also raises funds for numerous local not-for-pro t
organizations. “This amazing event brings together the entire Bodega Bay
community,” stated Josh Perucchi, 2018 Chairperson. “Our volunteers put in
endless hours to create a fun festival for the public that in turn raises money for
numerous worthy local causes including supporting our men and women who
sh for a living.” This year, due to its extreme popularity by both participants
and festival-goers, the Wooden Boat Challenge has been expanded to Saturday M and Sunday. Blessing of the Fleet takes place on Sunday morning. The
shermen decorate their boats and take a ceremonial parade lap in the harbor before proceeding out to the bay for the actual blessing - which is performed by all the di erent local clergy. For more information visit www.bb shfest.org
id-winter brings elds of lush green grass. This poses the prefect landscape for lovely sheep and their fresh little ones to roam about. I’m lucky enough to live next-door to a lamb farm, so I get to hear all their unique cries to each other. It’s constant amusement. My
This week provided a delightful surprise. When I lived in Davis I was one of the leaders in Meals On Wheels. We did door to door surveys to nd out who was dependent upon the delivered food. Other than discovering what we already knew (that our area was one where the elders spoke mostly Spanish) we also discovered that the eagerly sought after daily meal often served not only the two elders in the house that quali ed (must be over 60 and “housebound—can’t get out to shop). We found that many grandparents put aside a major part of the delivered food so that their grand child would have something to eat when they came home from school. One meal often served three or four people.
curiosity peaked and I decided to talk to a local professional.
I visited the Bodega Pastures on Salmon Creek Road and talked with Hazel
Since I am a relative newby here, I don’t have the data to know whether or not that is an issue here. We tried a door to door contact through the Grange
in order to design programs, but found a great reluctance to talk to us (English speakers...most of us). There is a group which has formed a corporation, Waves of Compassion, and are buying vegetables from the Food Bank and delivering it out here to be distributed at the Grange. That is a wonderful group and we support it fully, but there are some seniors who will not (or can not) cook their food and distributing groceries doesn’t ll the need.
Because it was a wet 2017, there was extra feed mid-summer and the rams and sheep bred more. For this reason, there are oodles of twins this year. Some years, there are 50 lambs and mothers inside the barn. This year the winter weather is so mild, no lambs were needed to be kept inside.
For the ten years I have lived here I have tried to get Meals on Wheels going, but was always denied because of the distance to Bodega Bay. Just this week
I got a favorable hearing, and they are going to try to set up ways to bring the food to Bodega Bay. It goes to Petaluma, and to the military outpost, but always were told we just too far away. Any ideas as to how we can solve this distance problem (maybe some kind of Uber or something) will be welcome. Where there is a will, there is a way—as my grandma used to say.
Several people, such as Abby Killey, Cathi Bruton and Tess Pohlmann, feed and care for the lambs every year. They need to notice the lamb’s behavior, making sure they bond with the mother for nursing. Sometimes the lambs are rejected or can’t be fed by the mom. There are currently seven lambs being bottle fed (multiple times a day).
Easter comes on April 1 this year. This is a High Holy Day for most Christians, and even though the day has been subsumed by Easter Eggs and baked ham, it is important for those of us who follow Christianity to remember.
My grandma Andrea once raised one of these “bummer” lambs. She wrote
a chapter about Lambikin in her newest book, “Backstories from the West Edge.” The Pastures have the sheep mostly for environmental reasons such
as keeping the grass down and regenerative grazing, which refers to when
they move the herd around. The sheep regenerate the pasture – improving the pasture diversity and soil quality. For it to be economically viable, they make
an income from the sheep’s wool. Hazel takes wool from adult ewes mostly, dyes it colors and makes into yarn or other products, for which she does direct marketing. To preserve the ranch from overcrowding, some of the younger ones are sold as grass-fed lamb—which is highly prized.
A few years ago I was lucky enough to be in Greece. Now they know how to celebrate Easter. (of course they have spent 40 days eating no meat and observing Lent..so they are ready to celebrate.) They sing and walk down the streets, carrying the precious icon. Then they go delight in eating the lamb that has been brought from their village and has been roasting all afternoon.
The property is a 1,000 acre ranch, two thirds of which is forest. The dense trees give shelter to unwelcome predators. Coyotes can generally be kept out by electric fences, but mountain lions can easily jump the fences. Llamas guard the herd while grazing with the sheep. At night, they’re kept in small elds with guard dogs. Protecting the gentle sheep from predators takes more and more time from caretakers.
We will settle for ham and sweet potatoes, but we do relish the joy the children show as they search for the hidden Easter eggs. Families are always important; but especially on Easter and Christmas.
Throughout my day with Hazel, I learned a great deal about what it takes to be a decent shepherd. Barely able to keep up at times, I could tell how strong and resilient these people are. They are dedicated to caring for these otherwise helpless creatures. The animals rely on the humans. It’s an honorable way to live in the world.
Give your mom (or grandmother, if you are lucky enough to still have one) a big hug, and be happy.
As they say in Greece, Christos Anesti..(Christ is risen.) Your response, Alethi nos Anesti...He is risen indeed. (I have no idea how to write this.)
Enjoy your family and say a special prayer for PEACE.
44 - www.sonomacountygazette.com - 4/18
Flett, one of the main caretakers of the lambs and sheep. She’s been an active shepherd there since 1979. She took me on a gruelingly steep hike to see the adorable animals.
“I like them a lot!” says Hazel about the unique ock.
The lambs are born between Thanksgiving and January. They remain babies for six months. Their rst six weeks, they live on mother’s milk until their stomachs develop enough that they can digest fresh grass.