Free Will Astrology: Week of Oct. 29

-
0
Free Will Astrology: Week of Oct. 29

ARIES (March 21-April 19): On the outskirts of a village in Ghana, a healer gathers plants only when the moon says yes. She speaks the names of each leaf aloud, as if to ask permission, and never picks more than needed. She trusts that each herb has its own wisdom that she can learn from. I invite you to emulate her approach, Aries. Now is a good time to search for resources you need to heal and thrive. The best approach is to be receptive to what life brings you, and approach with reverence and gratitude. Halloween costume suggestion: herbalist, traditional healer, sacred botanist.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): A well-cut ship’s sail is not a flat sheet. It has a gentle curve that the sailmaker crafts stitch by stitch so the wind will catch and convert invisible pressure into forward motion. Too taut, and the cloth flaps, wasting energy; too loose, and power dissipates. The miracle lies in geometry tuned to an unseen current. I invite you to be inspired by this approach, Taurus. Build curvature into your plans so that optimism isn’t an afterthought but a structural feature. Calibrate your approaches to natural processes so movement arises from alignment rather than brute effort. Make sure your progress is fueled by what you love and trust. Halloween costume suggestion: Wear a sail.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): All of us can benefit from regular phases of purification: periods when we dedicate ourselves to cleansing, shedding and simplifying. During these intense times of self-healing, we might check our integrity levels to see if they remain high. We can atone for mistakes, scrub away messy karma and dismantle wasteful habits. Here’s another essential practice: disconnecting ourselves from influences that lower our energy and demean our soul. The coming weeks will be a perfect time to engage in these therapeutic pleasures, Gemini. Halloween costume suggestion: purifier, rejuvenator, cleanser, refiner.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Deep in the Pacific Ocean, male humpback whales sing the longest, slowest, most intricate love songs ever. Their bass tones are loud and strong, sometimes traveling for miles before reaching their intended recipients. The coming weeks will be an excellent time to compose and unleash your own ultimate love songs, Cancerian. Your emotional intelligence is peaking, and your passionate intensity is extra refined and attractive. Meditate on the specific nature of the gifts you want to offer and receive in return. Halloween costume suggestion: singer of love songs.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Between 1680 and 1725, Italy’s Antonio Stradivari and his family made legendary violins that are highly valued today. They selected alpine spruce trees and Balkan maple, seasoned the wood for years and laid varnish in painstaking layers that produced sublime resonance. Their genius craftsmanship can be summed up as the cumulative magic of meticulousness over time. I recommend their approach to you, Leo. Be in service to the long game. Commune with people, tools and commitments that age well. Act on the theory that beautiful tone is perfected in layers. Halloween costume suggestion: a fine craftsperson.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Trained women dancers in Rajasthan, India, perform the ancient art of bhavai. As folk music plays, they balance on the dull edge of a sword and hold up to 20 clay pots on their head. They sway with elegance and artistry, demonstrating an ultimate embodiment of “grace under pressure.” I don’t foresee challenges as demanding as that for you, Virgo. But I suspect you will have the poise and focus to accomplish the metaphorical equivalents of such a feat. Halloween costume suggestion: regal acrobat or nimble dancer.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): In 1968, researchers at Stanford conducted the “marshmallow test.” Children were offered a single sweet treat immediately. But if they didn’t quickly gobble down the marshmallow, thus postponing their gratification, they were awarded with two candies later. The kids who held out for the double reward didn’t do so by sheer willpower alone. Rather, they found clever ways to distract themselves to make the wait more bearable: making up games, focusing their attention elsewhere and adjusting their surroundings. I advise you to learn from their approach, Libra. Cultivate forbearance and poise without dimming your passion. Harness small triumphs of willpower into generating big, long-term gains. Diligent, focused effort invested now will almost certainly lead to satisfying outcomes. So please prioritize incremental, systematic grunt work over stunts and adrenaline. Halloween costume trick: Carry two marshmallows.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): In the late 18th century, Balloonomania came to Paris. Large crowds gathered to watch inventors and impresarios send hot air balloons into the sky. Spectators were astonished, fearful and filled with wonder. Some wept, and some fainted. I suspect you’re due for your own exhilarating lift-off, Scorpio—a surge of inspiration that may bewilder a few witnesses but will delight those with open minds. Halloween costume prop: wings.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Don’t be too shocked by my unusual list of raw materials that might soon turn out to be valuable: grime, muck, scuzz, scum, slop, bilge, slime and glop. Amazingly, this stuff may conceal treasures or could be converted into unexpected building materials. So I dare you to dive in and explore the disguised bounty. Proceed on the assumption that you will find things you can use when you distrust first impressions and probe beneath surfaces. Halloween costume suggestions: sacred janitor, recycling wizard, garbage genius.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): In the tidepools of America’s Pacific Northwest lives the ochre starfish, a keystone species that keeps mussel populations in check. Remove the starfish, and the ecosystem collapses into imbalance. Let’s make this creature your power symbol, Capricorn. The visible effect of your presence may not be flashy or vivid, but you will hold a stabilizing role in a group, project or relationship. Your quiet influence can keep things harmonious. Your gift is not to dominate the scene, but to keep the whole system alive and diverse. Halloween costume suggestion: ochre starfish (more info: tinyurl.com/OchreStarfish).

