Southern Sonoma Country Life

Super Hero Dogs

Kite the trusty, old Vineyard Corgi was helping me dust off the baseball cap collection this morning as we get ready to support the Schumacher family's annual Caps For A Juvenile Diabetes Cure fund raiser at Valley Vista elementary school.

Tomorrow's event has been aptly renamed Caps For Canines, as the Schumacher's have been immensely fortunate in welcoming a furry, Super-Hero lifesaver into their large family, this Spring. Lawton the yellow lab was placed with the family of four school-aged boys by an East-Bay-based West Coast non-profit called Dogs4Diabetics.

This fantastic non profit runs solely on volunteers and private donations, thanks to the discovery of founder Mark Ruefenacht, who found that dogs can amazingly detect blood sugar lows in diabetics and be trained to alert their owners.

For the last three years, Mark and his dedicated team of volunteers have worked feverishly to meet the demand of thousands of diabetic people on the waiting list for such an incredible canine companion.

Lawton was selected for the Schumacher family, as they have an unprecedented three out of four siblings suffering from Type 1, insulin dependent juvenile diabetes.

Having mastered the delicate balance of monitoring his own blood sugars since kindergarten, second of the Schumacher's sons, Jack (10) has taken on a great deal of responsibility for overseeing the blood sugar levels of his two younger brothers.

Lawton was assigned to Jack primarily, and now that he is almost fully bonded, the Super Hero canine will be coming to school each day. In fact, wherever Jack goes, Lawton will go to.

In order for Dogs4Diabetics to reach out within the West Coast's Type 1 Diabetic community, far more fund raising will need to take place. But for now, Mark and the grateful Schumacher's would like to boost the non-profit's coffers to hire a full-time trainer for this region.

Jack's pals at school are encouraged to don their favorite cap all day this Friday, April 18th, for a minimum $1 donation. Lawton would be a happy chappy indeed if you'd consider making any size of donation on-line to Dogs4Diabetes!

   

A City in Mourning

Rest in Peace Phoebe Washer. Petaluma has lost one of its brightest and most beautiful. Our city is in mourning following yesterday's tragic accident on the Marin headlands. In respect for Phoebe's family, whom we all know and love so well, there will be no further blog posting today. To celebrate Phoebe's gift to the world, please view her incredible artistic talent at phoebewasher.com.

Two Paper Town

Saturday night's house concert at Wayne and Connie's wonderful 'underground' warehouse home on Water Street in downtown Petaluma was much more than I had bargained for in terms of teary-eyes and tissues and astonishing musical talent.

Oakland-based master of emotional imagery in song, acoustic singer/songwriter Steve Seskin, held a captivated audience of fifty folk music fans in the palm of his hand for two hours of the loveliest lyrics that we've heard in a long while.

What a treat to be so completely up close and personal with this charismatic, and gifted storyteller, whose Two Paper Town  was perhaps one of the top three of his tunes for the evening. It struck me as all the more poignant these days with the massive push for on-line news gradually eclipsing the limelight of all the little local rags we know and love. And as a print-trained reporter, I frequently find myself on stepping stones in a fast-flowing stream to keep a foot in both camps.

To quote Steve: "I remember when this was a two paper town
            A big company came in and shut one of them down
            Now all that we get is one point of view
            And it don't really matter which side you're on
            Nobody wins when our choices are gone
            Both sides of a story often lead to the truth.."

Thanks to Rob and Karen for introducing me to Steve's incredible legacy of lyrical wonder and sharing the tissue box. From Life's a Dance, to Michaelangelo, his heart-breaking humor makes Steve Seskin the impressive professional songwriter that he is.

Country fans will know Steve's penmanship through Tim McGraw's Grammy-nominated performance of "Grown Men Don't Cry" plus six additional number one songs. And if you haven't had the good fortune to be entranced by Steve on a small stage near you, chances are that your kids probably have. For Steve is a tireless special guest performer at elementary schools across the country bringing his hits such as "Don't Laugh At Me" home to the youngsters who need to hear them most.

