How to resolve AdBlock issue? 
News
The Lake County Literacy Coalition would like to thank all the walkers, runners, donors and volunteers who helped to make our 27th annual Vineyard Run for Literacy a big success.
You make it possible to provide a vital service to the community – opening the world of the printed word to adults who have struggled to be able to read.
We would like to give a special thank you to Steele Wines for providing the venue as well as additional prizes. Westamerica Bank donated the supplies and printing for our advertising and registration, and many of their employees participated in the event.
We would also like to thank the following teams for bringing in more than $3,000: Pilates to the Core, Woodland Community College and Westamerica Bank.
Many businesses donated prizes which we deeply appreciated: Angelina’s Bakery & Espresso, Benbow Inn; Brassfield Estate Winery; Bruno's Smart Shop; Cache Creek Vineyards; Campos Casuals; Catfish Coffee House II; Cat House Salon; Chasewater Winery and Olive Mill; City Fitness; Disney Boat Rentals; Foods Etc.; Gregory Graham Winery; Iron Worker Gym; Jim & Linda’s Photography; Jimmy’s; Kingdom Games & Comics; Lake County News; Lake County Wine Studio; Lake Event Design; Lakeport English Inn; Langtry Estate and Winery; Laujor Estate Winery; Main Street Bicycles; Mar-Val Sentry; Nutriblends; Pak N Mail; Park Place; Pilates to the Core; Ray's Food Place No. 36; Record Bee; Riviera Foods; Robinson Rancheria; Robledo Family Vineyards; Rosa D'Oro Vineyards; Safeway (Lakeport); Saw Shop Gallery & Bistro; Snips Salon; Steele Wines; The Soap Shack; TNT on the Lake; Twin Pines Casino; Vichy Springs Resort; and Watershed Books.
We invite anyone who would like to become a tutor or to use our service to call us at 707-263-7633.
Deb Ehrhardt of Clearlake Oaks, Calif., is Vineyard Run co-chair.
A while back we published a column in which I talked about my delight in the many names of kinds of apples, and mentioned Louise Bogan's marvelous mid-century poem "The Crossed Apple."
Here's yet another fine apple-name poem for my collection, by Susan Rothbard, who lives in New Jersey.
That New
At the market today, I look for Piñata
apples, their soft-blush-yellow. My husband
brought them home last week, made me guess at
the name of this new strain, held one in his hand
like a gift and laughed as I tried all
the names I knew: Gala, Fuji, Honey
Crisp—watched his face for clues—what to call
something new? It's winter, only tawny
hues and frozen ground, but that apple bride
was sweet, and I want to bring it back to him,
that new. When he cut it, the star inside
held seeds of other stars, the way within
a life are all the lives you might live,
each unnamed, until you name it.
American Life in Poetry does not accept unsolicited submissions. It is made possible by The Poetry Foundation ( www.poetryfoundation.org ), publisher of Poetry magazine. It is also supported by the Department of English at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Poem copyright© 2012 by Susan Rothbard, “That New,”from the Cortland Review,(No. 58,2012). Poem reprinted by permission of Susan Rothbard and the publisher. Introduction copyright © 2016 by The Poetry Foundation. The introduction's author, Ted Kooser, served as United States Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress from 2004-2006.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – On Saturday morning, community members gathered to remember the sacrifices and efforts of veterans in the annual “Wreaths Across America” ceremony at cemeteries held throughout the county.
During the events, ceremonial wreaths were placed to remember members of all military branches, and then wreaths were placed on the individual graves of local veterans.
A poignant part of the commemorations was the participation of children from a variety of local organizations including Boy Scouts, 4-H, law enforcement explorer groups and churches.
They participated in the ceremony, raised the colors and placed wreaths on the graves, a reminder that the veterans and their service has not been forgotten.
UPPER LAKE, Calif. – Lake County Wine Studio is hosting a sparkling wine tasting event from 2 to 5 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 18, to provide an opportunity for adults to sample the sparkling wines of Lake County in advance of New Year's Eve celebrations.
The $15/per person ($12 for Wine Studio Club Members) wine sampler and appetizers will feature the new Fults Family Blanc de Blanc, Bodkin Sparkling Sauvignon Blanc, Lady of the Lake Sparkling Pear, Thorn Hill Cuvée de Prestige, Olof Cellars Fira Nebbiolo, Dusinberré Cellars Cuvée Rouge and Steele Wines Black Bubbles.
Appetizers will include a variety of seafood spreads: smoked oyster, hot smoked salmon, crab, marscapone and Dijon spread, bacon surprise, chips, nuts and fruits.
Art on display is by Jackie Farley, who is donating her proceeds of sales to the Lake County Rising Fire Relief Fund.
Weather permitting, McCarty’s Live Oak Belgians will be conducting Jingle Bell carriage and wagon rides in Upper Lake on the weekends during December. Staging for the rides is in front of the wine studio.
