Free Will Astrology, Feb. 4-10

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ARIES (March 21-April 19): I’m thrilled by your genius for initiating what others only dream about. I celebrate your holy impatience with fakery and your refusal to waste precious life-force on enterprises that have gone stale. I’m in awe of how you make fire your ally rather than your enemy, wielding it not to destroy but to forge new realities from the raw materials of possibility. Everything I just described will be in your wheelhouse during the coming weeks.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): How do I love you? Let me count some of the ways. 1. Your patience is masterful. You understand that some treasures can’t be rushed and that many beautiful things require slow nurturing through your devoted attention. 2. You have a knack for inducing the mundane world to reveal its small miracles and spiritual secrets. 3. You practice lucid loyalty without being in bondage to the past. You honor your history even as you make room for the future. 4. You know when to cling tightly to what needs to be protected and preserved, and you know when to gracefully loosen your grip to let everything breathe. In the coming weeks, all these superpowers of yours will be especially available to you and the people you care for.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): In carpentry, there’s a technique called “kerf bending.” It involves making a series of small cuts in wood so it can curve without breaking. The cuts weaken the material in one sense, but they make it flexible enough to create shapes that would otherwise be impossible. I suspect you’re being kerf-bent right now, Gemini. Life is making small nicks in your certainties, your plans and your self-image. It might feel like you’re being diminished, but you’re actually being made flexible enough to bend into a new form. Don’t interpret the nicks as damage. They’re preparation for adjustments you can’t see yet. Let yourself be shaped.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): In Irish folklore, “thin places” are situations or areas where the material and spiritual worlds overlap. They aren’t always geographical. A thin place may be a moment: like the pre-dawn hour between sleeping and waking, or the silence after someone says “I love you” for the first time. I believe you’re living in a thin place right now, Cancer. The boundary between your inner world and outer circumstances is more porous than usual. This means your emotions may affect your environment more directly. Your intuitions will be even more accurate than usual, and your nightly dreams will provide you with practical clues. Be alert. Magic will be available if you notice it.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): In traditional Korean jogakbo, scraps of fabric too small to be useful alone are stitched together into a piece that’s both functional and beautiful. Every fragment contributes to the whole. I encourage you to treat your current life this way, Leo. Don’t dismiss iffy or unfinished experiences as “wasted time.” Instead, see if you can weave all the bits and scraps together into a valuable lesson or asset. Prediction: I foresee a lovely jogakbo in your future.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): The Maori people of New Zealand practice mirimiri, a form of healing that works not by fighting disease but by restoring flow. The technique involves removing blockages so life force can move freely again. I think you need the equivalent of mirimiri, Virgo. There’s a small but non-trivial obstruction in your life. The good news is that you now have the power to figure out where the flow got stuck and then gently coax it back into motion. Let the healing begin. Here’s a good way to begin: Vow that you won’t hold yourself back from enjoying your life to the max.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): In the coming weeks, I encourage you to prioritize mirth, revelry and gratification. For starters, you could invite kindred spirits to join you in pursuing experimental forms of pleasure. Have fun riffing and brainstorming about feeling good in ways you’ve never tried or even imagined before. Seek out stories from other explorers of bliss and delight who can inspire you to expand your sense of wonder. Then, with your mind as open as your heart, give yourself the freedom to enjoy as many playful adventures and evocative amusements as you dare.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): In the Inuktitut language of the Intuit people, the word ajurnarmat is translated as “it can’t be helped.” It acknowledges forces at work beyond human control. Rather than pure resignation, it reflects an attitude of accepting what can’t be changed, which helps people conserve energy and adapt creatively to challenging circumstances. So for example, when hunters encounter impossible ice conditions, ajurnamat allows them to refrain from forcing the situation and notice what may actually be possible. I suspect you’re facing your own ajurnarmat, Scorpio. Your breakthrough will emerge as soon as you admit the truth of what’s happening and allow your perception to shift. What looks unnavigable from one angle may reveal a solution if you approach it from another direction. Practice strategic surrender.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Your hunger for meaning is admirable. I love it. I never want you to mute your drive to discover what’s interesting and useful. But now and then, the hot intensity of your quest can make you feel that nothing is ever enough. You get into the habit of always looking past what’s actually here and being obsessed with what you imagine should be or could be there. In the coming days, dear Sagittarius, I invite you to avoid that tendency. Rather than compulsively pursuing high adventure and vast vistas, focus on the sweet, intimate details. The wisdom you yearn for might be embedded in ordinariness.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): In architecture, a “flying buttress” is an external support system that allows a massive building like a cathedral to reach greater heights without collapsing under its own weight. Because the buttress is partly open to the air rather than solidly built against the wall from top to bottom, it appears to “fly,” which is where the name comes from. In the coming weeks, I encourage you Capricorns to acquire your own equivalent of at least one new flying buttress. Who or what could this be? A collaborator who shares the load? A new form of discipline that provides scaffolding? A truth you finally speak aloud that lets others help you? To get the process started, shed any belief you have that strength means carrying everything all by yourself.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): The coming weeks will challenge you to think with tenderness and feel with clarity. You’ll be called on to stay sharply alert even as you remain loose, kind and at ease. Your good fortune will expand as you open your awareness wider, while also firming up the boundaries that keep mean people from bothering you. The really good news is that cosmic forces are lining up to guide you and coach you in exactly these skills. You are primed to explore intriguing paradoxes and contradictions that have valuable lessons.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): In alchemy, solve et coagula is a Latin phrase translated as “dissolve and coagulate.” It means that transformation must begin with the process of breaking down before any building begins. You can’t skip over the dissolving phase and jump straight into creating the new structure. I mention this, dear Pisces, because I believe you’re now in the dissolving phase. It might feel destabilizing, even a bit unnerving, but I urge you to stick with it. When the moment comes to construct the beautiful new forms, you will know. But that time isn’t yet. Keep dissolving a while longer.

