Southern Sonoma Country Life

Thanksgiving Greetings from Southern Sonoma County

 

Thanksgiving 

by Ella Wheeler Wilcox 1850 to 1919

 

We walk on starry fields of white
   And do not see the daisies;
For blessings common in our sight
   We rarely offer praises.
We sigh for some supreme delight
   To crown our lives with splendor,
And quite ignore our daily store
   Of pleasures sweet and tender.

Our cares are bold and push their way
   Upon our thought and feeling.
They hand about us all the day,
   Our time from pleasure stealing.
So unobtrusive many a joy
   We pass by and forget it,
But worry strives to own our lives,
   And conquers if we let it.

There’s not a day in all the year
   But holds some hidden pleasure,
And looking back, joys oft appear
   To brim the past’s wide measure.
But blessings are like friends, I hold,
   Who love and labor near us.
We ought to raise our notes of praise
   While living hearts can hear us.

Full many a blessing wears the guise
   Of worry or of trouble;
Far-seeing is the soul, and wise,
   Who knows the mask is double.
But he who has the faith and strength
   To thank his God for sorrow
Has found a joy without alloy
   To gladden every morrow.

We ought to make the moments notes
   Of happy, glad Thanksgiving;
The hours and days a silent phrase
   Of music we are living.
And so the theme should swell and grow
   As weeks and months pass o’er us,
And rise sublime at this good time,
   A grand Thanksgiving chorus.

Maybe because I'm an immigrant I personally don't have any major disappointment this year about not having as big a Thanksgiving as usual. Aside from dear friends who are staying home to be safe, my extended family and in-laws don't celebrate this American holiday with us anyway, as they're all overseas. There's no angst on breaking with tradition and hosting a smaller gathering than we typically enjoy. 

I know it's hard for so many and I hope that you're not too displaced yourself. 

I've been thinking that this year's Thanksgiving is a lot more like the European Harvest Festivals of my childhood in that we're looking more toward the natural bounty of our region than ever and we're extra grateful for home and hearth and garden and the simple pleasure of small outdoor fall and winter celebrations, whether it be a solo hike, supper for two or, best of all, for me, more intimate holiday gatherings with my husband and one, two or all three of our sons. 

There's not too much to say that hasn't been said a thousand times in the run up to the holidays 2020, so I'm sending you love and best wishes to you and yours from my corner of Sonoma County with a few of my favorite snapshots from this fall season. 

Enjoy your day, savor the simplicity and let Mother Nature do the decorating! 

 

Dream Big — Petaluma River Park Non-Profit Purchases Prime Recreational Land

Congratulations to everyone involved in supporting the Petaluma River Park non-profit organization on the successful purchase of the Petaluma River Park property in the heart of Petaluma. This has been an ambitious four-years-in-the-making dream by a dynamic group of community-minded individuals and families and it is an extraordinary accomplishment given the times that we are in. 

I've been thinking about the timing of this remarkable plan a lot over the past months in following the developments that have brought this dream to fruition. It strikes me as incredibly poignant that during an extensive period of global unrest and a pandemic in the latter stages of this big, local fundraising effort, these determined non-profit leaders stepped up their campaign with so much vigor and passion it's nothing less than an inspiration in human spirit. 

My husband Timo was honored to work with the non-profit from the start in brokering a very complex set of circumstances with the historic property that belonged to various descendants of the McNear Family, one of Petaluma's most storied, founding families. This would not have happened if it weren't for the many, many months of vision, hard work, negotiation & cooperation for all involved in the process, not least the financial and other donations from within our community. 

What we need going forward locally, regionally, nationally and globally, is more open space areas such as this for leisure and recreation and the fact that it's the people who are making this happen, not local government speaks volumes for what we are able to do within our communities when we truly set our minds to it. Thinking outside of the box will need to continue as fundraising efforts ramp up now to implement the various stages of this beautiful new river park. 

Here's a link to the article in the Santa Rosa Press Democrat this week on the historic property sale. 

And please do click here and check out the Petaluma River Park website to get on-board with being a part of this exciting development. 

 

Petaluma Arts Center Welcomes Back the Annual Members Show this Holiday Season

Mary Fassbinder, Amanda Bergan, Jennifer Jensen, Clark Mitchell and Peter Phibbs have stepped into action to set up the ANNUAL MEMBERS SHOW at Petaluma Arts Center. Art has been dropped off this past week or so and will be available to view online shortly. 

It's one of my favorite events — I'm always so impressed by the range of local talent in our midst. For a while, pre-pre-pandemic, there was a push away from the local element at the arts center in an effort to bring in regional visitors to high-profile traveling shows but it didn't pan out financially and so the returning emphasis now on local is more essential than ever in rallying support not only for our beloved arts center space but for the many artists in our community. 

The MEMBERS SHOW will be setup in the arts center main gallery and will be viewable online in the weeks ahead. 

Plans to showcase  the late Jon Gariepy's artwork have been put on hold until next year so more time and space may be dedicated to celebrating his life and legacy as a valued member of our community. That said, the arts center is pleased to have a piece of Jon's in its Petaluma Loves Art: Auction + Stories, graciously donated by Joe McDonald and in tandem with a decorated helmet created by David Best.

If you are interested in donating to Jon's memorial fund, please reach out to Lindsey at lgoodwin@petalumaartscenter.org.

