Petaluma Hills

Motivated by the desire to get some good bread, and to stop by the nursery that has good succulents, we went to Petaluma this morning. We began at the bakery where the bread purchase was accompanied by some biscotti to sustain us on our walk in the regional park in the Petaluma Hills. The sun came out as we were toiling up the steep hill to take in the view from the ridge. It has been awhile since we have visited this park, but Ozzie remembered exactly where the pond is, and found a stick in time to hit the water.

We have bought a lot of succulents at the Cottage Garden Nursery. In fact it was in this attractive setting, with its resident dogs of varying breeds, where we first realized the charm and variety of these interesting plants, and how well suited they are to being planted in pots. Ours have survived the move from Berkeley, the move from Sebastopol, freezing winters and heat waves, but a pot moved from Berkeley (with Will and Peter's small handprints on it) was looking tired and ratty, so we wanted to give it some new life. One large plant seems to show off the handprints better than an arrangement of small ones, so we bought a large frilly succulent with pink edged leaves bits.

After reading in the Sunday papers (the "big" papers) about all the mischief and mayhem in the world, it is always nice to spend a morning in rural Sonoma County, where it is possible to forget for awhile the lame politicians, the coups and demonstrations, the gang violence and the economic woes, the environmental decay and the commercial assaults that seem to beset our "little green planet". And to have a simple pot with kid handprints on it and a new plant in it to grace our doorstep.