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): For hundreds of years, the Blackfoot people of North America built buffalo jumps. These were steep cliffs where herds of bison could be guided and driven over the edge during a hunt. It required elaborate cooperation. Scouts tracked the herd, decoys lured them toward the drop and prep teams waited below to process the meat, hides and bones for the whole community’s sustenance. I hope you will engage in smaller versions of this project. Now is an excellent time to initiate, inspire and foster shared efforts. Make it a high priority to work with allies you trust. Halloween costume suggestions: shepherd, sheep dog, cowboy, vaquero.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): In the ancient Greek world, oracles spoke in riddles. This was not because they were coy, but because they understood that truth must often arrive obliquely. Directness is overrated when the soul is in motion. Mythic modes of perception don’t obey the laws of logic. In this spirit, Pisces, I invite you to make riddles and ambiguities be your allies. A dream, an overheard conversation or a misheard lyric may contain an enigmatic but pithy code. You should be alert for messages that arrive sideways and upside down. Tilt your head. Read between the flames. You will understand when your heart recognizes what your mind can’t name. Halloween costume suggestion: oracle or fortune-teller.

Graffeo Coffee Roastery Begins New Chapter

-
0
Graffeo Coffee Roastery Begins New Chapter

There are few things more satisfying than a hot cup of coffee, especially after two hours in the ocean at Stinson Beach. 

And as it turns out, along with fresh made pistachio-filled pastries and black bean breakfast burritos, Parkside Café’s kiosk offers a range of coffee options prepared with beans from a revered roastery that has been quietly selling their coffee out of a storefront on Columbus Avenue in San Francisco’s North Beach neighborhood since 1935.

Graffeo Coffee is San Francisco’s oldest roastery. 

While the flagship storefront remains in the very same location it began in 90 years ago, a smaller roastery was opened in 1977 at 1314 Fourth St. in San Rafael when owner Luciano Repetto moved to Marin so he could cut down on his commute and split his time between the two locations. Repetto recalls a bustling downtown where shoppers often complained about how hard it was to park when they would stop in to purchase their weekly fresh-roasted supply of Graffeo beans.

The now 80-year-old Repetto has long since moved back to San Francisco and recently spoke about Graffeo’s storied history to a handful of interested folks from the Italian Community Services, a nearby neighborhood group. 

“We only do one thing here—we don’t have croissants, cute aprons or CDs,” he explains. “We roast specialty coffee, and our emphasis has always been on freshness.”

The store at 735 Columbus Ave. was originally owned and operated by Sicilian immigrant Giovanni Graffeo from 1935 until his death in 1944. The subsequent owner, Antonio Spinelli, also from Sicily, sold coffee, olive oil and pasta to his customers out of the same storefront for almost eight years until he passed away. 

That space remained shuttered for more than a year, until Repetto’s father, Giovanni, who had learned to roast coffee from his father in Liguria, bought the store in 1953. The third-generation coffee roaster whose own father had honed his craft aboard ocean sailing ships, roasting beans for the crews in 1890, would go on to operate Graffeo for 23 years.

Today, the first-generation Italian American Repetto continues in his father’s footsteps. “I got rid of my suits and ties from my sales job and came back to run the business when my father retired in 1978,” says Repetto, who has been quietly and meticulously building Graffeo into what it is today—a luxury roast coveted by coffee lovers across the nation.

Graffeo offers only one blend of beans—roasted two ways—Dark Roast and Light Roast made from a special blend of beans from Colombia, New Guinea and Costa Rica. There is also a Swiss Water Decaf option. 

Repetto has steered away from the drum roasting method used by most coffee roasters and instead goes with a more precise temperature-controlled fluid bed technique that he learned from a chemical engineer, Mike Sivetz in Oregon, who specialized in coffee processing. He has expertly refined and calibrated the process over decades and patiently explains how there is no fluid used in the process—the fluid refers to the way the beans act like fluid in a bed of air. 

“We roast completely by temperature,” explains Repetto. He adds that beans roast from the inside out, with this temperature-controlled convection method allowing them to be roasted evenly all the way through. 

While the majority of Graffeo’s beans are roasted in San Francisco’s 2000 square foot space, the Fourth Street roastery is smaller and limits its roasting output to no more than 50 pounds per day. The setup is almost identical to San Francisco; an old school computer manually controls a ceiling high roaster where the beans are precisely roasted by the same fluid bed process utilized in North Beach. 

Joey Edelman is the friendly face behind the counter at the sparse Fourth Street location, where he learned the ropes from Repetto four years ago. He has become a fixture at the Marin outpost. “Luciano is really the genius of this operation. He not only built these roasters, but he also created a lot of the clientele,” explains Edelman, adding that many of the customers will have nothing else. 

Edelman expertly weighs and serves up one-pound bags of beans to longtime regulars who come into the no-frills storefront. He also maintains a robust mail-order list of hundreds of customers who have moved away from the Bay Area and have remained loyal to Graffeo, refusing to give up their favorite coffee.

Since freshness of the beans is paramount to Graffeo, they only roast a small selection of beans (350 to 450 pounds daily) and sell everything they roast. Arguably, the smaller output in Marin might be even fresher than the beans roasted over the bridge, as presumably the entire small batch is always sold out. 

Unsurprisingly, Repetto is no longer doing all the roasting himself and leaves most of the demanding physical work to a small team. But when he was asked about his plans for continuing the business, his response was, “I don’t know—I never think of it.” That is until a year and a half ago, when he was introduced to Walter A. Haas III, grandson of Walter A. Haas Jr., the late president of Levi Strauss & Co.

