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Captain Jack and his cabin crew have been up all night a'fixing the island greeting in time for a steady stream of thousands seeking some seriously delicious golden doubloons.
See you in the slipstream, me hearties....
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Come clean, are you a Halloween enthusiast or not? Have you been planning your look for the past six weeks or will you be one of the many friends and neighbors showing up at my door tomorrow begging for a forage in the costume box?
It's slim pickings at this stage, as the boys have had at it, draping sofas, chairs and any clear surface inside of the house with scrunched up wigs and gold, lame bomber jackets, tatty old fake fur coats, an Elvis suit, pirate attire of various shapes and sizes, face paint, fake blood (all over the bathroom counter, thanks for that), Renaissance shirts and rapper glasses. It's all coming together, in a haphazard, somewhat eccentric sort of way. At least that's what I'm told. And the fantastic thing about the offspring all being of double digits in age at this stage, is that I haven't had to go traipsing around town and county in search of some random essential costuming element.
We all here in the house remember the oldest's rather unfortunate eighth grade Edward Scissorhands episode. Then there was a series of masks, Austin Powers, that sort of thing. Way too sweaty, ultimately distressing and almost totally vision impairing to parade safely up and down D Street.
Whatever mish-mash of a creative outfit comes out of the door for last ever elementary school parade is A OK with moi. It's only been about 14 million years since the oldest was at kindergarten, maybe I should be sporting a cave woman outfit in recognition of my tenure in line to view the annual grade-school parade?
As for me, I'm still thinking along the lines of historical Petaluma chicken ranch proprietress, but haven't decided if I need to hard boil the eggs first? Italian husband tends to look at me cross eyed whenever I bring up the concept. Think he'd prefer the French Maid approach, but why be boring with such rich, cultural heritage to call on? I know, how about exhausted English/American mother, sporadic writer and wife with faint image of ghostly, golf-club toting Italian Husband somewhere in the far outreaches of background? That might be a good one.
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Calling all crockpot cooks from Petaluma and beyond. Please take a few minutes to email your favorite crockpot recipe to littlepepper16@hotmail.com.
"We had such a wonderful gathering at the Peterson Farm," says Krista Gawronski of the Petaluma Fabulous (Fundraising) Women Group. "We supported COTS, raising over a thousand dollars for our local Committee on the Shelterless Organization. We are in the process of putting recipe books together for the transitional homes.....We plan on giving each home a book along with a new crock-pot. The gesture is perfect as we enter the cold season. I did get several recipes for soup and crock-pot meals, but we are still in need of more recipes. It takes a few moments.......but you'll feel good knowing that you were a part of this project. We aren't just donating money, we are sharing, teaching and influencing lifestyle changes. I'm putting the books together with a few women on Thursday night. Please send your recipes before then."
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Lace up your good walking shoes on November 14th and join Petaluma-based friends, family, co-workers, neighbors, community leaders, health care providers, athletes and nature lovers in Petaluma's first World Diabetes Day Walk to promote healthy living.
The number of people with diabetes is increasing at an alarming rate. Regular walking for at least a half an hour a day has been shown to reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes by a whopping 35 to 40% and for those who have already contracted diabetes, frequent activity undoubtedly helps to keep this disease under control.
Petaluma-based Family Nurse Practitioner and visionary Genevieve Foster has worked tirelessly to produce and promote this inaugural event which will take place at the super-cool Ellis Creek Water Recycling Facility from 10 am to noon at 3890 Cypress Drive, Petaluma, this November 14th.
Community groups and organizations will be on hand at the entrance to the walk around Ellis Creek to provide information and useful resources on diabetes and the enormous benefits of healthy nutrition and exercise.
Look out for Mayor, Pam Torliatt, Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey, well-known staff from Kaiser Permanente and the Petaluma Health Center as well as lots of independent doctors, walkers from the Petaluma Wetlands Alliance, The Phoenix Theater, Athletic Soles in what will be a terrific cross-section of our caring community.