Already looking forward to Steve Seskin's next visit to Sonoma County this Fall, with an acoustic concert in Sebastopol. Will keep you posted. Friends and family and food in the fridge. Steve reminds us all what really counts. And that we're ultimately judged by the measure of love in our lives, not the money we've made.

Show Me the Munny

Special Notice: If you are participating in this fundraiser, please take your painted Munny's to
Knitterly, on Kentucky Street. Heebe Jeebe will be closed for the immediate time in respect of this
week's tragic loss of artist Phoebe Washer

What in the world is a Munny you may well ask? And judging from the pics in this post, you'll probably be scratching your head in bewilderment, right about now. Aliens from outer space dropped into the vineyard while we were busy bottling this weekend?

A Munny is a little person who has come into this world in mass production, with a completely transparent personality. A clean slate. Someone who can truly become whoever he or she aspires to be. With a little help from a friend. And some crayons, or paint, fabric, props. Whatever strikes the fancy of the artist creator!

And these hugely popular beings are taking over our town. For one, cute Petaluma 150th Anniversary art program for kids has hundreds of the little lovelies shaping up on kitchen tables across town for April's special Art Show and Auction to benefit the Mentor Me Program.

Many, many decorative Munny's of all imaginations will appear in three locations downtown this week: Heebe Jeebe and Knitterly and Maude down the road on Kentucky.

Looks like I'll be sending delegates down to Heebe Jeebe for the young Artists' Reception on this Saturday the 19th, between 5pm and 7pm to bid on our own boys' beautiful creations. Dom's grown pretty fond of Vernon the Zombie.  What a fab way to motivate kids to contribute to a fundraiser and try their hand at an artistic expression all at the same time!

Vintage Department Store Looks to the Future

Back in 1941 when the recently-closed Couches Etc., furniture store first opened its doors to delighted Petaluma shoppers, the futuristic 'streamline moderne' design of this substantial downtown department store was all the rage in pre-war America.

People were looking for modernity and convenience and The Leader, as the department store was first known, was the answer to every local shopper's prayers!

That year proved to be a significant turning point in Petaluma, American and world history. As ordinary citizens of Petaluma went about their everyday shopping downtown, big things were happening elsewhere.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt delivered his famous Four Freedoms Speech and in his State of the Union Address and was sworn in for a third term.

Pearl Harbor was bombed. British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill made a worldwide radio broadcast pleading with America to show support in World War II.

As concerned Petalumans picked out socks and haberdashery in The Leader, on the corner of Kentucky and Western, the first FM Radio broadcast went out from Tennessee. Captain America Comics were launched and General Mills introduced Cheerios cereal as 'Cheeri Oats'!

Orson Welle's acclaimed Citizen Kane movie most probably made it on to the silver screen at the movie theater around the corner from The Leader and local folks would have gone nuts for Walt Disney's new Dumbo!

What a time that must have been, and one of considerable worry and concern and tightening of belts. For the Leader went out of business during the war time era and the store was purchased by the Carithers family in 1946.

These Petalumans knew exactly what they were doing with local business and operated the Carithers Department Store in that same, great location for some 40 years.

Local newspaper reports have highlighted the memories of many long-time Petalumans who shopped and worked in Carithers Department Store, with its full-time elevator operator and legendary Christmas tree, lighting up Kentucky and Western Avenue each December.

Couches Etc., also Petaluma family owned store, was the third owner of this historic store and has held title since 1986.

Now available for history to write an exciting new chapter in it's illustrious life, this solid, round-front flagship of Petaluma's downtown has unlimited potential as a Southern Sonoma County showcase for business, restaurant or retail. And for many modern-day Petalumans, a new department store downtown would suit us all just fine!

Take a virtual tour of the former Carithers Department Store and Couches Etc

Bottling Day:Sixty Nine Cases of Wine

Phew what a scorcher it was today in the barrel house aka our garage and familiar lair of the neighborhood garagistes. Not sure if it was hotter inside than out, at least with the garage door open to enjoy the afternoon's glorious eighty degree Sonoma county sunshine.

