All clips written by Roger Coryell, owned by their publishers
Everyone on the coast knows this, and nobody visiting believes it. The tourists pack up after Labor Day, and the sun comes out behind them like it was waiting for…
In Boonville, the county fair puts apples right in its name. It’s the Mendocino County Fair and Apple Show.
Nobody on this coast plants an echium, commonly called Pride of Madeira, twice. You don’t have to. You put one in, you admire it, and the following spring there are…
Everyone knows the Inuit have a hundred words for snow. Everyone is wrong. The anthropologist who started it counted four, and the number has been inflating at dinner parties for…
Summer is the season that needs no defense and gets one anyway. Everyone claims to love it, nobody agrees on it, and half the words we use for it secretly…
By July, the rain is done. You know it, the soil knows it, and every plant in the yard is about to find out what kind of gardener you really…
Don’t worry: the fog will burn off by midday…late afternoon…evening?
Mulch isn’t optional — and drip on a timer is the gold standard.
March in Sonoma County has a particular mood: longer light, cooler nights that still mean business, and gardens that look like they're thinking about what comes next. It's also a…
One of Sonoma County’s most familiar farm names received statewide recognition this winter. Lee and Wayne James of Tierra Vegetables in Santa Rosa were named Legacy Farmers of the Year…
Not the normal ones. Not snow and holly and “ugh, relatives.” The weird ones. The words that sound like they’ve already had three hot toddies and are reading obscure poetry…
Word junkie: the bull market in buzzwords, with boots on the ground
The mornings across Sonoma County smell like harvest—diesel, damp leaves and cider. Trucks roll before dawn not just to crush pads but to apple sheds and pumpkin patches. October is…
Orillia, Ontario. CAN – October 16, 2012
The weather’s not the problem. Highs in the 70s and 80s, nights in the 50s, and barely a whisper of rain — classic Sonoma September. The Harvest Moon on Sept.…
Some people inherit family crests. My old friend Tom Hopfensperger inherited a whole pint glass. In German, Hopfen means hops, and -sperg comes from old place-names tied to hills and…
Ah, September. The pencils are sharpened, the lunchboxes are mispacked, and parents across Sonoma County are trying not to weep tears of joy at the return of structure. While the…
Summer is a mood, a verb, a barefoot way of being. It’s the time when serious folks loosen their belts, responsible folks stay up too late, and even the chronically…
Since the Fourth of July is approaching, Sonoma County backyards and patios will soon fill with the smoky aromas of sizzling meats, laughter, and lively conversation. But there’s more to…
Gardeners have a lexicon all their own, a mix of the poetic, the archaic, and the delightfully odd. Take vermiculated, for instance — this charming word describes a surface patterned…
Pruning isn’t punishment. It’s renewal. Roses like pruning. I swear, if you lean in close, you’ll hear them sigh with relief when those tired canes get snipped. I even talk…
There’s something oddly satisfying about discovering that your favorite critters are associated with downright bizarre words. Whether it’s a jaw-dropping piece of obscure trivia or a weird collective noun you…
January: the month that insists on staring deeply into your soul just after you’ve eaten your weight in holiday cookies and overspent on gifts nobody asked for. It’s a time…
Winter in Sonoma County brings a serene beauty to the garden. As I prune my roses and clear the morning frost from the fountain, I find joy in these quiet…
Winter is a season steeped in traditions, imagery, and feelings that span cultures and centuries. While words like “snow” and “cheer” get plenty of airtime this time of year, there’s…
November’s chill introduces some intriguing words into our vocabulary. Here are a few that might surprise you.
Welcome to the strange, delicious lexicon of fall, where words like crepuscular slink in at twilight, painting the sky with shades of dusky purples and smoky greys. It’s a word…
In the grand lexicon of life's little surprises, we must now consider the inclusion of the term "Rohnert." Not to be mistaken with a rare breed of miniature schnauzer or…