This leisurely walk amidst the wildlife and natural beuaty of the area and guided tour is free of charge and you don't need to seek sponsorship to participate. A nice and simple way to spread awareness of diabetes and child-friendly, so bring the family. For more info: contact Genevieve Foster, FNP, CDE on 415 302 7414.
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Party of 12 for the weekend? Don't sweat breakfast, lunch and dinner in your over-stuffed home kitchen, when the call of the pancake, waffle and good old-fashioned Denver omelet await a ravenous crew.
Not too many breakfast joints around Southern Sonoma County that can seat and swiftly handle those big, boisterous groups for family brunch on the weekends. Top pick for one SoCo staple locale that can more than accomodate a Sunday morning slap-up breakie feast for the masses- (and not just because of the fact that frequently appearing Sonoma Country Life personalities Lesley and Michael are co-owners with partner Moose) is without a doubt the long-standing, super busy Redwood Cafe in Cotati.
I knew that breakfast/brunch at the cafe was a clear choice when figuring out the driving arrangements for would-be golfers, teens with homework on hold and pumpkin patch adventurers were standing on the doorstep scratching their heads in unison in post-harvest, family reunion recovery, looking to me for all of the answers at least until noon and the nosh-infused revival of previous-nights spirits.
Thanks to Michael's infamous talents as Sunday morning host with the most, catering to this party of 12 was a breeze of fluffy short-stacks, sizzling sausages, bacon, toast and home fries, eggs galore and gallons of hot coffee.
The Redwood Cafe is located at 8240 Old Redwood Hwy, Cotati. Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, seven days a week. If you are planning on taking the extended family out to eat over the holidays, it is a good idea to call ahead and have a table reserved, as the Redwood Cafe is a constant buzz of activity even on the quietest of weekends.
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Thanks to the many great friends and globe-trotting family members who made it to the vineyard for the post-harvest bash for the Italian Husband's "Festival of One", or should I say "Festival of 50". Quite a lot for one day- hence my lack of verbage. Let's just say that the balmy October evening was a total plus and the talents of our wonderful, volunteer crew of true gems in the deco department, oyster-schucking, pig carving, cleaning up ranks of real sweethearts made it a night to remember and saved my sanity. Not kidding!
(Cal West Rentals here in Petaluma did a splendid job in setting up party tents, lights and delivering tables, chairs, plates, silverware - the way to go if you are partying on a large scale at home in the future)
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Wow, wouldn't want to stand too close to these headpieces, but watching the San Vicente Aztec Dance Troupe bring history to full life at the Valley Vista Harvest Fair next Saturday (Halloween morning 9-12) would be a fantastic way to start the holiday!
Baile del Venado (Dance of the Deer) and Baile de la Lluvia (Dance of the Rain) are just two of the traditional harvest-time dances the fab San Vicente troupe will be performing. This special event is open to the community at large, so don't be shy! Fun and games galore after a healthy pancake breakfast with homemade applesauce and an emphasis on sustainable gardening centers around the school's showplace teaching garden.
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Loyal fans of the regional high school marching band competition that fills the the streets of historic West Petaluma with several hundred young people and the unforgettable sound of music will be sad to learn that the long=running competition has been canned this year due to across-the-board lack of critical funding in high school music programs.
It's these little things in life that actually amount to the major highlights of local life and it makes one wonder what next will drop off the roster of colorful, community rites.
Too late to fundraise to resurrect the marching band competition for this year, but its certainly not too late to help out Petaluma High School PTA as it strives to provide the hidden extras in so many exceptional aspects of a more rounded school experience.
call a couple of friends, gather a colleague or two, print off this flyer and take yourself down to Aqus Cafe tomorrow, Thursday, October 22nd, for a nice bit of lunch or early dinner nosh or a quick tea or coffee date. Twenty percent of profits from this handy-dandy neighborhood fundraiser will go directly into the coffers of Petaluma High's hard working PTA.
Partners at Aqus, Lesley and Michael, John and Anne-Laure have three current PHS student son between them and a soft spot for supporting local educational programs, in part due to the volume of student employees who so ably man (and woman) the espresso bar!
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