Homework: What small burden could you let go that will provide a rush of freedom? Newsletter. FreeWillAstrology.com.

Physical Poetry, Pour + Explore, Cello Joyride and Tiburon Trivia

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Fairfax

Dance in the Stacks

Ballet meets lived experience in Strength Through Grace, an intimate evening on Feb. 26 at the Fairfax Library celebrating Black heritage through dance and storytelling. Professional dancer Marusya Madubuko of Alonzo King Lines Ballet shares her personal journey into the rarefied world of professional ballet—what it took to get there, what she learned along the way and the obstacles she had to move through to land her dream job. The conversation is paired with a short live performance excerpt from one of Alonzo King’s ballets, offering a glimpse of the physical poetry that has defined her career. The result is part talk, part performance and wholly grounded in resilience, grace and hard-won insight. 6:30–7:30pm, Thursday, Feb. 26, at the Fairfax Library, 2097 Sir Francis Drake Blvd. Free; no registration required.

Healdsburg

Pour + Explore 

Sonoma County Vintners kicks off its 2026 Pour + Explore tasting series with a Valentine’s-adjacent evening devoted to Bordeaux varietals, hosted in the atmospheric Artisan Cellar at Rodney Strong Vineyards on Feb. 12. Produced in collaboration with sommelier Christopher Sawyer, the walk-around tasting brings together red Bordeaux-style wines from more than 20 Sonoma County wineries, offering a broad snapshot of how classic grapes express themselves across the county’s diverse vineyards. Light bites—cheese and charcuterie—keep things grounded while DJ J-KIND supplies romantic lounge beats. There’s also a playful dress-up angle, with Valentine’s attire encouraged and a photo wall for commemorating the occasion. The event is strictly 21 and over and designed as equal parts education, social hour and early Valentine’s celebration—less candlelit dinner, more well-poured conversation. 5:30–7:30pm, Thursday, Feb. 12, Rodney Strong Vineyards, 11455 Old Redwood Hwy., Healdsburg. $75 plus tax and fees.

Cloverdale

Dirty Cello

If one thinks a cello belongs in the symphony hall, Dirty Cello is here to politely—and loudly—correct that thought, with a Feb. 7 performance at the Cloverdale Performing Arts Center. Fronted by virtuoso cellist Rebecca Roudman, the globe-trotting band turns blues, rock and Americana into a high-voltage joyride, with the cello standing in for a lead guitar and then some. Roudman, classically trained and happily unshackled, leads a band that thrives on spontaneity, loose setlists and reading the room. One night might veer from Jimi Hendrix to Charlie Daniels to roaring originals; another might zig somewhere entirely unexpected. That unpredictability is the point. The band has taken this anything-goes energy everywhere from Iceland to China to, yes, a Santa Cruz nudist resort. Wherever they land, the goal is the same: maximum fun, minimum rules. 7:30pm, Friday, Feb. 7, Cloverdale Performing Arts Center, 209 N Cloverdale Blvd. Tickets are $25 online ($30 at the door) and available at bit.ly/dirtycello_cloverdalefeb7.

Tiburon

Trivia Cafe

One may put that pop-culture recall and brainpower to the test on Feb. 12 at Trivia Cafe, hosted by Marin’s master of trivia, Howard Rachelson. This friendly, all-ages quiz night mixes smart questions, music and visuals in a relaxed, team-friendly format—participants may come with a crew or join one on the spot. Set in the Belvedere Tiburon Library Founders Room, it’s a lively reminder that libraries still know how to have fun. 6–7:30pm, Thursday, Feb. 12, Belvedere Tiburon Library Founders Room, 1501 Tiburon Blvd., Tiburon. Free; registration required. More info at bit.ly/trivia-cafe-tib.

Calvi Ranch Acquisition, a Gift that Will Keep Giving for Generations to Come

Last December, Sonoma County based LandPaths announced they were acquiring Calvi Ranch, a 69-acre parcel of land a half mile from the magnificent Grove of Old Trees in Occidental. 

Owned by the Calvi Family for the last 90 years, the property is located on the ancestral homeland of the Kashia Band of Pomo Indians and the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria. It has been and is a crucial piece of wildlife connectivity, headwaters protection and now, eventually programming, grounded in equitable access to nature.

This land could easily have been sold for multiple millions and decimated to make room for housing, a golf course or a hotel, but the Calvi family wanted to keep it as close to “as is” instead. Craig Anderson, executive director of external affairs at LandPaths, spoke to the acquisition’s multifaceted win for conservancy, the environment, the local landscape and more. Said Anderson, “The state of the world, both locally and globally, requires that we are thoughtful in how we assess and prioritize our community efforts at LandPaths with other needs.”

He continued, “Given this, we still felt it incredibly important to protect this truly incomparable Sonoma County vestige of wildness, and to do that in a way where the trees, prairie and creatures that live therein would have the best chance of flourishing now and for future generations.”

