Page 44 - Sonoma County Gazette January 2016

With New Year’s Day around the corner, I am gratified by the recent rains! The majestic redwoods outside of my cosy cyber-hut have been cleansed and are basking today in the sunlight! Although we are certainly not out of this dreadful drought, we may be in for a
Thank you, and thank you, to the Coast Guard Auxiliary for putting up the little holiday tree at the end of the breakwater again this year. We hold our breath each year, hoping no tragedy will befall it. We have had years with no tree (electricity failure; personnel change, etc.) and it just isn’t the holiday season without it. It stays up until Epiphany (January 6) but those of us who simply admire and don’t perspire love whatever we can get.
‘regular’ rainy season.
The recent Cazadero Old Time Xmas was a lot of fun for all, especially those
who appreciated the wonderful ‘snow’! Horses pranced, trucks paraded and good food, Santa Claus and local handicrafts enticed folks to linger downtown.
We have had a little precipitation. The hills are greening up on Bodega Highway and the beautiful sight of the black and white cows happily grazing on actual green vegetation is worth taking a drive. The autumn trees in Sonoma County are vastly underrated. The green, the yellow, the red—all predictors of winter put Vermont to shame. The only thing we don’t have is the maple (the ones with sugar in them too). But we don’t have icy roads, either, so the trade off is not all bad.
After the students of the Montgomery Elementary School presented their enjoyable school Show on December 17th, they now enjoy their winter break, returning to classes on January 4th, 2016. The Martin Luther King Federal Holiday will be on January 18th. The Parent/Teacher Conferences take place on January 22nd. Kindergarten, 1st and 2nd graders will attend a production of Dr. Seuss’ “Cat in The Hat” on January 20th at the Wells Fargo Center For the Arts.
New Year’s resolutions baffle me—maybe because I make the same ones every year. At the urging of my doctor, and heightened by my own good sense, every year I vow to lose weight. I actually did in 2015 but I don’t recommend surgery and six-day hospital stays as the method. Nevertheless, I will make the resolution again. Does it help to write resolutions down? We’re trained to make all our charitable contributions by year end, but most of us wait to face our resolutions until now, after the new year has begun.
Raymond’s Bakery is closed for vacation and should reopen in early February. in time for Valentine’s Day goodies. The monthly 1st Saturday Cazadero Supply 15% Discount Day offers an incredible assortment of items for your household, yard and vehicle projects. The Cazadero General Store is open daily with many daily groceries and specialty items. The Duncans Mills General Store delights with tasty deli sandwiches, locally produced meats and wines. Mr. Trombly’s Tea and Table shops feature an amazing assortment of teas and related items and beautiful household specialties.
It’s very frustrating trying to guess what Congress will do and what they won’t. For those of us who work hard for charities, we urged those seniors who face required IRA distributions to make them to charities by year’s end. Most of us went ahead, still not knowing whether or not Congress will renew the tax benefits that accrued last year. Oh well, we still will get our charitable deduction—and we believe in the causes the charities are working for or we would not be considering the monetary commitment.
I wish very a happy January birthday to Alana Mumy, turning 25 on the 1st, Peter Perlman, Curtis Ross, Meshack Ross-Sabbah and Beth Hearn all celebrate in early January, My dear husband Gregorio has his day on January 6th, Kellie Hickson turns 27 on the 12th, Hank Wiedmann turns 30, Toni Parmeter’s son Eli Ellis will be 38, Marcus Curie and Christina Tourady share the 18th, Catherine Canelis enjoys the 21st and Ashley Parmeter celebrates on the 26th.
Fisherman’s Chapel has selected a new minister. His name is Neale Miller from Healdsburg. He has an interesting history of working in New Orleans after the disaster. He is a Presbyterian minister who will be confronted
with a Methodist musician, UCC council members, a Catholic moderator, several Baptist parishioners and Methodist hymnals. When we say we are interdenominational, we are serious. Our other minister (it’s a shared post) is female and a member of the Disciples of Christ from Napa. We work closely with the Bodega Bay church and help fund their youth program and share music on holidays like Christmas. We welcome Rev. Miller and extend our welcome to any wayfarers passing by at 10 a.m. on Sundays—at the Grange Hall (where there are sometimes book sales by the School PTA, NOAA meetings or some other function deemed for the community benefit who signed up first—except on Sunday at 10). The Grange Hall is easy to find. Look for the ATM sign. (Even Santa makes a stop there—and listens to what the children want Santa to bring. Fortunately we have a bilingual Santa. The December 19 appearance was joyful as usual. Santa promises only “to see what he can do.” If we could truly “see what we can do” and work hard to try for Peace on Earth and Good Will to All—we will have a major step forward.
The Cazadero Community Club’s meetings are on hiatus until the 1st Tuesday of March 2016.
Have a wonderful New Year, drive carefully and call me at 632-5545 or email mayawrld@sonic.net with info for your Cazadero Column!
Passings: Jenner’s Johnny Yu
Johnny Yu began his next adventure on December 11, 2015 at the age of 67. Johnny lived the American dream every day. He loved his family, his wide circle of friends, driving muscle cars, working on his yard, and dancing. He had a giant personality, could talk to anyone about anything, and enjoyed giving excellent financial and life advice. Johnny loved to travel, spending much of
his vacation time and retirement exploring
other countries or road tripping through
national parks. Many of his best times were
spent outdoors with friends and family
backpacking, fishing, and kayaking.
The Chamber of Commerce has been active. The afterwork meetings sponsored by various businesses are well attended. The December one at the Community Center was very jovial. Pot lucks really work out here.
Friends and family are welcome to join Johnny’s celebration of life on January 23, 2016, at 2:00 p.m. at the Enmanji Buddhist Temple, Sebastopol. In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting donations be made towards a Sonoma County Regional Park memorial bench through the link: www. gofundme.com/johnnysbench.
A suggestion: the Chambers of Commerce for Healdsburg, Cloverdale, and Windsor are all listed in the phone book but I couldn’t find Bodega Bay. This might be an avenue of information worth pursuing—at least get a phone number. Some tourists still use the phone book and although the Information bureau is well staffed and very helpful, potential customers may use the old fashioned phone book (of course, for ultimate data retrieval, there is nothing like the newspaper). The want ads tell you a lot about who is moving; the obituaries laud the dead. An overlooked source of data is the legal listings. For example, no one I talked to knew Chanslor Ranch had sold. Hopefully Alicia and Patty will stay they also run Sonoma Concierge and Ginochio Kitchens).
Johnny loved spending time outdoors, whether he was exploring National Parks or hiking around Sonoma County. When he wasn’t traveling the world, he spent a lot of time in Shiloh and Riverfront regional parks, and a plaque
in one of these parks would be a fitting tribute to him (plus, he loved seeing
his name on plaques!). A 10-year dedication on a bench in one of the regional parks is $1,500, and we would love to be able raise enough for a 20-year plaque ($3,000). Any support would be appreciated, and once his plaque is in place, we hope you can come to visit his bench in one of the places he loved.
January is likely to be the same varied weather as December. It’s the month of new beginnings. Find ways to celebrate our blessings. (Some blessings are mixed—like teenage children and rescue dogs—but they all contribute to the joy of being alive in a country where we can feel safe and happy. (If only children everywhere could be safe and healthy.) We must work hard to remain inspired to share what we have with others; when we consciously make peace a personal goal, and take time to listen to the wind in the trees and look at the incredible waves. It’s a new year. Be mindful of blessings— and may 2016 be a Year of Peace.
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