Tag: Sonoma

The town, the people, the vibe – and the sheer joy of living here.

An Erev Shabbat Invitation

YOU ARE CORDIALLY INVITED TO attend tonight’s Erev Shabbat service at Sonoma’s Congregation Shir Shalom, 252 W. Spain St., which service I am both grateful and privileged to lead. Services begin at 7:30 p.m. PDT and will be followed by an oneg Shabbat. (If you’d like to attend an informal Saturday morning Torah study, please RSVP.) Shabbat shalom!

Torah Study and Services: 7/9/11

OUR WEEKLY TORAH STUDY SHIFTS this week, as I am honored and privileged to lead Shabbat services tomorrow morning (Sat., 7/9/11) at Sonoma’s Congregation Shir Shalom. We will begin by looking at one of the Book of Numbers’ most action-packed portions: the tale of Bilaam the Evil Wizard. (Just typing “Evil Wizard” is a thrill; but then, I’m easily amused.) If you’re not otherwise on a vacationary road trip, we hope to see you there!

Shabbat shalom,

Neal.

Five Summer Haiku

(THESE WERE WRITTEN JUNE 21 on the unnetworked “writing laptop,” which I only mention to explain the last verse and thank you for not skipping ahead. And now, this.)

So soon the heat comes
after long weeks of spring rain.
Sweat follows storm drops.

Summer’s popsicle
And a pool to eat it by.
What more do you need?

Dappling sunlight
dances on the patio:
cool green tree cavern.

Lemonade tinkles
in an ice-filled glass alive
with summer music.

Roll out the bandstand
and strike up the musicians:
It’s summer solstice!

Brian “Farwell” Eaton, A”H (RIP)

Brian Farwell A"H
MY FRIEND BRIAN FARWELL DIED May 25, and as his face was more familiar than his name to the folks in our little Anatevka-among-the-vines I volunteered to post his photo here. (This photo was taken in January 2010, at Congregation Shir Shalom‘s Tu B’Shevat seder; Brian was seated, as usual, next to then-Rabbi Jack Gabriel.) Like many of my friends, Brian faced some difficult challenges but he was a big man with a big heart and an unquenchable thirst for both knowledge and laughter. His funeral will be in Burlingame Hall at 11 a.m., Monday, June 20. May Brian be remembered among those aspiring to righteousness in Israel and the world.

See Augie? It IS A City!

IN 2008, A LOCAL CITY councilmember proposed changing our urban appellation from “City of Sonoma” to “Town of Sonoma” — reflecting the bucolic values to which we cling with blue-jean-and-Stetson stubbornness. That task proved a quixotic one, but good for a fortnight of local wag-stoking.

And now, this from the travel section of this morning’s San Francisco Chronicle, page P6: a nice piece about Sonoma Valley’s Glen Ellen touts the hamlet/burg/village as “an alternative to the bustle of modern Sonoma.” (Italics added.)

There it is, in black and white. Our little Anatevka-among-the-vines has gone from “Slownoma” to “Gonoma.” Next: Public WiFi, traffic jams and sunglasses.

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