In terms of the recent history for the property, prior landowner Gene Calvi said that in addition to ownership of the land for the past 90 years, “The adjacent 23-acre parcel, referred to as the picnic grounds, has been in our family for over 60 years.” He admitted, “This parcel was the hardest for me to give up because of its beauty,” adding that the parcel “is amazing, with its mass amount of redwood trees and Fay Creek that runs through it most of the year.” Calvi concluded that “after showing Craig Anderson the ranch and picnic grounds owned by my family, I knew I was speaking to the right person.”

Structured as part sale and part donation by brothers Gene and David Calvi, the deal involves land their father Nico purchased in 1935 as a new immigrant from Italy. Nico Calvi operated a sawmill there for decades, but its small, car-engine-powered saw was only suited for cutting smaller trees. Consequently, the old-growth and mature second-growth forests were left intact, remaining as they are today. 

The acquisition was also made with support from California State Coastal Conservancy as well as donors including Jean Schulz, wife of another person known for bringing joy into the world, Peanuts cartoonist Charles Schulz. Jean Schulz said that upon first visiting the Calvi Ranch, she was “blown away by the variety of the landscape and the pristine condition that I saw. What a gift to our generation, and the next.”

While the acquisition is cause for excitement, Anderson said the process for next steps won’t be a rushed one. “With time, there will be a planning process,” he noted. Anderson added that it’s important to “[be] mindful of the need to balance access with respecting private property and promoting community safety and well-being. Access to wild nature for people who might not otherwise have the opportunity, and who seek nothing more than an opportunity to enjoy the quiet and nourishment by spaces like this, comes with that obligation.”

Next steps include LandPaths working with interested tribal representatives, along with a neighborhood group, Friends of the Grove (or FOG), and other community members to create a site-management plan. This plan will be the basis of an application to the County of Sonoma for a Conditional Use Permit, a necessary step in opening the property up to passive (walking) public access, including environmental education for local school children.

For more information visit landpaths.org.

Loverly, ‘My Fair Lady’ at Cinnabar Theater

Aficionados of musical theater classics will appreciate Cinnabar Theater’s production of Lerner and Loewe’s My Fair Lady, running through Feb. 8 in Rohnert Park in the Warren Auditorium at Sonoma State University. Directed by Christian Arteaga, it is a prime example of keeping it simple and casting well and of actors working tirelessly in pursuit of excellence. 

The nearly full house certainly seemed to enjoy the evening, watching poor, scrappy Eliza Doolittle (Brittany Law) become a real English lady under the tutelage of the emotionally immature Professor Higgins (superb Trevor Hoffman) and kindly Col. Pickering (Tim Setzer, who excels in saucy, mugging moments).

I grew up watching the 1964 film adaptation of My Fair Lady, starring Audrey Hepburn and Rex Harrison. I always wondered why Eliza ended up with the pompous Higgins and also why Rex Harrison never actually sang, but rather, talked in a sing-song way. Lucky for us, Hoffman outdoes Harrison in vocals and gives Higgins characteristics that make him more understandable. 

The play doesn’t delve into the WHYs of the story, with characterizations and motivations thin, but it does give us a fairytale full of memorable music, performed live by pianist Brett Strader and harpist Krista Strader. Standouts include “I Could Have Danced All Night,” which showcases Law’s powerful, beautiful voice, and the bawdy “Get Me to the Church on Time,” featuring Nathan Cummings as Eliza’s freewheeling dad, performing a raucous dance number with the ensemble.

About this ensemble: They are all excellent throughout, highlighted in “With a Little Bit of Luck.” Each voice can be heard both distinctively and harmoniously, and each performer steals moments. 

Though I really would have loved to see Law go totally feral as pre-posh Eliza, she excels in her newly minted lady status moments, especially at the Ascot races. At the end, there seemed a moment of squashed impulses between Higgins and Eliza, where a less restrained interaction would have been much more satisfying, especially after Eliza declares her need for actions to the young lovestruck Freddy (a whirling dervish played by Liam Cody) in “Show Me!” 

It’s what is not shown and not developed in the relationship of Higgins and Eliza that’s really needed to make this romance truthful. But, by all means, one may judge for themself and consider a ticket to this well made production.

Cinnabar Theater presents ‘My Fair Lady’ through Feb. 8 at Warren Auditorium in Ives Hall at Sonoma State University. 1801 E. Cotati Ave., Rohnert Park. Fri–Sat, 7pm; Sun, 2pm. $23–$72. 707.763.8920. cinnabartheater.org.

Spirit of the King: Collective Soul Plays Graton Rancheria

Mojo Nixon and Skid Roper once sang that Elvis was everywhere—to hilarious effect. In the case of the most recent Collective Soul record, the two-CD Here to Eternity, the spirit of Presley was literally omnipresent. 

Recorded on-site at Presley’s California estate in Palm Springs, the album project was a dream come true for Collective Soul founding member Ed Roland, who was a devout fan of the “King” while growing up in Atlanta. Collective Soul plays at Rohnert Park’s Graton Resort & Casino, Saturday, Jan. 31.

“The year before Elvis passed, he spent his last Thanksgiving, Christmas, birthday and did his last three gospel records there,” Roland explained in a recent interview. “RCA (Records) had set it up—soundproofing the Big Room, and Elvis was able to record live. That’s how we record.