After a year of negotiations, sixth-generation San Franciscan Walter Haas acquired a controlling stake of Graffeo from Repetto, who remains a partner and co-owner. “We haven’t changed the product at all—the blend is the same, and the personnel are the same. The only difference is that we’ve expanded online, and I’m not here all the time—which is really cool,” jokes Repetto, who has only praise for Haas and calls him a very capable guy. 

The admiration appears mutual, as Haas is quick to acknowledge Repetto. “None of this could have been possible without the thousands of hours that Repetto has put in. He is a true innovator. He is beyond ahead of his time,” says Haas, who now views his job as a marketing one. This entails getting coffee into people’s hands, and the rest is done, he adds confidently.

Of course, the Haas name is well known in the Bay Area and is synonymous with not only Levi Strauss, the Oakland A’s and a business school at the University of California, Berkeley, but also for generous philanthropic efforts. In keeping with his family’s legacy, Haas has partnered with The Phoenix, an addiction recovery organization, to create “The Phoenix Blend” coffee. For every bag of this special roast sold, Graffeo donates $10 to The Phoenix to support its free, sober activities across the country. 

While plans to expand Graffeo’s footprint are underway—especially in fine restaurants and specialty stores (it’s currently in about 100 restaurants and grocery stores, including Mill Valley Market, Woodlands, Scotty’s, Parkside and many more in San Francisco), the storefronts will remain largely the same. Haas says he intends to grow Graffeo’s presence in a considered and thoughtful way while preserving its rich history and timeless approach.

Perhaps Repetto said it best: “You have an old established label, now in the hands of an old established family.” 

To experience this legacy coffee, visit one of the roastery locations to pick up beans at 735 Columbus Ave. in San Francisco or at 1314 Fourth St. in San Rafael. Graffeo will also be serving up its specialty brew at the upcoming sfcoffeefestival.com in Fort Mason.

Cash vs. Care, an Unhealthy Shutdown

-
0
Cash vs. Care, an Unhealthy Shutdown

Health care access in this country is in grave danger—and your wallet could be, too.

At issue are the 24 million Americans who benefit from the soon-to-expire tax credits that help them afford their health coverage on the Affordable Care Act marketplace. Around 2 million of these live in California. When Republicans passed their tax cuts for billionaires and corporations in this summer’s so-called One Big Beautiful Bill, they intentionally left out renewing this credit that helps regular people afford health care.

As a result, according to KFF Health (an independent source for health policy research), not only could the 24 million ACA users see a doubling of their premium costs, but most Americans could see their premiums rise if this tax credit isn’t renewed.

Coupled with the more than $1 trillion that the GOP bill gutted from Medicaid in order to fund those massive tax giveaways to billionaires, Americans are about to experience significant reductions in their access to health coverage, long-term care, nursing home care and hospital care, especially in rural areas.

This is what’s at stake with the current government shutdown on Capitol Hill.

The Republican majority is trying to pass a stop-gap spending measure that sustains President Donald Trump’s mass firings of public servants, maintains his freeze on nearly half a trillion dollars meant for our communities and keeps their cuts to everything from education to health care, food assistance, student loans and even cancer research. Some lawmakers want to stop this calamity from happening.

The Democrats have a counterproposal to fund the government that restores this health care funding, keeps costs under control for families already grappling with high costs of living and prohibits illegally freezing appropriated funds. But with Republican majorities in the House and Senate, the Democrats’ proposal hasn’t been able to pass.

Nearly 80% of Americans—including most Trump supporters—want lawmakers to restore those expiring ACA credits. The sooner we do, the sooner the government can reopen and our families can receive the care and services we need.

Karen Dolan directs the Criminalization of Race and Poverty Project at the Institute for Policy Studies.

The Butterfly Effect with Hallberg’s Board President Donald L. Mahoney

-
0
The Butterfly Effect with Hallberg’s Board President Donald L. Mahoney

This is a bridge. Just three weeks ago, I wrote a cover story on the general decline and collapse of North American butterfly populations within the greater context of the current global mass extinction (“Another Silent Spring,” Oct. 3 Bohemian and Pacific Sun).

This week, I present a rainbow ray of hope in connecting readers with just one of the groups fighting for butterfly survival amidst the general “insect apocalypse”—The Hallberg Butterfly Gardens in Sebastopol. The butterfly gardens that Louise Hallberg established at her family apple farm survive her, as a regional model of what can be achieved for the butterfly in long developed and agricultural areas.

While butterfly gardening—a variety of “pollinator” or “habitat” gardening and landscaping—is lower on the conservation wishlist than more contiguous wild parks, the abatement of invasive species and stopping the wholesale use of pesticides in favor of organic management, it is important, and something we are empowered to do now, this rainy planting season.

Louise Hallberg’s old friend, Hallberg president and butterfly fancier Donald Mahoney, toured me around the classic 1910 farm house (replete with square turret and tumble down barn). Around it, some 30-40 species of butterfly “nectaring” or “host” plants have been planted and tended. Their reward for this work is a historic record of 55 butterfly species sited.

An aspect of the butterfly gardens I will share is that while beautiful and thoughtfully tended, they are not tidy, but instead semi-wild. There are no leaf rakes in wild nature, and dead trees are handled not by chainsaws but by bugs and bacteria, moss and fungi. This dead matter is essential to the lifecycle of insects. In compensation for this, the Hallberg butterfly gardens are one of the most magically alive gardens I have ever been in. It seems that if one takes care of the butterflies and insects, the lizards and squirrels and foxes and birds will take care of themselves.