Sixty nine cases of wine are now neatly stacked and ready to be tucked  away under the stairs and several other cool spots around the 'hood!

That's sixty nine times 12 divided by the garagistes and our neighbor Steve, whose third of an acre of Syrah grows alongside the grapes on our section of the hillside. In short, a serious stash of small lot vino, which has, in its illustrious life of eighteen months, traveled no further than the foot of the hill.

Some considerable excitement amidst this year's seriously efficient production line, with a visit from an SF based documentary maker  and his wife, who were whizzing around the hot spots of the Petaluma Gap wine growing region with P'Town' Vine and Barrel's Jason for live (and entertaining) navigation.

Jason explained that his friend the film maker is intrigued with the grass roots story of Petaluma's rapidly  developing wine industry and is in the process of making a documentary about our local growers and maverick wine makers. How cool is that? Sometimes it is the more rustic tales which translate best to film and the Italian husband had a fine time being interviewed on camera as he orchestrated the bottling process along with fellow garagiste, Jeff.

We're all in agreement that the 2006 being bottled today is the best yet and the boys are anxious to enter into all of the upcoming wine competitions to see how it fares.

In the meantime, the newly bottled wine needs at least another six months to mature. So don't be asking me to dip into the stockpile until Fall!

Our friendly film maker's wife was a delight to meet, and I discovered in chatting mid-corking along the line, that Daniela was here visiting her husband from Mexico City. Daniela is the director of the annual Morchia International Film Festival in Mexico. You just never do know who will stroll into the garage when the wine making process is in full swing.

Happy Birthday Big Ben

Here in historic riverfront Petaluma, the Victorian era was just the beginning of anything more industrious than indigenous tribal activity of local native Americans.

And as we're celebrating this little city's 150th anniversary this year, there's been a lot of interest in the life and times of those early days in Gold-Rush California and beyond.

I have to confess to having been completely unaware until today of the quirky co-incidence that we Petalumans share our celebratory year with our friends in the UK. For Big Ben (which is in fact, the world-wide nick-name for The Great Bell)is having a sesquicentennial birthday, too!

According to international news reports, the monumental neo-gothic 15-ton bell that marks the hours at Britain's Houses of Parliament turned 150 this week.

Manufactured by Britain's oldest bell builders, the Whitechapel Foundry, Big Ben is brother to Philadelphia's Liberty Bell and the post September 11th New York Bell of Hope, which was given as a gift to New York from the people of London.

Designed by Charles Barry, Big Ben has suffered many episodes of silence due to London's infamous inclement weather, occasional accident and mechanical failure. Stoic and silent for its big birthday, The Great Bell will no doubt be back in full bong before long.

Perhaps my favorite tale of Big Ben's 150 years has been its symbolic role as bastion of all things British during the Blitz of World War II. And, of course, the timeless image of Peter Pan and Wendy in starry night-flight across the face of the world's favorite time piece.

P'Town Students Score Big For Petaluma Educational Foundation

One hundred and fifty purple t-shirts took to the turf at San Francisco's AT&T Ballpark for the annual Petaluma Educational Foundation Giants' Night. Saint Vincent's Elementary Choir joined the communal ranks of Petaluma Junior High School Band and the city's junior Philharmonic musicians for a magnificent opening ceremony in what turned out to be a surprisingly successful night for the so-far-this-season, sluggish SF Giants.

Pardon me a second or two, here, while I rummage around for my notes. Having dashed out of the house after a half hour panic-attack and search for an entire week's fourth grade homework plus Scientist of The Week experimental materials (a part of which turned up, inevitably in the recycling "you did throw it away, Mom" said exasperated youngest son), I'd forgotten in my haste to take along my nifty reporter's notebook.

Turned out that my superbly organized traveling companion Suzanne (of Bottom of the Ninth notoriety - I cannot be let loose in a pro baseball park without an expert to keep me focused and on track)had sensibly stopped off for the sandwiches she'd promised earlier in the day. And the swathe of crisp white paper which wrapped my tasty chicken salad on sourdough did a remarkable job as a recyclable reporting stand-in.