“I had met the guys who bought it on the courthouse steps because (Presley’s wife) Priscilla and (daughter) Lisa Marie wanted nothing to do with it, so it was dormant. So we had to stage it by bringing furniture in and things like that. We set the control room up in Lisa Marie’s room. Our producer/engineer was in Priscilla’s room, and I got to sleep in Elvis’ bedroom. I’m the only man that can say that,” he continued.

After recording began in January 2023, Collective Soul banged out a dozen songs. With three weeks remaining on the lease, Roland decided to pursue his dream of recording a double album inspired by a number of influential albums from his youth, including Elton John’s Goodbye Yellow Brick Road and the Rolling Stones’ Exile on Main Street.

“I went in there with 12 songs, and the guys recorded them in four days,” Roland recalled. “We still had the place for a month, so I told them to take a four-day hiatus. Maybe go to Joshua Tree, hike, bike or golf. I sat in Elvis’ room by myself, in his party room, and I had my vinyl brought out and just listened to people I grew up listening to, and I wanted to see if I could write some more songs. Somehow, I got 10 done in four days. Then they (the band) came back in, and we recorded in five days. I told them that I was done and tapped out.”

The resulting 20 cuts range from the piano ballad “Be The One” and hearty Beatlesque earworm “La Dee Da” to the live gem “Bob Dylan (Where Are You Today),” which resonates with a delicate balance of solo acoustic guitar, mournful harmonica and some topical lyrics. Throughout this joyful recording experience, Roland insists Presley’s spirit could be felt the whole time the Georgia native and his crew were there.

“There was a place where Elvis would sing, so I would sing there,” Roland said. “And he’d usually sing out by the pool, so I would do my vocals out by the pool. And it’s just part of knowing that nobody had been there since he died. The night Lisa Marie passed, we had set the control up in her bedroom, and the ceiling fell down, so it was kind of a spooky vibe. We just absorbed it. We couldn’t believe we were there, to be honest with you. The excitement is definitely there.”

The son of a preacher, singer Roland and brother Dean (who plays guitar in Collective Soul) caught the rock and roll bug early due to the fact that their mom played piano in church while dad led the congregation in song. The latter was open-minded and influential when it came to secular music, taking his boys to see Johnny Cash in 1969 and subsequently Liberace and Elton John in later years. And while Ed Roland would grow to love the likes of The Cars, AC/DC, The Police and Peter Frampton, he admitted he would only go so far in terms of what albums he’d bring into the family home.

“I loved (AC/DC’s) Highway to Hell, but that was a record I really couldn’t bring into the house,” he said with a laugh. “As a young kid, I didn’t want to push it too much. I remember getting Queen’s Jazz album, opening it up and saw all the topless girls in there. I ran across the street to my neighbor and asked him to hold onto this album for me and told him I’d listen to it at his house.”

As he got older, Roland decided he wanted to join his rock and roll heroes by writing his own songs. He went on to form the original lineup of Collective Soul with his brother, Dean.

A recent documentary, Give Me A Word: The Collective Soul Story, tells the tale of the 30-year history of the band from Stockbridge, Georgia, which began with a bang when Atlantic Records signed the group. In 1993, they released what was essentially a demo of Ed Roland songs as Hints Allegations and Things Left Unsaid. Featuring the hit single “Shine,” the album went double platinum.

Collective Soul’s second album, a self-titled effort, was even more popular, going triple platinum and generating five hit singles, including the chart topping “December,” “Where the River Flows” and “The World I Know.” The band finished the decade with two more successful albums, Disciplined Breakdown and Dosage.

But as the new century arrived, Collective Soul’s fortunes began to gradually wane, as four more studio albums saw diminishing returns. The band, which still includes long-time bassist Will Turpin, also went through some personnel changes, cycling through a pair of drummers before drummer Johnny Rabb joined in 2012. In 2014, guitarist Jesse Triplett became the band’s third guitarist (following Ross Childress and Joel Kosche), completing a current lineup that Roland feels is the best version yet of Collective Soul. 

As Collective Soul returns to the road, Roland insists the familial vibes of his band will be overflowing to those in attendance at their upcoming performance.

“Everyone is just enjoying this moment in time,” he said. “We’re just going out and playing our songs for the people.”

Collective Soul plays at 8pm, Saturday, Jan. 31 at The Event At Graton Resort & Casino, 288 Golf Course Dr. W., Rohnert Park. bit.ly/collective-soul-rp.

No Kings, Indivisible Sonoma County’s Tom Bethin

In the warming afterglow of their Jan. 17 protest rally, I telephoned Tom Bethin. He was buzzing.

Earlier that day, his all-volunteer organization, Indivisible Sonoma County, had organized a speaker series on Santa Rosa’s civic plaza. Backed by a 10-foot tall banner emblazoned, “RISE UP AND RECLAIM OUR DEMOCRACY,” six candidates for two congressional seats (including Mike Thomson and ole Mike McGuire) sought to fire up the crowd (and justify their leadership). After the inspiring talk, the crowd—numbering in the hundreds, was offered candles and arranged on the square to form a giant, manifesting peace sign. Visit indivisiblesoco.org to watch the aerial video recap.

I describe this rally—a fist raised to the one-year anniversary of Donald Trump’s second inauguration—partly to do a bit of inspiring myself. And to put my finger on two of the qualities that have made the Indivisible network the most effective protest movement of the Trump era. Those being close communication with elected leaders and diverse, and (I daresay) fun, protest tactics.