Cincinnatus Hibbard: Donald, you said that children lose their native love of insects as they enter the culture—which is strongly anti-bug. How do you bring them back into it?

Donald Mahoney: If you look at them closely, each one is a living work of art.

These butterfly gardens are long established with many habit echoing features. How do folks get started?

Louise [Hallberg] would say, “Get a good butterfly book and plant a buddleja.” Buddleja bloom in the summer and will attract any butterfly within five blocks of your house. Look up what butterfly species show up to nectar in your butterfly book, then plant what larvae [host] plants that butterfly uses. Then you have a beginning.

Recommend a butterfly book?

I like Art Shapiro’s Butterflies of the Bay Area.

Any other general advice?

You need to have plants that bloom in spring, winter and fall. Ceanothus for the spring, then after that wild flowers take over. In the summer, buckwheat and toyon; in the fall, native asters and goldenrod. Also, plant milkweed for monarchs. And don’t spray pesticides or buy commercial plants that have been pre-treated with pesticides. If a butterfly nectars on a treated flower, it will likely die.

Learn more: The Hallberg Butterfly Gardens are open for tours, lectures and butterfly plant sales by appointment from April through October. Contact in**@**********************ns.org or 707.823.3420. Garden volunteers and donations are welcome all year. The staff urges monarch lovers to participate in the official count for the now endangered Western monarch butterfly, organized in conjunction with the Xerces Butterfly Society. Submit butterfly sighting photos to inaturalist.org.

Senior Pooches, Soulful Grooves, Irish Spirit and Death

-
0
Senior Pooches, Soulful Grooves, Irish Spirit and Death

Petaluma

Saving Senior Dogs Week

The seventh annual Saving Senior Dogs Week, presented by Lily’s Legacy Senior Dog Sanctuary, runs Oct. 25–31, shining a national spotlight on the challenges—and the charm—of older dogs in need of homes. Throughout the week, senior dog rescues from across the country will share hundreds of heartwarming adoption stories and vital information on social media to raise awareness and funds for their lifesaving work. Founded in Petaluma, Lily’s Legacy champions the cause of homeless senior dogs, the most at-risk group in overwhelmed shelters. Encouragingly, adoptions are trending upward: Over the past decade, the number of U.S. households with dogs older than seven has grown from 42% to 52%. Still, advocates say, more adopters and donors are needed to give these loyal companions the second chance they deserve. Learn more or get involved at lilyslegacy.org.

Sebastopol

Wreckless Monsoon

Bay Area jam favorite New Monsoon returns to HopMonk Sebastopol’s Abbey stage for a night of electric energy and soulful grooves, presented by KC Turner. Opening the show is Wreckless Strangers, whose “Bay Area Gumbo” sound stirs together blues, Americana, funk and classic rock. Together, the two bands promise an evening of musicianship and homegrown rhythm straight from the Bay Area’s beating heart. 7pm doors, 8pm show, Saturday, Oct. 25, HopMonk Sebastopol (The Abbey), 230 Petaluma Ave. Tickets $22 at hopmonk.com/livemusic.

Fairfax

Fairfax Irish Fest

The spirit of Ireland comes alive across downtown Fairfax as pubs, cafés and community spaces host a weekend of live Celtic music and dance. The Fairfax Irish Festival brings together musicians and dancers from across the Bay Area for three days of toe-tapping tunes and good cheer in eight walkable venues—including the Fairfax Pavilion. Most events are family-friendly and free. 1–10pm, Saturday, Oct. 25 (also Oct. 24 & 26), downtown Fairfax, 2001 Sir Francis Drake Blvd. Free. fairfaxirishfestival.com.

Woodacre

Mindfulness of Death

Spirit Rock Meditation Center hosts a multi-day retreat exploring Mindfulness of Death (maraṇasati)—a Buddhist practice of embracing impermanence to awaken more fully to life. Led by teachers Eugene Cash, Victoria Cary, Frank Ostaseski and Hakim Tafari, the retreat combines mindful awareness, compassion, guided visualization and contemplative inquiry to deepen appreciation for the fleeting nature of existence. 2:30–9pm, Saturday, Oct. 25 (continues through Oct. 28), Spirit Rock Meditation Center, 5000 Sir Francis Drake Blvd., Woodacre. $665–$1,050. bit.ly/3JiVVGR.

Your Letters, Oct. 22

-
0

Stepping Up

Sonoma County Democrats are urging Petaluma voters to vote YES on Measure I, which would provide locally controlled funding for our junior high/ high schools that cannot be taken away by the state to attract/ retain excellent teachers; enhance math, science, engineering, technology, writing programs; maintain smaller class sizes; and prepare students for college/ careers. 

Petaluma Joint Union High School District Educational Excellence Measure would levy an $129 educational parcel tax, raising $3,020,000 annually, for eight years, with exemptions for seniors, no funds for administrators’ salaries and independent citizen oversight.

It is crucial that our community respond to dwindling state and federal support by stepping up and providing our teachers and students with the funding needed for high quality education.

Vote by Nov. 4 for the Nov. 4 Special Election.

Pat Sabo
Sonoma County 

Church and Hate

While there are still some flimsy safeguards to separate Church from State in our country, the past 40 years or so have seen an advancing partnership involving Church and Hate.

The days are long past when religious groups stood on the periphery of party politics. The most active are also the most regressive and grounded in racial and social practices that are undemocratic at best. 

