Flavia Potenza

The Canyon Chronicle. Why Now? The Canyon Chronicle. Why Now? June 17 2020 - When the Topanga Messenger was conceived and born in 1976, we were a mix of wannabe hippies and solid citizens, who said, “Hey, this ...Read more Equine Leadership Program Equine Leadership Program “When a human and a horse enter a journey together, two inner worlds unite and both hearts awaken.” —Sabine Niederberghaus, Founder S...Read more Patricia Colvig—1949-2021 Patricia Colvig—1949-2021 By Flavia Potenza Patricia Colvig, talented researcher for films and movies, was a big-hearted, fiercely independent, rambunctious, and witty woman with an eye for beau...Read more   Responsibility Responsibility After days of observing and reliving the horrors of 9-11 20 years later, I vividly recall seeing the smoke billowing out of the north side of the Nort...Read more R.I.P. Tony Morris R.I.P. Tony Morris By Flavia Potenza We, at the Canyon Chronicle mourn, along with many others in the canyon, whether we knew him well or superficially, the passing of Tony Morris. We hav...Read more Topanga Whimsy for the Holidays and Every Day Topanga Whimsy for the Holidays and Every Day Compiled by Flavia Potenza No one ever said Topangans don’t have a sense of humor. Much of it manifests in surprisingly whimsical ways where you can’t help but smile and won...Read more   World Premiere of ‘The Last, Best Small Town’ is World Class Theater World Premiere of ‘The Last, Best Small Town’ is World Class Theater Opening night at Theatricum Botanicum of The Last, Best Small Town by Latinx playwright John Guerra introduces us to a pair of neighboring fami...Read more Everyday Hugs Everyday Hugs What people yearn for the most in this extended lockdown, they say, are hugs, so here are some Everyday Hugs that might prompt you to find your own. ...Read more Remembering Mary Remembering Mary The day seemed full of itself, a fiesta of California sunshine and gentle breezes that set the scene for Mary Colvig’s memorial on Saturday, Septemb...Read more   Roslyn ‘Roz’ Harris—1944-2021 Roslyn ‘Roz’ Harris—1944-2021 With a heavy heart and an overwhelming appreciation for the joy of knowing our beloved friend, devoted mother, loving wife, and trusted sister, we inf...Read more The Extraordinary Ordinary The Extraordinary Ordinary During the lockdown, the Bonnell neighborhood and its delightful denizens have become a microcosmic view of the world as seen through a pandemic-prope...Read more Investing in Loss Investing in Loss Topanga has lost so many good souls this year. So has the country with more than half a million deaths from COVID-19. To be precise, as of this writin...Read more   Selected Poems 2021, Topanga, California, Part 2, April 16 Selected Poems 2021, Topanga, California, Part 2, April 16 Under the Capsized Boat We Fly New & Selected Poems by Gail Wronsky | In conversation with Flavia Potenza Forty years is a milest...Read more The Flying Pig is Back! The Flying Pig is Back! In case you didn’t notice—but many people did—Topanga’s iconic flying pig overhanging Topanga Canyon Blvd. in the area of Robinson Road, disap...Read more ‘I’m Not Single, I Have a Dog’ ‘I’m Not Single, I Have a Dog’ ‘I’m Not Single, I Have a Dog’ By Susan Hartzler Commentary by Flavia Potenza Once, marriage was the norm for adults. But ...Read more   Ups & Downs Ups & Downs Since our last issue, we’ve had some excitement, some good, some not so much. For those who follow those things, space flight took off—Sir Rich...Read more Aurora Behrman, Junior Lifeguard Aurora Behrman, Junior Lifeguard Los Angeles County Fire Department’s Junior Lifeguard Program, open to children ages 9 through 17, was founded in 1963, to teach children the basic ...Read more Embrace of the Wild by Linda Ballou Embrace of the Wild by Linda Ballou Reviewed by Flavia Potenza Thank you, Linda Ballou, for “Embrace of the Wild,” and introducing us to the extraordinary equestrian explor...Read more   From the Sublime to the Downright Cranky From the Sublime to the Downright Cranky SCE’s Undergrounding project that came to a halt in 2015, just as the crossover was about to complete it, is now scheduled to begin in the Topanga T...Read more Hypervigilance Hypervigilance Hypervigilance. A state where you are constantly scanning your environment for any signs of danger. The pit bull running in and out of traff...Read more https://vm.tiktok.com/ ZMdf8Pbs4/ https://vm.tiktok.com/ ZMdf8Pbs4/ Monday, June 21, was the solstice, the first day of summer, and Topanga opened its doors to 44 bands and musicians throughout the canyon from 11 a.m. ...Read more   ‘The Cat That Changed America’ by Tony Lee Moral ‘The Cat That Changed America’ by Tony Lee Moral Reviewed by Flavia Potenza The young mountain lion, P22, became a media sensation when he showed up in Griffith Park, an oasis in the middle of urban Los Angeles. As if that wer...Read more Night Blooming Cereus and the Computer Night Blooming Cereus and the Computer The brilliant pink Night Blooming Cereus blossomed the day my computer crashed. This plant, has moved and lived with me for a long time and I nev...Read more There Are Wars and There Are Wars There Are Wars and There Are Wars Welcome to Memorial Day weekend where, with full hearts we pause