Petaluma Loves Art: Auction + Stories Fundraiser December 1st - 7th The Arts Center is excited to present its inaugural Petaluma Loves Art: Auction + Stories fundraiser. On December 1st - 7th, the arts center will host an accompanying online silent auction, including over 25 stunning works of art donated generously by local collectors and artists.  Add to your collection or purchase a special holiday gift while knowing your purchase is supporting the arts in Sonoma County! In addition to supporting the Petaluma Arts Center, you will also have the opportunity to support Petaluma City Schools’ My Art Supply Kit program. You may donate directly to this program via our fund-a-need category benefiting each of the 2,200+ students in the school district with an at-home art supply kit to inspire creativity during the continued shut-downs.  *Due to rising COVID cases nationwide (and statewide), the Arts Center has decided to err on the side of caution and suspend in-person gallery viewings at this time. That said, all of the artwork will be photographed and available for high-quality viewing on the online auction site.
VIEW THE AUCTION AND REGISTER AS A BIDDER

Petaluma Gap Winegrower's Holiday Recipes —Thirty Seven Wines 2016 Reserve Pinot Paired With Wild Mushroom, Sausage and Sourdough Stuffing

Petaluma Gap Winegrower's Holiday Recipes – Trombetta Family Wines 2016 Gap's Crown Vineyard Pinot Noir Paired With Brussels Sprouts With Pancetta

Petaluma Gap Winemakers Holiday Recipes 2020 — Ernest Vineyards 2017 "The Wrangler" Grand Vent Vineyard Pinot Noir Paired with Tray-Baked Ratatouille & Roast Beef Tenderloin

 

 

 

Petaluma Gap Wine Alliance has been working hard compiling a super series of local wine and holiday food pairings for this 2020 Holiday Season. It's been one heck of a year here in Sonoma County with wildfires and smoke wreaking extended havoc on an already intense period in history. One thing we can all do as wine lovers is to seek out the fantastic cool climate wines made from fruit grown in the Petaluma Gap wind and fog tunnel and especially those crafted by local winemakers. 

I'll be sharing recipes from many of these dedicated and talented winemakers in the run up to Thanksgiving.

Click here for wines. 

 

Petaluma Gap Winemakers Holiday Recipes 2020 — Ron Noble Wines 2018 Estate Reserve Pinot Noir Paired with Yun's Chanterelles, Done Two Ways

 

 

 

Petaluma Gap Wine Alliance has been working hard compiling a super series of local wine and holiday food pairings for this 2020 Holiday Season. It's been one heck of a year here in Sonoma County with wildfires and smoke wreaking extended havoc on an already intense period in history. One thing we can all do as wine lovers is to seek out the fantastic cool climate wines made from fruit grown in the Petaluma Gap wind and fog tunnel and especially those crafted by local winemakers. 

I'll be sharing recipes from many of these dedicated and talented winemakers in the run up to Thanksgiving.

Click here for wines. 

Petaluma Gap Winegrower's Holiday Recipes — Sangiacomo Family Wines 2017 Roberts Road Pinot Noir Paired With Nonni Maria Julia's Ravioli and Short Rib Gravy

Petaluma Gap Winegrower's Holiday Recipes – Bruliam 2017 Sangiacomo Roberts Road Pinot Noir Paired With Tangy Cranberry Relish

 

 

Petaluma Gap Wine Alliance has been working hard compiling a super series of local wine and holiday food pairings for this 2020 Holiday Season. It's been one heck of a year here in Sonoma County with wildfires and smoke wreaking extended havoc on an already intense period in history. One thing we can all do as wine lovers is to seek out the fantastic cool climate wines made from fruit grown in the Petaluma Gap wind and fog tunnel and especially those crafted by local winemakers. 

I'll be sharing recipes from many of these dedicated and talented winemakers in the run up to Thanksgiving.

Click here for wines. 

New Non-Profit Sonoma County's Heartfelt Help Foundation Has Big Plans to Help Provide Post-Heart Transplant Housing

It's the season of giving and if you are looking for a local nonprofit to support, let me introduce you to the fantastic work of a local woman with one of the the biggest hearts in town. 

"After my own heart transplant surgery in 2018, I realized how many factors are involved in being approved for this life saving surgery," shares Denise Redeker, Petaluma-based Founder and CEO of Heartfelt Help Foundation. 

 

"You have to be sick enough to need it, healthy enough to survive it, have family and/or friends ready to be your caregivers, pass psycho-social evaluations and have the funds to pay the medically required costs that insurance doesn't cover."

 

The largest of these medically required costs is post transplant housing.  A heart transplant recipient is required to relocate to within a short drive of their transplant hospital for the first few months post transplant.

 

"These first months are when the patient is at their most medically fragile and require frequent follow up appointments at the hospital," says Denise. "This cost is, at best, minimally covered by insurance."

  

Denise's  own family's struggle to locate and afford suitable housing in Silicon Valley, while still maintaining their home in Petaluma was the inspiration behind Heartfelt Help Foundation. 

 

"We received our 501c3 designation this year and have established relationships with the Bay Area transplant facilities and also with short term apartment rental agencies and suite style hotels that provide the right kind of housing for patients while they are at their most immunosuppressed," says Denise. "Our first clients have been so grateful for the ability to focus on their recovery and not where the funds will be coming from to pay for temporary housing in two of the most expensive places to live in the Bay Area - Silicon Valley and San Francisco." 

 

Denise explains: "Our goal is to raise enough funds so that no Bay Area transplant recipient needs to worry about where the money is coming from for this relocation or be delayed in receiving their second chance due to a lack of funds."

 

 

Right now, Denise and her foundation have launched a new campaign to encourage recurring donations and are offering a thank you hat with a custom design that was created for the campaign by a local artist.  Click here to chip in. 

 

 

In addition to donations, please follow, like, and share Denise's content on Instagram @heartfelthelpfoundation!

 

Every bit of engagement helps share this message and promotes HHF to recipients the non-profit may be able to assist.

 

"We’re regularly posting updates about what we’ve been up to, how you can help transplant recipients in your area and interesting stats about organ donation," says Denise.