Page 37 - Sonoma County Gazette December 2017

The res that tore through Sonoma County were absolutely devastating. If your home, personal property or business have been a ected by the res and the repair or replacement costs for these items are not covered fully by insurance then reach out to the Small Business Administration.
Big Shout Out to our Cotati Police and dispatchers. O cers helped with the re evacuations and safety patrols of evacuated areas. Our law enforcement dispatchers relieved exhausted dispatchers at the County Sheri ’s o ce during the res.
“Gifts of time and love are surely the basic ingredients of a truly merry Christmas..” ~ Peg Bracken
Every year before the winter holidays, I nd myself wanting less. Wanting fewer gifts, less stu to buy – I wish to share more time with friends and family. Our family celebrates Hanukkah, Winter Solstice, and Christmas. The rituals of Hanukkah feel renewing. Love placing a menorah in our window. We look forward to reciting the prayer as we light each night’s candles at sundown. Our dear mother, Alice Leeds, introduced us to the sweetness of speaking the prayer in Hebrew then in English. When we were a new couple, we bought pillow stu ng plus yards of white muslin. Back then, we had more time than money. We designed, and painted each pillow, customizing designs for our loved ones. After many hours of ironing and sewing, we gift wrapped each one to present on Christmas Day. Funny, several of the pillows we made were cherished for some twenty years, on sofas and beds.
The event happens from 5:30-7:30 PM and it is FREE but you MUST RSVP. Potluck Assignments: If your middle name begins with A-H, bring a dessert. I-Q: main course. R-Z: appetizer. Remember vegetarian or kosher sh (i.e., ns & scales). If you want to be in the inner circle – a real VIP! -- for this party, volunteer to help make latkes, receive the potluck o erings, or be part of the clean-up crew. Sign up by emailing shalom@sonic.net.
Stone’s Throw Gifts has plenty. Want chemical-free body care lotions, scrubs, herbal bath skin soothers? Want a unique pair of earrings or necklace? They have intimate artwork, meditation crystals, handmade ceramics, and glass art objects. After shopping, are you too tired to cook? Try Cotati Sal’s Pizza. Eat in or take out. Pizza, salads, sandwiches, calzones and more. Open 7 days a week, delivery available. 707-664-8460.
Want a new tradition or want to laugh? Try this Sonoma Arts
Live play, Inspecting Carol
A hit about a small professional theater company striving to maintain a funding mistake an amateur actor for an NEA inspector and fawn all over
him while still trying to mount their tired, yearly fundraiser production of
A Christmas Carol. As more and more things go wrong, hilarity ensues. Although this play is in the City of Sonoma, not Cotati, this production is highly recommended by Mary-Kay Gamal. Gamal is a playwright, Classics scholar and retired Emeritus professor of literature and classical studies. She has guided a Classical Books Club meeting at the Sonoma Branch Library. Our family keeps a tradition of reading aloud to each other, usually adventurous novels, such as the legends of King Arthur. I love our Sonoma County libraries. Each branch stands full of books, movies on DVD, and books on tape all for your holiday fun. For local Cotati holiday events see the Gazette calendar for Breakfast with Santa, Tree Lighting and more.
Recently I attended a meeting to nd out more about the SBA federal disaster loans and I was surprised to learn there are so many resources to help renters, homeowners and businesses during the recovery and rebuilding process.
Businesses of all sizes, most private nonpro t organizations, homeowners and renters may qualify for an SBA loan. Go to disasterloan.sba.gov/ela or call SBA at 800-659-2955 to see which loan ts your needs.
The SBA o ers loans to renters as well as homeowners.
The Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) is one loan that is available to business located in any city, not just the cities that experienced res.
This loan is available through the small business administration for any business or non-pro t which incurred damage from the North Bay res. If your business is located in any city, and you were a ected by loss of revenue, cancelled bookings, cancelled reservations or other losses, you may qualify for the Economic Injury Disaster Loan. Go to disasterloan.sba.gov or call 800-659- 2955.
Applications will be accepted into 2018 for the EIDL as most business may not realize the extent of their losses until some time has gone by. In speaking with George Camp, Public Information O cer for the SBA, he said if you believe your business has been harmed, or will be harmed economically, it is best to apply now. Once you know what you qualify for the money will be dispersed only as you need it and you do not need to take all of the money if you do not need it.
Annual Ner Shalom Chanukah Party on Saturday, Dec. 16th.
Another great source for businesses a ected by the North Bay Fire is the Sonoma County Business Recovery Resource Guide. This guide has over 20 di erent types of grants and loan that businesses can apply for to help them during the recovery. Go to sonomaedb.org/businessrecovery or call 707-565- 7170.
Want handmade gifts, but don’t have time? Shop local
To help speed the building process a few weeks ago the Rohnert Park City Council agreed to let the University District release permits for 30 homes at a time instead of the originally agreed upon 10. This will aid in the building of homes. One of the developers is also looking at selling the next eight houses up for sale to only those who have lost their homes in the res.
Come join us in Rohnert Park!
Oh didn’t we have fun accumulating sly digs at city halls, school board fumbles, SMART commute trains packed with their collection of euphemisms of Quiet Zones to lull local citizens into a never-ending bewilderment,
Questions about Forest Fires & Beatniks By Jud Snyder
Yes, we had fun.
Now we have the stark reality of picking through the rubble of our homes, how could a rehouse be burned down in Fountaingrove? And where is
the president of Sonoma State University going to live, forced to live in Fountaingrove because Rohnert Park has nothing to o er but 3-4 bedrooms and 2-3 bathrooms. How shallow those sly digs seem today! They fall in the category of stale cracker crumbs in a dustpan. Reading them again is nothing but serving up lukewarm apologies.
Send me your favorite or humorous Cotati memory
No one likes to mourn the death of the historic round barn on Fountaingrove or the destruction of M.F.K. Fisher’s home near Oakmont. So why do we talk about people, homes and businesses that we’ll never see again?
I want to get to know our Cotati readers. Please share either a favorite Cotati memory or mention re safety tips or a change you have made due to the res. Thanks. Email: dtfwriter@gmail.com.
When you’ve been working with weekly newspapers in Rohnert Park since Paul Golis (RP’s co-founder) gave me a job back in 1974, you’re stuck in the trade, a lesson I learned from my mother, a newswoman who introduced me to the business when I was in the sixth grade on Long Island.
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.
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It’s getting more di cult as I read today’s big metropolitan dailies, Press Democrat, and quite often San Francisco Chronicle and New York Times.
At my age it’s not as easy as it used to be. All I have to do is pick up a newspaper and see the plight other people sre going through and I thank my lucky stars.