These two qualities come out of the origins of Indivisible—and its national structure.

Indivisible was founded by (just) two former congressional staffers (young insiders). And its national organization consists of more than 2,500 self-organizing and semi-autonomous local groups (in almost all U.S. congressional districts). These local groups are in a two-way dialogue with a national parent organization—which pools good ideas coming up from below—in addition to setting priorities for the movement and orchestrating national days of resistance (such as “Hands Off,” “Ice Out” or “No Kings,” which drew 7 million protesters into 2,700 local expressions of peaceful defiance like the rally I described). These things I gathered while talking to Bethin. Here are some quotes.

Cincinnatus Hibbard: Tom, I find you have a great political brain. It’s like talking to a gassed-up policy wonk. What is your professional employment?

Tom Bethin: I’m retired. I was the owner of Shutterbug Camera Store.

How many people subscribe to Sonoma Indivisible’s Substack newsletter?

About 8,000.

Get hip, Sonoma. What tactics is the Sonoma County organization currently fielding?

They have changed a lot. During Trump 1.0 and the Biden Administration, our tactics were primarily based on a model of constituent pressure on elected officials actually based on the Tea Party Movement—without their ideology, of course (laughs). With Trump 2.0, we have really had to change our methods. We couldn’t wait, and our elected leaders were failing to step up.

Word. Tell me more about your organization.

We are volunteer-driven, enthusiasm-driven. Protests happen because people show up at our meetings and say, “I have an idea”—and we make them the lead on it.

Beyond the struggle for today, your local organization is taking the long few on how to build a more resilient democracy for the future.

We have come up with something of a strategic framework. It has four key areas we need to be headed toward. We need to build a united front with other organizations; we need to be in coalition. We need to grow community power through alternative organizations—in the absence of federal government help. We need to inspire defections among people that are actively taking part in the MAGA attack on our country, or abetting by passively stepping aside. And, we need to develop responses to threats of violence.

Learn more: Make contact with local Indivisible organizations in Marin, Sonoma or Napa. Their sites host info guides, statement pieces, protest calendars, update newsletters and opportunities to join or to donate. Action converts fears for the future into fierce empowerment. indivisiblesoco.org.

Bottles & Ballet: Uncorking Excellence with Paige Dana

Kosta Browne Winery, the lauded label that was launched in the 1990s, just made history as San Francisco Ballet’s inaugural wine sponsor in its ninth decade. 

The collaboration debuts with the 2026 season, marking an unprecedented milestone for The Barlow-based winery in Sebastopol, known so well for crafting premium pinot noir and chardonnay from very special, cool-climate vineyards.

From humble beginnings—two friends (Dan Kosta and Michael Browne) saving restaurant tips to buy their first half-ton of grapes—the winery has risen to international prominence under winemaker Julien Howsepian’s visionary guidance. Paige Dana is the estate director for Kosta Browne, having come into the world of wine by working at a bottle shop and having never looked back.

Amber Turpin: How did you get into this work?

Paige Dana: I discovered wine while working part-time at a wine bar/wine shop. A few great mentors guided me towards pursuing wine as a profession. Wine is endlessly fascinating. My curiosity into all aspects of this world has kept me constantly engaged. There is always something more and new to learn. The people that work in wine are passionate and creative; it keeps work compelling.

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

I love when, outside of a tasting setting, a wine stops me in my tracks and makes me want to spend time with it; extra time smelling, tasting and enjoying because each revisit reveals a new layer or expression. Pinot noir was one of the first wines that made me want to keep exploring the wine world to learn how the same grape can produce an amazing breadth of expressions.

Discovering that was an ‘aha’ that spurred my thirst for more knowledge. I’ve also been lucky to experience a few wines that have transcended assessment and cross over into wonder. Chasing those moments is one of the most magical parts of working in wine. The 2002 Pol Roger Cuvee Sir Winston Churchill Brut comes to mind.

What is your favorite thing to drink at home?

A truly balanced glass of chardonnay pairs well with almost every meal and is a go-to for me. I’m partial to Kosta Browne (KB) of course, particularly Bootlegger’s Hill. I’m especially thankful that KB now also makes a sparkling wine, so I frequently reach for the Kosta Browne Blanc de Blancs Keefer Ranch.

Where do you like to go out for a drink?

Underwood in Graton is a great spot for a martini.

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

As long as I have ice, all things sparkling.

Kosta Browne Winery, 220 Morris St., Sebastopol. 707.823.7430. kostabrowne.com.

All That Jazz: In Praise of a Uniquely American Idiom

I have my mother—the beatnik, alcoholic artist and reader of poetry—to thank for my deep appreciation of jazz.

And I can still see her, cigarette and brandy at the ready, prancing around the kitchen in our Larkspur postage stamp house in the 1950s, snapping her fingers to the classic Ahmad Jamal interpretation of “Poinciana,” recorded at Club Pershing in Chicago in 1958. That rendition is as close to defining the genre as anything I have heard in my 74.6754389 years. I love Jamal’s piano, bass and drums legacy as much as any other musician’s work, but there is a lot more to seek and sample.

Because of my mother, I heard the first song ever played on KJAZ radio, 92.7 on the FM dial, which came on the air Aug. 1, 1959, broadcasting from its Telegraph Avenue studios in Berkeley.

