Page 40 - Sonoma County Gazette December 2017

Christmas already? Where did the time go? Never fear – you’ve got a few weeks to get it all done. So get you some hot cocoa, curl up under a blanket by the stove and plan your shopping. If you’re really lucky, there’s a nice rain coming down while you read this.
We’ve also got a winter solstice coming up. I look forward to that
just as much. The solstice is when the season turns the corner. It’s the start
of winter, but it’s also the time when the days stop getting shorter and start getting longer. The time between the sudden shock at the end of daylight savings time, when all of a sudden it gets dark way, way too early, and the time when twilight, ever so slowly, starts getting later, is a matter of but a few weeks. Spring is sneaking in on little cat feet all through the winter, in its cold and wet manner. Here’s a fun fact for you: the solstice is the shortest day of the year, but it has neither the latest sunrise nor the earliest sunset. How? Math.
Let’s not get in a hurry for spring, though. Time hurries quite well enough all on its own. Winter is the time to hunker down, to hibernate, to germinate the seeds that will burst forth when the sun returns. All of the seasons are important.
Camp Meeker is quiet and, yes, damp. That’s a good thing. We’re
all still reeling from the fires, and maybe a bit jumpy. I was driving south on Bohemian Highway last weekend when I saw something that jolted me right out of my reverie – smoke. A cloud of smoke, and, when I got closer- flames. Just a little patch of it, mind you – but it sure got my attention. I ducked right into Westminster Woods and tried to call 911. No signal. However, I quickly found some people on duty and was shown promptly to a land line. While I called 911, they rounded up a fire extinguisher and headed out. I headed out there to show them where the fire was – and couldn’t find it! I had made a couple of passes and gotten out to find it on foot when Steve Baxman of Monte Rio fire showed up. I showed him a dark spot in the dry grass and he said “yup...that’s a burn.” A real sick burn, all right.
Within minutes two more trucks showed up, and fire teams from Monte Rio, Camp Meeker, and Cal Fire had things under control. Steve reported that a motorist had pulled into Monte Rio Fire just as he was heading out, reporting the same fire, and that he (the motorist) had already extinguished it. Everyone was careful not to disturb the miniscule fire scene, so that a cause of the fire might be determined. A careless smoker tossing a cigarette butt is the first thing that occurred to everyone, but Steve noted that loose butts are not effective at igniting grass when the relative humidity is above 20% – but don’t take that as license to be careless, please!
The good news in that adventure, for me, was the incredible speed of the response. Everyone involved acted quickly and correctly, from the staff
at Westminster Woods, to the unnamed motorist – THANK you for your service – to the Monte Rio and Camp Meeker VFD’s, to the Cal Fire guys, to
the hospitality of, who bunked dozens of fire trucks on a nightly basis during the big fires. Thank you, one and all. I’m hoping to bring you some firsthand accounts from fire fighters from Camp Meeker during those fires, so stay tuned for that. Meanwhile, stay safe and warm, and maintain your defensible space. If you remember, the County Fire folks were out here a few months back, explaining some new laws relating to fire safety requirements. There were some concerns, valid ones, about how and when this new law would be enforced. Those questions still need to be answered, but I would emphatically say that the “why” of that discussion has been pretty well answered. So let’s all rejoin that process proactively and enthusiastically. We still have any number of suddenly dead oak trees above us. Let’s work together to get that wood chipper back out here. Stay tuned, and a happy Solstice to you.
Hello and happy holidays to all! The return of the rains has been most welcome. The creeks are talking to us again. I noticed yesterday the little waterfall on Graton Rd. has returned for the winter. All the vegetation has been washed of its accumulated dust and ash bringing
out the vibrant colors of the fall.
Regarding the start of rainy season I would like to remind everyone to be
careful out there while driving. Please drive a little slower anytime the roads are wet, even if it’s not raining in that moment. Leave a little extra distance between you and the car ahead of you as stopping takes longer on wet roads. Also, remember to turn on your headlights anytime you are using your windshield-wipers, it’s not only common sense, it’s the law. Stay safe please.
As if the month of October didn’t already provide us too much loss with
all that the fires consumed. In addition, I have to acknowledge the untimely passing of one of our own, my dear friend Richard Raymond Calvi Jr. on
the 21st of October. We were together from kindergarten all the way through graduating from El Molino in 1997. We represented Occidental on the football field together – go black wave! He was a great guy, taken from us far too soon. My heartfelt condolences go out to his family as well as to all who knew him, because to know him was to be his friend. Go 9ers!
By the time you are reading this the annual Occidental Holiday Crafts
Faire will be fast approaching, one of my favorite weekends of the year to be
an Occidental resident. The faire is at the Community Center on the 9th (10-5) and 10th (10-4). It is such a fun event, made possible by a wonderful crew of volunteers and an eclectic and awesome bunch of crafts-people. What do I love about it you ask? I love that every year I get to see familiar faces and their crafts as well as always meeting new vendors and being introduced to their wares.
I love that we never know what the weather will bring us and yet we always pull it off, generally with smiles on our faces, sometimes with many extra layers of clothing on our bodies. I love the food, an abundant array of soups
& stews provided by community members and sure to provide an option to please any palate. A favorite for me is definitely the raffle. You choose which prizes you want to try and win and place your tickets in the corresponding bucket. Always lots of wonderful options, including arts and crafts from the vendors and gift certificates to numerous local businesses, even cash!
One of our most venerable institutions here in town that doesn’t serve Italian food is the Occidental Health Center, now part of the West County Health Center organization. Opening in 1976 the center has been serving West County residents for over 40 years with high quality health care. The recent fires reminded me how important it is to have a diverse array of health care options in our larger Sonoma County community. With the closing of both Sutter and Kaiser hospitals for a large period of time I know that
all the other hospitals, health centers, etc. were able to rise to the occasion in helping care for our county. Speaking of fires, and rising to the occasion, most of you probably know about the fire that consumed the Russian River Health Center in December of 2016.
Well you may not know that some very big plans are afoot for the rebuilding of the health center and they are well into their capital campaign (fund-raising) to make this dream possible. As the phoenix rises, this new health center will be bigger, better and more comprehensive than ever before. It will be in a new location in Guerneville, and the design is quite striking. They are nearing the halfway point in their fund-raising goal, let’s help them get there! Every bit counts. To make a donation visit wchealth.org/news/capital-campaign and
to find out more about the project or the West County Health organization in general visit www.wchealth.org.
Small personal bias disclaimer – I was the first child ever born at the Occidental Health Center, January 29th, 1979. Thank you OHC, Dr. Rosa and all who worked there then and now, you helped me into this world and continue to help so many of us here in West County. Great job!
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