That so many pressure groups are so fixed against DEI, gender identification fluidity and so-called “woke” culture is heavy with irony, and we Americans are now living out a new form of entrenched “blame the victim” drama, propelled by self-styled and well-funded believers. Believing in what is what’s uncertain.

Craig J. Corsini
San Rafael

Author Michael Bourne to Discuss New Eco-Thriller at North Bay Bookstore Events

-
0
Author Michael Bourne to Discuss New Eco-Thriller at North Bay Bookstore Events

It took Vancouver-based author Michael Bourne three years to write his second and latest novel, We Bring You an Hour of Darkness, but he knew from the beginning what he wanted to write about.

“I wanted to create a detective story in which the detectives were the reporters at a small-town newspaper,” he said during a recent phone interview. The idea was prompted by his time working in a newsroom in Aspen, Colorado, in the early ’90s—a rich and memorable moment that included interviewing gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson on more than one occasion.

“I didn’t even ski. I just went there for a job,” Bourne said. “And I thought to myself: ‘This place is so ripe for a story. The hot-house atmosphere of the newsroom; this tiny, little newsroom creating a newspaper every day of the week. The hot-house atmosphere of the ski town.’”

So he set the story in 1993, by his reckoning the last year a newspaper could be wholly print-based, before the internet changed media and society forever.

“It’s not a nostalgia thing,” he said. “I wanted to capture what is a bygone world. The rules were different, and the baseline assumptions were different about how things worked. I wanted to capture that in a newspaper where you’re printing the news every day, but it only comes out once a day, not 17,000 times.”

Furthermore, Bourne wanted the old-fashion newsroom to function like a character in the story, with each reporter contributing their individual part to the whole. And finally, he wanted the central character, newspaper editor Tish Threadgill, to be a woman.

“I was surrounded growing up by really strong women,” Bourne said. “There’s a lot of my mother in Tish Threadgill, and there’s a lot of my wife and her strong women friends, who are feminists. But they’re not feminists in the political sense. They’re just about getting stuff done.

“[Threadgill] is a journalist to her fingertips,” he added. “She’s somebody who drank the Kool-Aid of the ’70s and ’80s ethos of being a reporter. You know—they ‘afflict the comfortable and comfort the afflicted.’”

As his manuscript progressed and the plot evolved to include eco-terrorist attacks loosely based on a 1998 arson incident at the Vail ski resort, Bourne found himself researching Earth First and then the Earth Liberation Front—a much more violent and destructive iteration of militant environmental activism.

“I got really interested in this question, which is what all eco-terrorism and terrorism groups have to face,” he said. “At what point does activism become violent, and at what point is it ever justified to blow up things and potentially hurt people?”

Eventually, the story came to include a book-within-a-book, or rather an eco-terrorism handbook promulgated by the founder of an underground activist group calling itself the Jack Frost Collective. By then, the plot was thick indeed.

Bourne grew up in Mill Valley and currently lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, where he works as a writer/editor. His debut novel, Blithedale Canyon, received rave reviews in Publishers Weekly and other publications. 

To find out how his new “gripping story of a town under siege and a newspaper editor who pushes her reporters to the gray areas of the law” plays out, one may purchase We Bring You an Hour of Darkness online or at independent bookstores everywhere.

Catch Michael Bourne in person on his West Coast book-signing tour at Book Passage in Corte Madera at 1pm on Sunday, Oct. 26, or in conversation with local author Anne Belden at Reader’s Books in Sonoma at 6pm on Wednesday, Oct. 29, and at Copperfield’s in Petaluma at 7pm on Thursday, Oct. 30.

‘We Bring You an Hour of Darkness’ by Michael Bourne; release date: Oct. 14, 2025; DopppelHouse Press.