to honor and remember those who have fallen in the Great Wars, as well as those who f...Read more   Escape to the Farm Escape to the Farm As long as I’ve lived in Topanga (45 years) and as much as I love it and the community it inspires, once I was fully vaccinated and received an invi...Read more Families and Friends Families and Friends This is the last, but not least of our month-long poetry slam, to which we’ve dedicated three pages. The response from our local poets was so prolif...Read more Earth Day Earth Day Topanga celebrates Earth Day year-round, don’t we! It is nice, and likely necessary that we get a jolt once a year to take stock of how we’re doin...Read more   Stating the Obvious and the Marvelous Mundane Stating the Obvious and the Marvelous Mundane Spring came in hot on the heels of autumn, stepping over winter as if it never happened, and teased us with early blooms and glorious days. Winter did...Read more Fire Storm at Berry Creek Fire Storm at Berry Creek Two former Topangans survived the Bear Fire but lost their home. They also “lost a lifetime of stuff,” but not their lives. They are gr...Read more Hugelkultur: Learning to Love Carbon Hugelkultur: Learning to Love Carbon By Flavia Potenza Carbon sequestration in the most sustainable sense of the word. A pile of native soil with four shovels standing like sentinels, flattened cardbo...Read more   Life Goes On Life Goes On Residents on Bonnell Drive are fortunate to have a little park with its own weather. Nature is a bit off kilter these days, like us. It drives the sea...Read more Hansel and Gretel By Coco Blignaut aka Coco Mary Hansel and Gretel By Coco Blignaut aka Coco Mary Reviewed by Flavia Potenza In case you haven’t noticed, much of the content in this issue verges on the whimsical. Coco Blignaut’s latest literary effort takes whimsy and f...Read more Mary Colvig 1949-2021 Mary Colvig 1949-2021 Flavia Potenza A leading light in Topanga has gone out. Mary Colvig passed on January 26, 2021, of cancer. Hers was a gentle but steadfast light that brought a hea...Read more   Harbingers of Spring Harbingers of Spring When the daffodils along my neighbor’s fence popped out overnight, It suddenly changed everything that is changing anyway. It feels as if the COVID ...Read more Sometimes We are Simply Asked to Endure and Persist Sometimes We are Simply Asked to Endure and Persist By Flavia Potenza As if a greater surge of the pandemic weren’t enough, our erstwhile president, who has abandoned the country for the golf course, is also wreaking h...Read more Joy in the Shadow of the Virus Joy in the Shadow of the Virus Flavia Potenza Days before Governor Gavin Newsom’s stay-at-home order in response to the dramatic surge in COVID-19 cases in California, I admit I ventured out of ...Read more   Earthquake Awareness Earthquake Awareness With our hypervigilant attention to wildfires over the past several years, a 3.5 magnitude earthquake that jolted the Los Angeles area on Inauguration...Read more Bonnell Drive Cancels Halloween Festivities Bonnell Drive Cancels Halloween Festivities Residents of Bonnell Drive and the Bonnell Park Homeowners Association have cancelled the popular Halloween party this year because of the risk of spr...Read more Kindness is Everything Kindness is Everything Oppressive news. Oppressive heat wave. August’s end was not kind. In hopes of lifting the oppressive cloud in my head, with Tippy (dog) and Tom (...Read more   Vote! “...Eternity is in it” Vote! “...Eternity is in it” Thinking Out Loud Notice something different about The Canyon Chronicle’s look? That’s because Nira Lichten agreed to sign on as our Creative Director, smoot...Read more How Fragile We Are... How Fragile We Are... Gabrielle Lamirand and her husband, Roy, have lost their home in the Berry Creek fire. They were long-time Topangans, great friends to all, and dedica...Read more Newspaper Launch Newspaper Launch Flavia Potenza is organizing this fundraiser. May 2020 - The Canyon Chronicle, a new community newspaper serving Topanga Canyon and areas of the Santa Monica Mountains, will launch its first editi...Read more   Sadness, Solace, Solitude and Spirit Sadness, Solace, Solitude and Spirit We wanted her to live forever, even those of us who barely knew her. We especially didn’t want Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg to leave us now, in the m...Read more Topanga Peace Alliance on the Move Topanga Peace Alliance on the Move On Monday, June 1, noticing the growing protests over the outrage of George Floyd’s murder by Minneapolis police, Julie Levine rallied Topanga Peace...Read more The Simple Life. If Only... The Simple Life. If Only... Well, we launched the first issue of The Canyon Chronicle, warts and all, i.e., low-resolution photos, hard-to-read font for articles, and a publisher...Read more   Topanga’s Independent Voice Since 1976 Topanga’s Independent Voice Since 1976 “WE’RE CONFUSED!” Our community has given us feedback and, in the way it’s supposed to work, we’re listening. It seems readers can’t wrap...Read more Unbridled Generosity Unbridled Generosity The coronavirus surges again, grateful to humans for being such generous hosts. Thwarting the attack, we are hunkering down yet again in our microc...Read more