Of Moving Shells and Everyday Rustlings Finding Contentment at Home
Meredith Florian
If we approach our daily lives with the same appreciation of detail that we often bring to ourvacations, magic can be ours almost daily. I began in our own garden by turning over various rocks and scraps of wood. As I moved apiece of redwood, .

Photo: Courtesy of the Oakland Library History Room]
Now Playing: Gentrification
By Greg NovakSigns of change in a community can be seen on her commercial streets. Do buildings have fresh paint on their walls or sheets of plywood on their windows? Are there weed-covered lots or bright "Grand Opening" banners? Our own community'.

Katrina Day of Relief at Fruitvale Elementary School
Principal Cherie Ivey has launched a plan to make her school a relief collection center for gulf-storm evacuees in the Bay Area. She has already enrolled four children in her school and is personally sponsoring a family of 23, ages 11 mos. to 65 years.
The school auditorium has been designated to store donations of food, new clothing, diapers, toys, and educational materials. Gift cards from food, clothing, and drug stores are particularly wanted. Distribution Day will be Friday, October 7, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Onions & Orchids
Peter Bond
Dear readers: This writer does search for individuals and businesses worthy of inclusion in this column, but he relies mostly on input from others. So please e-mail your ideas for Onions & Orchids to bpbond\@aol.com.Orchids to K.T. Graham, owner of.

Pete Villaseñor: Melrose's Loss, Main's Gain
Maryann Miller Novak
Ever since he was a kid, Pete Villaseñor has loved going to the library. He also loves art andhas become an accomplished printmaker, exhibiting at the Women's Cancer Resource Centerin Berkeley and at the Mission Cultural Center in San Francisco..