Page 40 - Sonoma County Gazette July 2020

As we have just begun actual summer, windows are open in my airy cyber- hut and I can now enjoy the redwoods and the star jasmine blooming nearby.
Here it is July and we’re still talking about that damn virus.
As we know, we have all greatly adjusted our ways of living and working in order to stop the spread of the deadly Covid-19 virus. We are bombarded by all media of the #s that are testing positive, spikes and of course deaths. We are very grateful to live where we can easily access the ‘great outdoors’ without leaving the confines of our own homesteads.
Look, don’t take your eye off the ball. Those with short attention spans are already losing interest and with the county “opening up”, they have taken that as a message that if they just ignore it, it will go away.
Some folks have made the difficult decision, due to age and medical conditions, to absolutely shelter in place and not to leave their own area. These people usually have family members or others who can shop and help the impacted person. Some of us take turns going briefly into supermarkets, banks and gas stations. Now many restaurants are reopening to dine-in options, but
at reduced capacity. The coastal parks are open and we may once again take a short drive to stare at the waves, walk the dog on permitted beaches, picnic, surf and simply enjoy the beauty after 3 months away.
This is a time to practice critical thinking and independent thought. Don’t be ruled by your boredom, your cabin fever, or your fidgety and restless nature.
The very dry weather has caused me and many others to worry about the extreme fire danger. Please, please cut back your brush, clean off the roof and rake up yard debris. Maureen Berry, Cazadero Community Club president, reminds us that all burn permits issued by Cal Fire are cancelled.
It’s now high summer, and people are finding safe ways to get out and about and get their vitamin D. Camp Meeker is once again a shady retreat, a sylvan glade where one can escape the broiling summer sun and the people and the asphalt and the cars. I’m currently enjoying an app on my phone that helps me identify songbirds by their songs.
Our local fire departments and Cal Fire are relying on all of us to help them with fire safety and prevention. Check out polemountain.org to donate to the only private fire lookout in Sonoma County. We all need to be wardens of the land and help to protect it for all.
already know that the Stellar’s Jay is the neighborhood bully, working in gangs to protect their turf, chasing away even the screech owls – in the daytime at least.
The Cazadero Community Club’s meetings are still on hiatus and you may pay club dues of $25 family and $15 individuals to PO Box 3, Cazadero.
Now I know all this too, thanks to having a few extra hours in the forest and my Chirpomatic app to help me. There’s one particular bird call I’ve been curious about
for years: a call that spirals upward in ascending triplets, usually around dusk and dawn. I can now tell you that this particular feathered diva is the Swainson’s Thrush, and this
The Redwood Empire Food Bank, with the help of volunteers from the Jenner Community Club are participating in a food donation each 1st Wed. from 10:00-11:00 AM in Jenner/adjacent to the Sea Store. Cars line up and the groceries are deposited in your vehicle. Very nice service!
worthy soloist I nominate for the bird of Camp Meeker.
I am happy to announce that the Great Cazadero Recycle Circus is back downtown on Saturday, July 11 from 9:00 to 4:00 pm. Please call Kathie Merrill at 632-6086 to reserve a spot. Lots of fun! This event was begun by Cathy Schezer of the late/lamented Sky Garden and is a great place to shop.
Interlude over – back to business. It’s FIRE SEASON once again.
No matter your politics, I urge you to help end racism and other related social ills in the greater community. I had the honor in the 1990s to serve on the Hate Crime Prevention Network of the SOCO Human Rights Commission. The many red HATE STOPS HERE decals that adorn businesses in Guerneville and Monte Rio are the result of our 5th District group the West County Community Action Committee. With the assistance of the SOCO sheriffs the group instigated a very positive dialogue on why it was necessary to make hate speech and hate crime unacceptable in the West County.
Who is the first line of defense? That’s right: YOU. Because you are proud Camp Meekerites, most of you did some heavy work last year toward your defensible space. Good for you! That means this year you just need to maintain that good work. Get the winter’s deadfall off your roof and sweep it away from your dwelling. Look at what you didn’t get done last year.
Trainings were held for businesses on how to react to incidents and we received a generous donation from RR Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence to buy T shirts, bumper stickers, etc. to help spread the awareness.
Want more resources? Here’s a couple for you: Fire Safe Camp Meeker (FSCM) continues to evolve and grow. Last year, they started working with Gold Ridge Resource Conservation District (GRRCD) to implement a grant from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CDF-FP) to create a Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP). That work is ongoing, and FSCM is conducting a series of online community meetings. Find out more on the Fire Safe Camp Meeker Facebook page.
Beginning as a Congress of Racial Equality organizer in the early 1960s, I continue to strive for the absolute inclusion of all races, ethnicities and genders in the effervescence of American life.
Speaking of Facebook pages, here’s another good fire-related one: the LNU Fire Scanner Facebook page is kind of a regional clearinghouse of useful fire- related info. Each update gives important information such as maps, aerial photos, status reports from the fire crews.
I wish a very Happy July Birthday to Jeanne Ruggles and Jorden Merel on the 4th, Arissa Ellis on the 10th along with Iris Grandunov. Irm Sikorski will celebrate on the 13th, Taryn Parmeter on the 14th, Todd Parmeter on the 16th, Doug Parmeter on the 17th, Cami Schoenfeld on the 18th. Community volunteer Toni Parmeter has her day on the 19th along with Casey Chambers. Duece Rose enjoys the 20th, Dave Jackson on the 22nd, my dear friend Lilah Tuggle on the 26th and Jenna Parmeter on the 28th. Tie Dye Queen Nancy Caplan festivates on the 31st.
Although we hope for, and work for, a respite from yearly firestorms, the “expect the worst, hope for the best” credo reminds us that fire defense is now a yearly duty. The daily news provides an object lesson that there are dangers large enough to affect all of us, and in such situations an intelligent, informed response (or lack of same) makes a life or death difference for people, families, communities, villages, towns, and not infrequently enough entire cities.
Be well, please drive carefully and call me at 632-5545 or email mayawrld@ sonic.net with info for your Cazadero column. Have a safe 4th!
Thank you for staying with me through my dry safety lecture. This is our life for a while, so keep your head down and keep doing your work. Remember to stop once in a while and listen to the songbirds. This too shall pass.
Don’t be that guy. COVID 19 is still here and still eating our lunch.
Wash your hands. Wear your mask. Be smart.
I want you around next year to disagree with my columns some more.
Okay, okay, let’s talk about something else for a change. I get it.
Those of you paying attention already know that Robins and Spotted Towhees and Chestnut-backed Chickadees are plentiful in the forest boughs. You
Thankfully, nothing but a few vegetation fires, quickly corralled by our tireless first responders. They are our last line of defense.
40 - www.sonomacountygazette.com - 7/20