The song was “Springsville,” the lead track on the Miles Davis recording, Miles Ahead, a collaboration with arranger Gil Evans. Like “Poinciana,” “Springsville” sounds as fresh today as it did 67 years ago. 

The disc jockeys on founder Pat Henry’s new station did more than spin records on the turntable. They were artists and curators of a musical world just starting to get some headway with the listening public, outside of jazz clubs like Blackhawk, Keystone Korner and El Matador in San Francisco; the Blue Note in New York; and the Lighthouse in Hermosa Beach.

We are fortunate to have the legacy live on in the Bay Area, on radio and at SFJAZZ in Hayes Valley in the City. Keeping jazz alive is an uphill battle. Just ask the people at Yoshi’s and Freight & Salvage in the East Bay and the Blue Note up in Napa (which closed this past New Year’s Eve).

For many Americans, listening to jazz is at best an annoying experience and at worst excruciatingly painful. Without going into too much detail and droning on like an insufferable NYU music historian and critic, jazz has a long, wide, rich, varied history. Describing and defining it is impossible. One has to go listen.

Craig Corsini is a writer and jazz aficionado in Marin County.

Paintings that Refuse to Behave, Queer Film Shorts and an Irrigation Issue

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Petaluma

Unruly Paintings

Daniel Potter’s new exhibition at IceHouse Gallery makes a case for painting as a form of active resistance—to polish, to certainty, to the notion that art should behave itself. “Keep Looking: Paintings That Refuse to Behave” gathers works made without loyalty to technique or finish, driven instead by attention, instinct and risk. For Potter, painting is less a profession than a daily practice, shaped by curiosity rather than outcome. After an early break with formal training, Potter gravitated toward the unfiltered logic of children’s art, favoring discovery over mastery. These paintings sidestep realism and easy reproduction, arriving at meaning only after they exist. The exhibition runs through Feb. 20, IceHouse Gallery, 405 East D St., Petaluma. digitalgrange.com/icehouse-gallery.

Tiburon

Women’s Hall of Fame

The YWCA Marin Women’s Hall of Fame returns with a new class of changemakers whose work has quietly—and not so quietly—shaped the civic, cultural and social fabric of Marin County. The Class of 2026 honors five women whose leadership spans housing advocacy, mental health, community wellness, dance and libraries: Loulie H. Sutro of Marin Villages, Lynn Murphy of the San Rafael Police Department, Nancy Johnson of Marin City Health and Wellness Centers, Nancy Thelen Rehkopf of Marin Ballet and Virginia Schultz of Friends of the Marin County Free Library. Since its founding in 1987, the Hall of Fame has served as a corrective to historical amnesia, formally recording and celebrating women’s contributions that once went largely undocumented. More than 160 women have been inducted over the years, creating a living archive of civic commitment, grit and vision. This year’s ceremony continues that tradition, gathering community members to recognize leadership rooted not in spotlight-seeking but in sustained, meaningful impact. 7pm, Wednesday, Jan. 28, Corinthian Yacht Club, 43 Main St., Tiburon. Ticket information via yourywca.org/honorees.

Tiburon

Queercore Shorts

Our Heroes Bleed Glitter brings a two-hour program of contemporary queer short films to Cinelounge Tiburon, drawing on the defiant, DIY lineage of queercore while firmly rooted in the present moment. The lineup spans the U.S. and abroad, moving between humor, confrontation, intimacy and spectacle, with films that keep emotional and creative risk front and center. Curated by Daniel Talbott, Andrew Klaus-Vineyard and Felix Mack, the evening treats queercore less as a style than as an ethic: work made without waiting for permission, often on microbudgets, driven by urgency and community rather than polish. The roster includes titles that engage art history, masculinity, ritual, aging, fandom and desire, unfolding in a structure that includes an intermission and room to breathe. It’s a reminder that queer cinema’s most durable tradition may be its refusal to settle down or smooth itself out. 6pm, Saturday, Feb. 7, Cinelounge Tiburon, 40 Main St. cineloungefilm.com.

Santa Rosa

Turf Rethink

As California moves toward a 2027 ban on irrigating nonfunctional lawns with potable water, the Russian River Watershed Association convenes a timely, half-day gathering aimed at the people who will have to make the change work. Turf’s Up! focuses on what the new rules mean in practice for commercial, institutional and HOA landscapes—especially the ornamental patches that exist for looks, not use. The program brings together local experts to unpack how nonfunctional turf is defined, how compliance timelines vary by property type and what strategies help protect existing trees during lawn conversions. Case studies from properties that have already made the shift ground the discussion, emphasizing planning, phased approaches, and long-term water and cost savings. Framed within RRWA’s Russian River-Friendly Landscaping program, the event positions landscape conversion as both a regulatory necessity and an environmental opportunity. 8am–12:30pm, Wednesday, Feb. 11, Finley Center, 2060 W College Ave., Santa Rosa. Free. rrwatershed.org/event/turfs-up/.