Sidelining from the main story for a second, I'd never heard of Michael's Sourdough Sandwiches before actually biting into one some forty miles down the freeway, at the otherwise whole-paycheck ballpark. Delicious. Suz' says he bakes Michael own rolls and is busy, busy, busy of a weekday lunchtime down by the car dealerships here in Petaluma (1320 Industrial #B, Petaluma, CA 94952).

Back to the Giants game. I'll leave the scores and highlights for you to read on Bottom of the Ninth, sports reporting not being my forte. But I must say that there was a splendid Thursday night turn-out from Southern Sonoma County in support of Petaluma Educational Foundation and all of the terrific young musicians who made the national anthem so memorable for us country folk!

What's more, two Petaluma lads were selected via PEF for high-profile participation at the game. Dominic Butts (as seen above) made a cheeky little Play Ball Kid, and Dante Del Prete threw an impressive First Pitch.

Not too packed out for the winning game against the Cardinals, the stadium will likely start to fill out once again with supporters now that the Giants seem to be on a winning streak.

Olympic Torch Takes To The Streets of San Francisco

Bay Area boys in blue have foxed a largely confused crowd of Olympic Torch protesters today by creating something of a "Where's Waldo" scene along the waterfront streets of San Francisco.

Cutting the scheduled course from six miles to three, and switching routes in a rather Californian ad hoc fashion, Olympic Torch runners and international dignitaries have so far been spared the scenes of mayhem which took place in Paris and London this past week.

Decided against taking the boys down to the Embarcadero to spot the torch take its only North American relay prior to the next historic pit-stops in South America and across the Pacific before making its way to beleaguered Beijing.

Though I'd have liked to have seen the Olympic Torch carried across the Golden Gate Bridge or possibly even under the bridge if a Bay run is in the cards, I don't much fancy being crushed in a crowd of protest. Whatever our individual politics, it' was sad to see on local TV the symbol of the world's greatest sporting event potentially torn to shreds on such familiar streets.

Yesterday's bold cable-climbing, pro-Tibetan banner stunt on the Golden Gate Bridge was very brave, though completely crazy. I'm assuming the climbers must have attached a safety harness to themselves after hauling their gear across the bridge in a baby stroller. Definitely a don't look down situation. We'll see what transpires during the remainder of this historic afternoon's events.

Blue Ribbon Month

When the going gets tough, the tough get going, right? Only not if you're a little kid in a troubled home. What options would you have to protect yourself? Last year, Sonoma County Child Welfare Services received over 10,000 alleged reports of child abuse. Eighty case workers throughout the county investigated around 3,000 of these reports, most of which were for general neglect.

Although numbers of serious child abuse cases in Sonoma County have taken an encouraging and dramatic dip over the past few years, many young children still do remain at risk.

It's said that more than half of this country's witnessed child abuse goes unreported. Now that's a tough judgement, as many people truly do not know where to draw the line between family interference and responsible action. That where Santa Rosa based California Parenting Institute comes in, with lots of tips as to how to be more aware and responsive to children in need, as a community.

April is actually National Child Abuse Prevention Week. Of that I, for one, had no clue until I tipped our long-time kids' hairstylist Chris at her popular Lions and Tigers Children's Salon in downtown Petaluma this week. Winner of the North Bay Bohemian Newspaper's Best Children's Hair Salon Award for the second year in a row, Chris is as committed  a P'Town biz owner as you'd find in the caring downtown community.

"I'll put it in the Blue Ribbon jar," said Chris, who's jam-packed tip-jar is making its way to the California Parenting Institute for this April's National Child Abuse Prevention Month's Blue Ribbon Campaign.

Lions and Tigers also has blue ribbon bracelets and blue ribbon pins for sale, and all proceeds will go to the CPI fund. Petaluma area parents may call and make an appointment for the child's haircut with Chris or one of her kid-friendly Lions and Tigers staff by calling 707 773 3711, or by popping into the LanMart Building at 18 kentucky Street, Petaluma for a blue ribbon bracelet or pin.