Page 38 - Sonoma County Gazette Sept 2017

The call came at 3 am. A neighbor thought we might want to know. The house directly above us was on fire. We stumbled out the back to witness a roaring blaze 30’ up the hill. My mind froze. What to rescue...photos, laptop, grandma’s quilt? Embers rained down. My attempt to wet our roof with a garden hose felt pathetic. But our Forestville Firefighters were on the scene. I could hear their shouts above the crackle of the fire as they battled that blaze. It seemed a miracle they kept it from spreading. Through the smoke it became clear what a treasure our local firefighters are. And as such, they not only deserve our respect, but they actually deserve our cooperation too.
As a child, I spent years growing up in small villages in Greece, either island-bound or in very remote mountain towns. My dad strove for privacy as he completed a multi-piece sculpture commission. Us kids went to Greek schools and navigated village life. One common element I witnessed on a near daily basis, whether in our villages or other towns, was the presence of a known “village idiot”. Looking back with painfully clearer vision I now know these shunned and sometimes tolerated characters as suffering from extreme and untreated behavioral conditions and disorders. These people (usually men -who knows where the women were hidden
away) were often tolerated with an almost indulgent attitude while being simultaneously stigmatized.
What kind of defensible space do you have? Not sure? Fire Safe Sonoma has a great guideline called Creating Fire Safe Neighborhoods – A Team Effort! In fact, I’m taking one to guess who? The neighbor just above me who purchased the burned out lot, re-built and now has a huge pile of dead tree limbs just off his back deck. The good news is that Fire Safe will bring a chipper to your home and make mulch for you. You can get their application online, www.firesafesonoma.org/main/guidelines.
The confusion on their faces at those times betrayed an enormous lack of knowledge, training and coping skills.
Speaking of safety, we learned a lot from Sheriff’ Deputies Charity Koch and Ruben Martinez last month. Their message to you?
CALL THEM! 707-565-2121. With such a large territory to cover, they rely on you to communicate with them when you see something wrong or out of place. They genuinely appreciate your calls. Our rural and semi-rural setting suites us well, but it’s good to know neighbors are willing to look out for one another. You can even report my pet peeve, illegal dumping, by calling 211. Thank you very much, but my whole neighborhood doesn’t deserve to have our property values plummet because you are either too lazy, cheap or misguided to take your old (usually) furniture to the dump! Call 211.
Speaking of trash, you’ve probably noticed the Recycling Center that’s now up across from Speers. It’s State of California Certified, open 10-5 most days, 10-6 on Thursdays and closed Sunday and Monday. It’s called Wrenco Recycle. Prices looked good.
Greece in those years was a third world country in many ways, including the attitude towards behavioral health. You would expect a lot more from modern Sonoma County, wouldn’t you? Well, surprise - stigma for the illnesses is about as well-hidden as a hateful racist is in West Virginia these days.
Yippee the kids are back in school. There’s something exciting about a new school year. So much unknown with new faces, new expectations, new clothes maybe even? West County Middle School is new. Sure it’s
in a familiar location, yet it’s a new Charter under the High School District accepting students from all over. Principal Kirsten Sanft is delighted to welcome all this newness with a bright smile. She will no doubt create a wonderful environment for our kids. Let’s face it, they are the future and may end up taking care of us! Let’s give them the hope they deserve, and tools to succeed.
At the risk of sounding like a Southern Sunday preacher (that I am probably related to whether I wannabe or not...you can take the girl out of the South, etc.), here’s a little test for ya’ll: what did you sound like during our recent town e-flurry about the RV-dwellers who were again noted to have taken up residence on a few of Graton’s border streets?
By the way Back to School Night is September 7, at 6 pm for Forestville Schools. The whole family is welcome. Kids get ready for Picture Day September 13 (torture day for me back when.) A shout out to everyone who helped at the school BBQ last month, where students picked electives and met their core teachers. Check out Westcountycharter.org. for lots of school information.
One of the amazing human tweaks that makes our species unique is our seeming need to divide, label and conquer through the perception of real or perceived differences – color, language, beliefs, residence style, customs
– you name it. What is important in this game is that there is an identifiable and usually invented difference. Talk with a twang? Must be dumb. Residence is portable? That’ll do for shunning. Seem to be behaving differently than is “normal” or calm? I had better avert my eyes and mind.
Hollydale Clubs “Last Sunday of the Month” community breakfast is slated for September 24 from 9 until noon. If you like ham or mushroom omelets, Holldyale hash browns and fresh fruit, then this gigs for you for a measly $10 donation. How do they do it? Each month they mix up the menu, keeping us guessing what’s next for those creative chefs. Plan to stay after for the Table Tennis 1-4. In fact, the Clubhouse is open every 1st and 3rd Thursday evenings from 7-10 pm for Table Tennis. I expect to see some champions coming out of that club one of these days.
I sadly see that our town is with its own share of prejudgment. I am likewise glad to see that our town, led by a few, is lifting a chin and wanting to talk a bit with the people that are vexing them. Open communication is a start, and I suggest airing some fear to start.
Third Annual Fall Craft Fair at the Farmer’s Market! Two Thursdays, September 19th with Ms. G’s Village Variety Show, including lots of kid talent and an Autumnal Extravaganza and the last day of the Market, the 26th when Joy Ride is featured. You’ll see wonderful artists and crafters along with the fresh fruits and veggies, food vendors and beer and wine!
With 5 of 20 of the US population needing treatment for some level of mental illness, Sonoma County has potentially 20,000 such needy individuals. We currently serve about 5000 monthly with a network of County health staff, NPO partners and other programs. These individuals often are challenged to work, and need some financial backup as well. They are often our young brilliant citizens with much to offer society with some skills and treatment. Some have
That Mary Rand is amazing! As the Market Manager she and her husband organize, orchestrate and oversee the vendors, along with getting the space ready. Even the permits! Her radiating energy infects me with a renewed sense of what one person can do to make our community a better place. Thanks Mary! We’ll miss our little Market, and you, once October rolls around.
a second disability to contend with. Some were that cute kid who had playdates with your child, and had a tragic reaction to kick off their young adult life.
38 - www.sonomacountygazette.com - 9/17
People keep talking about how the system is broken ... but it’s not. There never was a system,” said Barbara Bozman-Moss, a retired local attorney whose young son suffers from schizophrenia and is scheduled for placement at Napa State Hospital.
My friend the dictionary defines PREJUDICE (noun) as:
• an unfavorable opinion or feeling formed beforehand or without knowledge, thought, or reason.
• any preconceived opinion or feeling, either favorable or unfavorable.
• unreasonable feelings, opinions, or attitudes, especially of a hostile nature,
regarding an ethnic, racial, social, or religious group.
Preconceived/without forethought/unreasonable? Not in our little free- thinking and acting Graton, you protest.
Honestly now – were you bemoaning the sight and begrudging the presence of these neighbors? (For the extra-truthy: Did you mention property values?) For the honesty super bonus - how much of your opinion was based on experience and how much was pre-judged & prejudiced before any interaction?
Open eyes and hearts are surely next on our lists. Even as the budget lops more and more resources from our grievously underserved population, we must open our minds and methods to those who need us most.
It was famously once said by Hubert Humphrey: “The moral test of government is how that government treats those who are in the dawn of life, the children; those who are in the twilight of life, the elderly; and those who are in the shadows of life, the sick, the needy and the handicapped.”
GRASSROOTS cont’d on page 39