Free Will Astrology: Oct. 22-28

-
0
Free Will Astrology: Oct. 22-28

ARIES (March 21-April 19): I bet your upcoming night dreams will include marriages, mating dances and sacramental unions. Even if you are not planning deeper mergers with trustworthy allies in your waking life, your subconscious mind is musing on such possibilities. I hope this horoscope inspires you to make such fantasies more conscious. What collaborations and blends would serve you well? Give your imagination permission to ponder new and exciting connections. Visualize yourself thriving amidst new connections.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): In winemaking, malolactic fermentation softens a wine’s tart malic acid into gentler lactic acid. This process imparts a creamier and rounder mouthfeel, while preserving the wine’s structure. In accordance with astrological omens, I invite you to adopt this as your metaphor of power. See if you can refine your intensity without losing your integrity. Keep things interesting, but soften the edges a bit. Introduce warmth and steadiness into provocative situations so they’re free of irritation and easier to engage with, but still enriching.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): The coming weeks will be an excellent time to practice the art of strategic disruption. One way to do it is to interrupt your patterns so they don’t calcify and obstruct you. Just for fun, you could eat breakfast for dinner. Take a different route to a familiar place. Talk to a person you would usually avoid. Say no when you’d normally say yes, or vice versa. Part of your brain loves efficiency, habits and well-worn grooves. But grooves can become ruts. As a rousing spiritual experiment, you could do things differently for no reason except to prove to yourself that you can. Playful chaos can be a form of prayer. Messing with your standard approaches will unleash your creativity.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): In Shinto mythology, Ame-no-Uzume is the goddess of mirth and revelry. In one story, she seduces the sun out of its hiding place by performing a humorous and provocative dance. I am sending her over to your sphere right now in the hope that she will coax you out of your comfort zone of retreat, control and self-protection. While I’m glad you have taken this break to recharge your spiritual batteries, I think it’s time to come out and play. You have done important work to nurture and process your deep feelings. Now we would love you to express what you’ve learned with freewheeling panache.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Ancient cultures in Sumeria, Egypt and China used willow bark as a pain reliever. Many centuries later, in 1828, European scientists isolated the chemical salicin from the bark and used it to create aspirin. What had been a folk remedy became a widely used medicine all over the planet. Is there a metaphorically comparable development unfolding in your life? I think so. Something you’ve known or practiced could be evolving into its next form. The world may finally be ready to receive wisdom, a technique or an insight you’ve used for a long time. Consider refining and upgrading it. Share it in ways that meet the present moment’s specific need.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): In honor of your unique needs right now, Virgo, I am coining a new English word: edge-ucation. It’s like “education” but with an extra edge. Though book-learning is included in its purview, it also requires you to seek out raw teaching in all possible ways: on the streets, the bedroom, the natural world, everywhere. To properly pursue your higher edge-education, you must hunt down provocative influences, thought-provoking adventures and unfamiliar stimulation. Make the whole world your laboratory and classroom.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): When I began writing horoscopes years ago, I had greater empathy with some of the signs than with others. But I worked hard to overcome this bias, and now I truly love and understand every tribe of the zodiac equally. I attribute this accomplishment to the fact that I have three Libra planets in my natal chart. They have propelled me to develop a warm, affectionate, fair-minded objectivity. I have a deeply honed capacity for seeing and liking people as they genuinely are, without imposing my expectations and projections onto them. The coming weeks will be an excellent time to tap into these qualities in yourself, dear Libra.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Many cultures regard obsidian as having protective powers against negative energy. This makes it popular for healing talismans. Obsidian mirrors have often been used to scry for visions and prophecies. Because obsidian is so sharp, ancient peoples incorporated it into tools used to hunt for food, like knives and arrowheads. In modern times, obsidian is used for its beauty in tabletops, tiles and architectural components. Do you know how this precious substance is formed? It’s born in the shock between elements: molten lava meets water or cool air and hardens so quickly that crystals can’t form, trapping a mirror-dark clarity in volcanic glass. I propose we make it your symbolic power object in the coming months, Scorpio.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Medieval alchemists engaged in literal laboratory work as they attempted to create elixirs of immortality, concoct medicines to heal diseases and metamorphose lead into gold. But the modern practice of alchemy is primarily a psychological effort to achieve awakening and enlightenment. In the early stages of the work, the seeker experiences the metaphorical “black sun.” It’s a dark radiance, the beginning of creative decay, that fuels the coming transformation. I suspect you now have the potential to call on this potent asset, Sagittarius. It’s wild, though. You must proceed with caution and discernment. What worn-out aspects of yourself are you ready to let rot, thereby fertilizing future growth?

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): In Japan, shakkei refers to the practice of “borrowed scenery.” The idea is to create a garden so that surrounding features become part of its expansive context: distant mountains, an expanse of sky or a nearby body of water. The artistry lies in allowing the horizon to merge gracefully with what’s close at hand. I recommend this approach to you, Capricorn. Frame your current project with a backdrop that enlarges it. Partner with places, influences or long-view purposes that augment your meaning and enhance your beauty. Align your personal actions with a vast story so they send even more potent ripples out into the world.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Computer scientist Radia Perlman is the “Mother of the Internet.” She invented the Spanning Tree Protocol, a component that’s essential for the flow of online data. Despite her work’s splashy importance, hardly anyone knows of her. With that in mind, I remind you: Some revolutions unfold with little fanfare; positive transformations may be inconspicuous. How does that relate to you? I suspect the next beautiful or useful thing you contribute may also be veiled and underestimated, at least at first. And yet it may ultimately generate a shift more significant than you can now imagine. My advice is to trust the long game. You’re doing good work, though its recognition may be late in arriving.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): The mystical Persian poet Hafez wrote, “Fear is the cheapest room in the house. I’d like to see you living in better conditions.” Picture that shabby room, Pisces: cramped, dim, damp. Now imagine you have resolved to never again live in such a place. In fact, sometime soon you will move, metaphorically speaking, into a spacious, high-ceilinged place with wide windows and skylights, fresh air flooding through. I believe life will conspire on your behalf if you initiate this bold move. You now have extra power to exorcize at least some of your angsts and embrace liberating joy.

A Lifetime of Learning: Damy Tamburrino of Foppiano Vineyards

-
0
A Lifetime of Learning: Damy Tamburrino of Foppiano Vineyards

Today, Damy Tamburrino’s title is director of direct to consumer and hospitality at Foppiano Vineyards. However, his 40-plus year career in the wine, spirits and culinary industry has made him an expert in the field, with a lifetime of immersion and genuine passion for great food and wine. 

Amber Turpin: How did you get into this work?

Damy Tamburrino: It was a natural progression. My parents came to the United States by ship while my mom was pregnant with me. I was born in Berkeley and raised in North Oakland, an immigrant neighborhood, mostly Italian and Irish. Needless to say, all our fellow Italians canned tomatoes, eggplant, artichokes, bell peppers and made wine with friends…

My father always kept his old wine bottles, and I remember the labels well: Louis Martini, Foppiano and Sebastiani. At the age of 16, I got a job at a local wine shop run by the Navone family. There, I learned about imported and California wines, beer and spirits.

Did you ever have an ‘aha’ moment with a certain beverage? If so, tell us about it.