Free Will Astrology, Jan. 28-Feb. 3

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ARIES (March 21-April 19): In 1953, Edmund Hillary of New Zealand and Tenzing Norgay of Nepal became the first climbers to trek to the summit of Mount Everest. They both said later that the climb down was as important and challenging as the ascent. The lesson: Achievement doesn’t end when you reach the peak. Aries, you may be nearing or have just passed a high point of effort or recognition. Soon you will need to manage the descent with aplomb. Don’t rush. Tread carefully as you complete your victory. It’s not as glamorous as the push upward, but it’s equally vital to the legacy of the climb.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Aurora borealis occurs when highly charged particles from the sun strike molecules high in the Earth’s atmosphere, causing them to glow. The display that looks like gorgeous magic is actually our planet’s invisible magnetic shield and upper atmosphere lighting up under the pressure of an intense solar storm. Dear Taurus, I think your life has a metaphorical resemblance. The strength you’ve been quietly maintaining without much fanfare has become vividly apparent because it’s being activated. The protection you’ve been offering and the boundaries you’ve been holding are more visible than usual. This is good news. Your shields are working.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): “Nothing in excess” was the maxim inscribed on the ancient Temple of Apollo at Delphi. “Moderation is a chief moral virtue,” proclaimed the philosopher Aristotle. But I don’t recommend those approaches for you right now, Gemini. A sounder principle is “More is better” or “Almost too much is just the right amount.” You have a holy duty to cultivate lavishness and splendor. I hope you will stir up as many joyous liberations and fun exploits as possible.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): When sea otters sleep, they sometimes hold each other’s paws to keep from drifting apart. This simple, instinctive act ensures they remain safe and connected. I suggest making their bond your power symbol for now, Cancer. You’ll be wise to formulate a strong intention about which people, values and projects you want to be tethered to. And if sea otters holding hands sounds too sentimental or cutesy to be a power symbol, you need to rethink your understanding of power. For you right now, it’s potency personified.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): To be healthy, we all need to continually be in the process of letting go. It’s always a favorable phase to shed aspects of our old selves to make room for what comes next. The challenge for you Leos is to keep showing up with your special brightness, even as parts of you die away to feed new growth. So here are my questions: What old versions of your generosity or courage are ready to compost? What fiercer, wilder, more sustainable expression of your leonine nature wants to emerge? The coming weeks will be an excellent time to stop performing the hero you used to be and become the hero you are destined to become.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): The Haudenosaunee people practice “seventh-generation thinking”: making decisions based on their impact seven generations into the future. You would be wise to incorporate the spirit of their visionary approach, Virgo. Here’s the problem: You’re so skilled at fixing what needs urgent attention that you sometimes neglect what’s even more important in the long run. So I will ask you to contemplate what choices you could make now that will be blessings to your future self. This might involve ripening an immature skill, shedding a boring obligation that drains you or delivering honest words that don’t come easily. Rather than obsessing on the crisis of the moment, send a sweet boost to the life you want to be living three years from now.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Are you open to the idea that new wisdom doesn’t always demand struggle and strain? In the days ahead, I invite you to move as if the world is deeply in love with you, as if every element, every coincidence, every kind pair of eyes is cheering you forward. Imagine that generous souls everywhere want to help you be and reveal your best self. Trust that unseen allies are rearranging the flow of fate to help you grow into the beautiful original you were born to be. Do you dare to be so confident that life loves you?

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Psychologist James Pennebaker did studies showing that people who write about traumatic experiences for just 15 minutes a day show improved immune function, fewer doctor visits and better emotional health. But here’s a key detail: The benefits don’t come from the trauma itself or from “processing feelings.” They come from constructing a narrative: making meaning, finding patterns and creating coherence. The healing isn’t in the wound. It’s in the story you shape from the wound’s raw material. You Scorpios excel at this alchemical work. One of your superpowers is to take what’s dark, buried or painful and transform it through the piercing attention of your intelligence and imagination. The coming weeks will be an excellent time to do this.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): In Jewish mysticism, tikkun olam means “repair of the world.” This is the idea that we’re all responsible for healing what’s broken. But the teaching also says you’re not required to complete the work; you’re only asked to not abandon it. This is your message right now, Sagittarius: You don’t have to save everyone. You don’t have to heal everything, and you don’t even have to finish the projects you’ve started. But you can’t abandon them entirely, either. Keep showing up. Do what you can today. That’s enough. The work will continue whether or not you complete it. Your part is to not walk away from your own brokenness and the world’s. Stay engaged. 

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): The Talmud teaches that “every blade of grass has an angel bending over it, whispering, ‘Grow, grow.’” I sense that you are now receiving the extra intense influence of your own guardian angels, Capricorn. They aren’t demanding or threatening, just encouraging. Please tune into their helpful ministrations. Don’t get distracted by harsher voices, like your internalized critic, the pressure of impossible standards or the ghost of adversaries who didn’t believe in you. Here’s your assignment: Create time and space to hear and fully register the supportive counsel. It’s saying: Grow. You’re allowed to grow. You don’t have to earn it. Just grow. 

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): In ecology, there’s a concept called “keystone species.” This refers to organisms that have a huge effect on their environment relative to their abundance. Remove them, and the whole ecosystem shifts. I bring this up, Aquarius, because I believe you are currently functioning as a keystone species in your social ecosystem. You may not even be fully aware of how much your presence influences others. And here’s the challenge: You shouldn’t let your impact weigh on your conscience. You don’t have to sacrifice yourself as you carry out your service. Instead, ask how you can contribute to the common good while also thriving yourself. Ensuring your well-being isn’t selfish; it’s essential to the gifts you provide and the duties you perform.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): I foresee a dose of real magic becoming available to you: equivalent to an enchanted potion, a handful of charmed seeds or a supernatural spell. But owning the magic and knowing how to use it are two different matters. There’s no promise you will instantly grasp its secrets. To give yourself the best shot, follow a few rules: 1. Keep it quiet. Only share news of your lucky charm with those who truly need to hear about it. 2. Before using it to make wholesale transformations, test it gently in a situation where the stakes are low. 3. Whatever you do, make sure your magic leaves no bruises behind.