Lake County Wine Studio is located at 9505 Main St. in Upper Lake. It is open Monday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday from 1 to 7 p.m., and Friday from 1 to 8 p.m.
The Farley show will be on display through Jan. 31.
Holiday hours are 1 to 5 p.m. Dec. 24, and closed Dec. 25, with normal hours Dec. 26 to 30, 1 to 5 p.m. Dec. 31 and closed Jan. 1 to 14.
For more information call Lake County Wine Studio at 707-275-8030 or 707-293-8752.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Every year in December members of Soroptimist International of Clear Lake gather at the home of Kathy Freeborn to celebrate Human Rights Day on Dec. 10.
Each member brings an unwrapped gift for a silent auction and all proceeds go to fund the international
president's chosen project.
This term 2015-2017 International President Yvonne Simpson chose “Educate to Lead: Nepal.”
She chose Nepal because of the need woman and girls have as they work to rebuild their lives following devastating earthquakes that hit the country.
Nepal is a small landlocked country lying between India and Tibet. In the hills and valleys of Nepal, in small isolated villages, live 30 million of the poorest people in the world.
Educational and medical facilities are limited, many children are undernourished and half the population is under 23 years of age.
Women are frequently second-class citizens, both legally and socially. Young girls are a financial
liability, putting them at risk of being trafficked. Women and girls are deprived of basic rights. If a family can afford to send a child to school, it will be their sons who are sent first.
On April 25, 2015, a devastating earthquake followed by aftershocks displaced millions of
people. Despite the huge amount of funds raised, little aid has or will reach the rural areas. These people have no political power and are a low priority for support.
Soroptimists know that in a disaster women and girls suffer disproportionately. The organization also knows that education for women and girls is the key to economic empowerment.
By uniting the four Soroptimist federations in support of the only project they do together, the group can impact the lives of more than 1,000 women and girls in Nepal.
In her announcement of the Nepal Educate to Lead project, President Simpson wrote to the more than 80,000 Soroptimists worldwide: “Women can be change agents too – and it is imperative to have women in leadership positions so they can empower their communities. Education is the key. Education empowers women with new skills and new hope for economic independence. It provides the confidence and ability to stand strong and be partners with men to lead the future. The situation needs our long term commitment to make this difference.”
She said that the project “will educate, empower and enable women and girls to overcome their adversity, stay safe and develop leadership skills that will in turn benefit their communities.”
I’m sure you know the old adage: “In the land of the blind the one-eyed man is king.”
Recently I have come to fully appreciate that saying, because I have lost sight in my right eye. I had a rare stroke in that eye. There was no pain, no paralysis, no slurring of speech. At chorus practice I reached for the next piece of music and a “shade” came down over my right eye.
A trip to the ER followed, but they could offer no help. The one ophthalmologist on the coast, Kevin Miller, couldn’t see me until the morning. By then the damage had been done.
My friends, my priest, and the pastor and the church where I sing prayed for me. I prayed to St. Lucy, the patron of eye disorders. She was martyred by having her eyes gouged out. At least I have one good eye left.
Now came the challenge, to give up, or to search for a new way to lead my life. I had to figure out how to safely drive my car. I had to learn to not always trust what I saw. That came home to me in spades when I went to pour a bottle of beer into my glass and wound up pouring it on the table instead. Folks with the three-dimensional sight of two eyes would never have made that mistake.
Unfortunately, my defunct eye is still sending signals to my brain, and they affect the vision of my good eye. My brain has to learn to disregard all “images” coming from the “dead” eye, but that could take up to a year.
So, not being cut out to advertise Hathaway shirts I opted not to wear an eye patch, although I did buy one as part of my Halloween costume. I use an eye cover at times, but it begs the question “what happened to you,” forcing me to explain it all over again. I have been fitted for an opaque contact, so if you see me with on brown eye and one black eye you’ll know that I have it in place.
Most importantly, in my quest for a “normal” life I have discovered that help is there for us “low vision” folks. My Kaiser ophthalmologist referred me to the Earle Baum Vision Center in Santa Rosa, where they have a wide choice of classes and sponsor groups in Sonoma, Lake and Mendocino counties.
The nearest group meets at the Walnut Village retirement community in Ukiah on the first Tuesday of each month.
I went to Ukiah on Nov. 1 and found it to be a very informative session with people who had a wide range of vision problems. They aren’t meeting in December, but in case anyone from on the Mendocino Coast would like to go in January, I can give you a ride. Send me an E-mail me at
Meanwhile, if you, or a loved one has suffered vision loss please go online to www.earlebaum.org and take a look at the many programs the Baum Center offers.
One event held recently was “Tech Day,” when reps from companies that make vision-support equipment demonstrated them at the lovely farm that Earle Baum, who was totally blind, operated with his totally blind sister. They did so by having ropes strung to the barns etc. so they could tend the animals. An amazing feat!
Earle left the farm to the sight impaired community and it has flourished as a center for the vision-impaired. The spirit of Earle and his sister lives on in this special place.
Jim Culp lives in Little River, Calif.