Many of my buddies and I worked at College Ave. Wine, Spirits and Deli. This shaped my career… We built one of the first wine bars in Berkeley. All of us were a real mechanical group and built hot rods, what you would have called ‘gear heads.’ 

I remember one night, my buddies showed up at my parents’ (place) in a souped-up 650hp 1969 302 Z-28, and they poured me wine out of a brown paper bag into a plastic cup. One friend said to me, ‘Taste this, and tell me what it is.’ Me: ‘Uh, I don’t know; tastes like petite sirah?’ And I was right; it was Foppiano Petite Sirah.

What is your favorite thing to drink at home?

My wife, Rocio, and I love to travel throughout the Mediterranean. I’m really into PIGS wines—Portugal, Italy, Greece and Spain—hard to find around here, but our Foppiano Vermentino is amazing. To a smaller degree, small batch bourbon and micro-brews.

Where do you like to go out for a drink?

Currently, at home with friends and family, just shooting the %&*#, with lots of Foppiano wine, of course.

If you were stuck on a desert island, what would you want to be drinking (besides fresh water)?

Hopefully, the sailors brought along a barrel of Barbados Rum, a barrel of IPA, a barrel of Aquavit and a barrel of fine Portuguese Madeira. Better than money.

Foppiano Vineyards, 12707 Old Redwood Hwy., Healdsburg, 707.433.7272. foppiano.com. 

Stirring Strings, Hound Howls and Area 54 Aliens

-
0
Stirring Strings, Hound Howls and Area 54 Aliens

San Rafael

Dog Jam Tunes Up 

Red Hill Community Dog Park’s “Dog Jam” music series has one more upcoming Sunday of live music, cold brews and canine camaraderie—all to support the volunteer-run dog park. Hosted at Pond Farm Brewing Co., the fundraiser series raises money for essential park maintenance, from gravel and lumber to plumbing and paint. Each $35 ticket includes two free drinks, a raffle entry and an afternoon of music from local favorites Stella Orr, Aaron Halford and Henry & Eli on Oct. 19. Silent auctions, Red Hill Dog Park merch and plenty of tail-wagging energy round out the vibe.

4–7pm, Sunday, Oct. 19, Pond Farm Brewing Co., 1848 Fourth St., San Rafael. Tickets $35–$40. All ages and well-behaved dogs are welcome.

Santa Rosa

Intergalactic Alien Disco

It’s time to beam up for a night of cosmic revelry when Performance Lab, Vintage Space and the Neflar Star Empire present AREA 54: An Intergalactic Alien Disco on Saturday, Oct. 18 at Vintage Space in Santa Rosa. Doors open at 8pm, with the party launching at 9pm. The night promises extraterrestrial entertainment including DJ Saint Rose Disco, DJ Dyops (profiled in this issue’s “Locals” column on page 12), a Sexy Scary Alien Burlesque and Alien Dance Battles. The galaxy’s own Space Walker appears as Space Don Cornelius, with luminous light art by Magicalized and cocktails like the appropriately titled Blue Milk. Whether one comes as a Martian, a moonwalker or just a creature of the night, expect a shimmering mashup of sci-fi spectacle and disco decadence. Costumes encouraged, gravity optional.

8pm–late, Saturday, Oct. 18, Vintage Space, 4001 Santa Rosa Ave., Santa Rosa. Tickets $15 advance, $20 day of. Visit vintagespacesr.com for info.

Calistoga

Harvest Reverie at Hans Fahden 

A fusion of fashion, music and magic descends upon Calistoga when Hans Fahden Winery hosts Harvest Reverie—an immersive bridal fashion show and musical showcase—on Saturday, Oct. 18, from 6–10pm. Guests will be transported into a dreamscape of fall romance as designer Chenoa Faun unveils her new bridal and gown collection alongside guest designer Georgie Scheiblich in “A Runway of Dreams,” set inside Hans Fahden’s candlelit wine caves. The night unfolds with live performances from Tumbleweed Soul Duo, Rainy Eyes and Jenica Thorp & Friends, with a guest dancer bringing kinetic artistry to the stage. Sparkling, red and white wines will flow (first glass complimentary), enhancing the evening’s ethereal ambiance amid the winery’s lush vineyards and mystical caverns. Tickets are $25 presale and $30 at the door.

6pm doors and live music; 8pm fashion show; 8:30pm headline acts continue. Hans Fahden Winery, 4855 Petrified Forest Rd., Calistoga. More info at hansfahden.com.

Mill Valley

53rd Season of Chamber Music

Chamber Music Marin launches its 2025–26 season with the award-winning Esmé Quartet. Formed in Cologne and now resident at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, Esmé—winners of London’s Wigmore Hall International String Quartet Competition—will perform Ravel’s String Quartet, Dutilleux’s Ainsi la nuit and Beethoven’s Op. 131 on Oct. 19 in Mill Valley. Now in its 53rd year, Chamber Music Marin presents five world-class ensembles in an intimate setting at accessible prices.

Tickets $48 GA; subscriptions available; youths 18 and under free. The performance begins at 5pm, Sunday, Oct. 19, at Mt. Tamalpais United Methodist Church, 410 Sycamore Ave., Mill Valley. chambermusicmarin.org.