Homework: Is a wounded part of you finally ready to heal? Do it! Newsletter. FreeWillAstrology.com

Free Will Astrology, Feb. 4-10

Free Will Astrology
ARIES (March 21-April 19): I’m thrilled by your genius for initiating what others only dream about. I celebrate your holy impatience with fakery and your refusal to waste precious life-force on enterprises that have gone stale. I’m in awe of how you make fire your ally rather than your enemy, wielding it not to destroy but to forge new...

Physical Poetry, Pour + Explore, Cello Joyride and Tiburon Trivia

Crush features North Bay art and cultural events.
Fairfax Dance in the Stacks Ballet meets lived experience in Strength Through Grace, an intimate evening on Feb. 26 at the Fairfax Library celebrating Black heritage through dance and storytelling. Professional dancer Marusya Madubuko of Alonzo King Lines Ballet shares her personal journey into the rarefied world of professional ballet—what it took to get there, what she learned along the way...

Calvi Ranch Acquisition, a Gift that Will Keep Giving for Generations to Come

The Calvi Ranch land acquisition is a gift that will keep giving for generations.
Last December, Sonoma County based LandPaths announced they were acquiring Calvi Ranch, a 69-acre parcel of land a half mile from the magnificent Grove of Old Trees in Occidental.  Owned by the Calvi Family for the last 90 years, the property is located on the ancestral homeland of the Kashia Band of Pomo Indians and the Federated Indians of Graton...

Loverly, ‘My Fair Lady’ at Cinnabar Theater

Aficionados of musical theater classics will appreciate Cinnabar Theater’s production of Lerner and Loewe’s My Fair Lady.
Aficionados of musical theater classics will appreciate Cinnabar Theater’s production of Lerner and Loewe’s My Fair Lady, running through Feb. 8 in Rohnert Park in the Warren Auditorium at Sonoma State University. Directed by Christian Arteaga, it is a prime example of keeping it simple and casting well and of actors working tirelessly in pursuit of excellence.  The nearly full...

Spirit of the King: Collective Soul Plays Graton Rancheria

Collective Soul plays at Rohnert Park’s Graton Resort & Casino, Saturday, Jan. 31.
Mojo Nixon and Skid Roper once sang that Elvis was everywhere—to hilarious effect. In the case of the most recent Collective Soul record, the two-CD Here to Eternity, the spirit of Presley was literally omnipresent.  Recorded on-site at Presley’s California estate in Palm Springs, the album project was a dream come true for Collective Soul founding member Ed Roland, who...

No Kings, Indivisible Sonoma County’s Tom Bethin

Tom Bethin of Indivisible Sonoma County
In the warming afterglow of their Jan. 17 protest rally, I telephoned Tom Bethin. He was buzzing. Earlier that day, his all-volunteer organization, Indivisible Sonoma County, had organized a speaker series on Santa Rosa’s civic plaza. Backed by a 10-foot tall banner emblazoned, “RISE UP AND RECLAIM OUR DEMOCRACY,” six candidates for two congressional seats (including Mike Thomson and ole...

Bottles & Ballet: Uncorking Excellence with Paige Dana

"The people that work in wine are passionate and creative; it keeps work compelling," Paige Dana said.
Kosta Browne Winery, the lauded label that was launched in the 1990s, just made history as San Francisco Ballet’s inaugural wine sponsor in its ninth decade.  The collaboration debuts with the 2026 season, marking an unprecedented milestone for The Barlow-based winery in Sebastopol, known so well for crafting premium pinot noir and chardonnay from very special, cool-climate vineyards. From humble beginnings—two...

All That Jazz: In Praise of a Uniquely American Idiom

Open Mic writers express their perspectives on a variety of topics.
I have my mother—the beatnik, alcoholic artist and reader of poetry—to thank for my deep appreciation of jazz. And I can still see her, cigarette and brandy at the ready, prancing around the kitchen in our Larkspur postage stamp house in the 1950s, snapping her fingers to the classic Ahmad Jamal interpretation of “Poinciana,” recorded at Club Pershing in Chicago...

Paintings that Refuse to Behave, Queer Film Shorts and an Irrigation Issue

Crush features upcoming art and cultural events in the North Bay.
Petaluma Unruly Paintings Daniel Potter’s new exhibition at IceHouse Gallery makes a case for painting as a form of active resistance—to polish, to certainty, to the notion that art should behave itself. “Keep Looking: Paintings That Refuse to Behave” gathers works made without loyalty to technique or finish, driven instead by attention, instinct and risk. For Potter, painting is less a...

Free Will Astrology, Jan. 28-Feb. 3

Free Will Astrology
ARIES (March 21-April 19): In 1953, Edmund Hillary of New Zealand and Tenzing Norgay of Nepal became the first climbers to trek to the summit of Mount Everest. They both said later that the climb down was as important and challenging as the ascent. The lesson: Achievement doesn’t end when you reach the peak. Aries, you may be nearing...
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