In which the editor brings you up to date on the happenings of some of our previously profiles people still doing awesome things and continuing to feed, beautify, and inspire our community.
Dawn Zaft’s Criminal Baking Company is expanding its catering options, specializing in boxed breakfasts and lunches, a variety of platters (veggie, fruit, charcuterie, finger sandos, etc), savory pastry small bites, dessert bars, savory and sweet pies, and more! Delivery and onsite set-up available!
Also, check out their Pie Pop-Up Window, open weekly at 600 Wilson St
reet, Thursday-Friday, 11am–5pm & Sat-Sun, 11am–4pm for slices and more. Whole pies are discounted but must be pre-ordered online by the previous Sunday for pickup at the Pie Window. Regular or gluten-free selections change weekly, including Cherry Crumb, Lemon Buttermilk, Manchego with Quince, Chocolate Cream, Orange Cottage Pie with Mashed Potato Top, and Spinach Artichoke with Ricotta and Mozzarella.
Head here to see more and place your order!
criminalbakingcoonlineshop.com
Muralist MJ Lindo and husband artist Joshua Lawyer are “basically taking over Roseland with murals.” According to Lindo, “We want to make it a new art hub in Santa Rosa.”
The couple started a nonprofit in June of 2022, found seven canvases up and down Roseland’s main thoroughfare, then teamed up with the City of Santa Rosa with plans for another 20 all over the downtown area. At their annual mural festival (coming this summer), several muralists paint outdoors for days, a slow and steady sort of performance art. Some are newbies, some are professional, and some paint every single day for two weeks straight. To see some of the previous year’s output, head to Sebastopol Road: Tia Maria’s bakery, Sonoma Meat Co, a giant silo, La Guadalupana, a landscape company, Sazon—all are adorned with bright, interesting, moving works of art. A perfect way to say, as MJ does more than once, “We love helping businesses; we love Roseland.”
Trathen Heckman, founder and executive director of the nonprofit Daily Acts, published a book called Take Heart, Take Action. Equal parts inspirational stories and practical guidelines, read an excerpt here…
We are in an interesting moment. Fully of beauty and hurt, uncertainty and unbound potential. So many are reeling from wave after wave of difficulty in recent years. And yet the sun still shines, the rains still rain (sometimes), and blossoms and seeds quietly swell until they burst through the surface with spring’s verdant emergence. Though you may feel beleaguered and worn thin at times, the season and this big planetary moment calls us to rise. But how do we do so in a world of so many overwhelmingly large crises?
What if the power of small could change it all?
What if small daily acts of courage and conviction, small groups of unstoppable world-changers and even small regenerative gardens could help transform your life, community and the world? The simple truth is that there has never been a time when our small acts and small groups have mattered more. But we gotta believe and lean in, and sometimes let our hearts break. Because this is how the light gets in.
Take Heart, Take Action is about finding where your heart’s inspiration meets the hurt you are called to heal. It’s the journey of finding your path, your people, and a good compass to guide you. The structure and flow is a simple, time-tested formula, Daily Acts’ values and operating principles: Reverence + Ripples + Relationships = Resilience. Reverence is about waking up and following our hearts. Once awake, Ripples are the actions we take to find our vision, voice, and power. Relationships are about creating and nurturing community because that’s how our planet works. What comes of this is a Resilience we live and build by waking and taking action in right relation to our people and planet, day after day.
As people, organizations, and movements rise to this moment and prioritize nurturing networks, regenerating ecosystems, and unleashing the power of community, the small, engaged groups in every place are essential. Your daily acts are essential. And the power of small is bigger than you think. It’s time to rise. As we say at Daily Acts: take heart, take part, take action.