Free Will Astrology: Week of Oct. 29

Free Will Astrology
ARIES (March 21-April 19): On the outskirts of a village in Ghana, a healer gathers plants only when the moon says yes. She speaks the names of each leaf aloud, as if to ask permission, and never picks more than needed. She trusts that each herb has its own wisdom that she can learn from. I invite you to...
Read more

Graffeo Coffee Roastery Begins New Chapter

Graffeo Coffee is San Francisco’s oldest roastery.
There are few things more satisfying than a hot cup of coffee, especially after two hours in the ocean at Stinson Beach.  And as it turns out, along with fresh made pistachio-filled pastries and black bean breakfast burritos, Parkside Café’s kiosk offers a range of coffee options prepared with beans from a revered roastery that has been quietly selling their...
Read more

Cash vs. Care, an Unhealthy Shutdown

Open Mic writers express their perspectives on a variety of topics.
Health care access in this country is in grave danger—and your wallet could be, too. At issue are the 24 million Americans who benefit from the soon-to-expire tax credits that help them afford their health coverage on the Affordable Care Act marketplace. Around 2 million of these live in California. When Republicans passed their tax cuts for billionaires and corporations...
Read more

The Butterfly Effect with Hallberg’s Board President Donald L. Mahoney

Donald Mahoney standing near flowers that attract butterflies to the garden.
This is a bridge. Just three weeks ago, I wrote a cover story on the general decline and collapse of North American butterfly populations within the greater context of the current global mass extinction (“Another Silent Spring,” Oct. 3 Bohemian and Pacific Sun). This week, I present a rainbow ray of hope in connecting readers with just one of the...
Read more

Senior Pooches, Soulful Grooves, Irish Spirit and Death

Saving Senior Dogs Week shines a spotlight on the challenges—and the charm—of older dogs in need of homes.
Petaluma Saving Senior Dogs Week The seventh annual Saving Senior Dogs Week, presented by Lily’s Legacy Senior Dog Sanctuary, runs Oct. 25–31, shining a national spotlight on the challenges—and the charm—of older dogs in need of homes. Throughout the week, senior dog rescues from across the country will share hundreds of heartwarming adoption stories and vital information on social media to...
Read more

Your Letters, Oct. 22

Stepping Up Sonoma County Democrats are urging Petaluma voters to vote YES on Measure I, which would provide locally controlled funding for our junior high/ high schools that cannot be taken away by the state to attract/ retain excellent teachers; enhance math, science, engineering, technology, writing programs; maintain smaller class sizes; and prepare students for college/ careers.  Petaluma Joint Union High...
Read more

Author Michael Bourne to Discuss New Eco-Thriller at North Bay Bookstore Events

Author Michael Bourne's new novel, We Bring You an Hour of Darkness, is an eco-thriller set in a the newsroom of a daily newspaper.
It took Vancouver-based author Michael Bourne three years to write his second and latest novel, We Bring You an Hour of Darkness, but he knew from the beginning what he wanted to write about. “I wanted to create a detective story in which the detectives were the reporters at a small-town newspaper,” he said during a recent phone interview. The...
Read more

Free Will Astrology: Oct. 22-28

Free Will Astrology
ARIES (March 21-April 19): I bet your upcoming night dreams will include marriages, mating dances and sacramental unions. Even if you are not planning deeper mergers with trustworthy allies in your waking life, your subconscious mind is musing on such possibilities. I hope this horoscope inspires you to make such fantasies more conscious. What collaborations and blends would serve...
Read more

A Lifetime of Learning: Damy Tamburrino of Foppiano Vineyards

Damy Tamburrino has a lifetime of immersion and genuine passion for great food and wine.
Today, Damy Tamburrino’s title is director of direct to consumer and hospitality at Foppiano Vineyards. However, his 40-plus year career in the wine, spirits and culinary industry has made him an expert in the field, with a lifetime of immersion and genuine passion for great food and wine.  Amber Turpin: How did you get into this work? Damy Tamburrino: It was...
Read more

Stirring Strings, Hound Howls and Area 54 Aliens

Upcoming art and cultural events in Marin, and Sonoma counties and beyond.
San Rafael Dog Jam Tunes Up  Red Hill Community Dog Park’s “Dog Jam” music series has one more upcoming Sunday of live music, cold brews and canine camaraderie—all to support the volunteer-run dog park. Hosted at Pond Farm Brewing Co., the fundraiser series raises money for essential park maintenance, from gravel and lumber to plumbing and paint. Each $35 ticket includes...
Read more
1...313233...639Page 32 of 639
3,002FansLike
3,850FollowersFollow
Pacific Sun cover
CURRENT ISSUE & ARCHIVES
Pacific Sun cover
Pacific Sun cover
CURRENT ISSUE & ARCHIVES
Newsletters Subscribe Advertise Contact Us Letter to the Editor Press Release Obituaries Find a Paper Distribute Pacific Sun Vote for Best Of
win free stuff
Features Local News News Upfront
Arts Culture Food & Drink Movies Music Theater
Astrology Columns Editor's Note Letters Opinion Spirit
Arts & Culture Beauty, Health & Wellness Cannabis Everyday Services Family & Pets Home Improvement Recreation Restaurants Romance Shopping
All Upcoming Events Today's Events Submit an Event Promote Your Event

FOLLOW US

Copyright © Weeklys All rights reserved.

OUR PUBLICATIONS

ADVERTISING Advertise Legal Submit an Obituary Legal Notices Fictitious Business Name (FBN) Statements Doing Business As (DBA) Notices Trustee Sale Notices Order to Show Cause for Change of Name

COMPANY INFO Job Opportunities Journalism Awards Privacy Policy

Support Local Journalism