Page 37 - Sonoma County Gazette 11-17

Awoken by the strong smell of smoke we originally thought a wild re was burning far up in the hills. From my home it was di cult to see the east side of Rohnert Park and the brown rolling hills that slope down into us.
“Those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.”
Checking my phone there were 15 missed calls and a number of text messages. As dawn began to break over the mountains we realized what was truly happening.
George Bernard Shaw
The destruction was absolutely heartbreaking.
A poet said, “I feel survivor’s guilt.”
Could it be true for me? More than that, nothing I have planned or had written for the Gazette seemed appropriate, due to the catastrophic res, which at one point displaced over a hundred thousand in Sonoma County. I feel ashamed. Ashamed I had so little to o er. That week of the Tubbs and Nunn res, Monday, as news reached us of the restorm that blasted through northern Santa Rosa, I was gripped by a migraine. In fact, I su ered two migraines that week. The following week a family member came down with a lung infection. Living with COPD puts him at risk of environmental pollution, thank goodness for excellent pulmonology care, he feels stronger each day.
Hoping to expedite additional retrucks and re ghters, we staid o the 101 Hwy. On Tuesday, we felt happy to nd our Fourth Street, Santa Rosa o ce still standing. Luckily, the electricity, etc. worked, allowing the treatment of psychotherapy clients. That afternoon, we piled in the van, driving to the Double Tree Inn to join the Red Cross Volunteer training. At least a hundred- people stood in line, and no information provided. After asking hotel sta , we heard that only sixty people at a time would be trained.
In Rohnert Park the re advanced towards us driven by strong winds ying o the mountains. Homes on the north side were evacuated in an abundance of caution.
Our public safety o cers along with Rancho Adobe Fire and Petaluma Fire battled the blazes eventually aided by the slowing of the strong winds. Two of our o cers lost their homes while trying to protect our residents. How do you adequately thank someone whose families and homes were in grave danger while they ghts to save others? Can it ever be enough?
The week of the Napa and Sonoma res, we kept close to home.
With immense sadness, I ache, as do we all, for what so many have lost.
The PG&E base camp set up in Rohnert Park across from the casino with over 3,000 employees staged and ready to handle placement of new power poles, restringing of downed power lines and compromised gas lines.
The American Red Cross volunteers were housed in our Burton Rec Center. Visiting them I learned some of them had just returned from volunteering in Houston dealing with the a ects of Hurricane Harvey. They came from South Carolina, Kentucky, Connecticut and Rhode Island.
We bought nonperishable snacks as a donation, and drove to the Volunteer Center of Sonoma County. Cami Kahl, Executive Director, happened to be sitting at the front desk, where I once worked. She welcomed the snacks for their 211 clients. Being there reminded me of the fastest way to volunteer in Sonoma County, email or call the VCSC. Want to match your skills or available time? Call 707- 573-3399 or email info@volunteernow.org
Curiously, I asked how come they volunteer so far from their own homes. “So that when we need help in our towns, someone will show up for us”.
The Rohnert Park Animal Shelter took in over 100 evacuated animals to provide safe and temporary housing for pets.
Sally Tomatoes opened up as a temporary evacuation center as did a few of our churches.
We feel grateful to the re ghters who protected Cotati and so much of our county. Also we give thanks to peoples’ generous outpouring of kindness all over Sonoma County. Our friend, Jean Wong, who was evacuated from Kenwood received shelter, clothing, and meals in Petaluma. Other friends escaped the re in Bennett Valley with only two minutes warning. On Friday, both families had neighbors tell them that their homes had escaped burning!
So many of our friends and co-workers have been gravely a ected by these raging infernos. We see the look on peoples faces at hotels, restuarants and in stores. We ache for the pure beauty of our county and the terror that folks have had to endure.
But through it all there has been strong message that has stood out.
From rst responders to volunteers to donations and simple acts of kindness we will persevere. We are a uniquely strong, giving community and we know this will take much time to for people to heal and get back to a semblance of a normal life.
Fire Science and Poetry at the Reading Room
Writer/ lmmaker/biologist, Maya Khosla quoted from the Encyclopedia of Natural Medicine on how to detoxify our bodies from inhaled smoke. “Turmeric helps purify the liver, which lters all toxins from our organs. Add a pinch of pepper to activate turmeric’s medicinal activity for the liver.” Khosla studied seventy- ve bird species, twenty-four were recently rejected from the protected list by USA administration. Observations show the black-backed woodpecker ies toward wild res. Large numbers of other birds follow these as they
head into the smoke. The woodpeckers go in after a re to eat wood boring beetles in re damaged trees. Khosla read two of her poems, informed by her love of birds and wildlands, one about the forest birds of the American West. Her recent projects focus on the resurrection of forests after res; bird life in post-burn ecosystems and the crucial importance of wild res in the Sierra Nevada. Khosla showed clips from her recent documentaries Searching for Gold Spot and Northern Goshawks and Fire.
at Sonoma State University, writes poetry and articles on art and ecology.
After introducing the Sitting Room audience to the power and purpose of Native American chants, Herron intoned. “Little doe, little deer, come back
to your bones and bless them.” Her version of a chant to animals transported me to a deep state of meditation, I visualized the deer and our oak savannah. Conveying the need of science to be informed by art, she gave us foresight into how the natural world, science, and art can work together in peace. Find her poetry – Desire Being Full of Distances, Language for the Wild, The Stones the Dark Earth, Report (a chapbook), Dark Season.
Deborah Taylor-French is an information omnivore, feeding on fiction, business news, and poetry. She is a community columnist, read her Cotati Heart & Soul, in the Sonoma County Gazette. Deborah blogs at Dog Leader Mysteries (.com). She has also been published in the North Bay Business Journal, Deborah has written promotional pieces for S.C. Regional Parks, funding arts in education and multicultural programs.
11/17 - www.sonomacountygazette.com - 37
All of us in Sonoma County are here to provide help and services to
those desperately in need. We are thankful for everyone determined to provide help and healing.
We are thankful to live in such an amazing community.
PENNGROVE cont’d from page 36
Historic USO Dance Party By Nov. 10 we’ll be ready to gather in community for a USO dance party at Petaluma Woman’s Club. It’s a fun bene t for the beloved clubhouse’s Restoration Fund, and it happens the night before Petaluma’s Veterans’ Day Parade. Don your vintage togs and get ready to swing, sway and boogie to the big band sounds of the 1940s, featuring Swing Fever Big Band Swing.
Elizabeth Carothers Herron, Professor Emeritus of Arts and Humanities
The event recreates the USO Dances that were held in the historic clubhouse during the WWII era, complete with period refreshments, swing dance lessons and fantastic prize opportunities, all in keeping with the patriotic theme. Simple foods will recall the wartime atmosphere, and the bar will feature the Aviator cocktail in the Officers’ Lounge, along with non-alcoholic beverages served canteen style. Drawing prizes, include exclusive seats for a ride in the Huey military helicopter on a yover at the Veterans Day Parade. Prize tickets will be available at the event for $20 each, and in advance from club members.
It’s all happening at 518 B Street in Petaluma, CA where mothers in the 1940s chaperoned their daughters, who answered the call to this fun duty by the commander of nearby Hamilton Field Air Force Base, who wanted wholesome R&R for his troops. The USO Dances became another page in the multifaceted history of the 125-year old clubhouse, recognized by Heritage Homes of Petaluma. As it has for over 100 years, the club continues with event rentals, membership events and community activities. Tickets to the event are $50 each, available through Brown Paper Tickets.