BRRRRRR..........It's Cold in Santa Barbara-ish

I had thought to venture out for some wood - to the store, that is, because we have no wood stash but I think not.    It's cold and raining/hailing outside.   The local weather man said to watch out for this fast moving storm.   Possibility of a thunderstorm or two and snow levels could drop to 2,000 feet.    Uh Oh!    We live pretty darn close to that.

Here's what it's looking like here right now:

I just hope our internet holds out to be able to make this post.   We depend on satellite for both our TV and internet.   Interestingly, DirecTV does better in storms than Wildblue (our internet).

At least we still have electricity.   Living in an all electric home can be a challenge when there is no electricity.

Thunderstorms here are so rare.  I have to admit that I actually like them.   They remind me of my youth.   Always lived where there were thunderstorms before coming to California.

Of course, look at me!    I'm writing about the weather.   How boring is that. 

Well, quite frankly weather ins Santa Barbara never varies all that much.   That's a bit boring, don't you think?

SOMETIMES THE SIMPLE THINGS ARE THE BEST THINGS

Today,  I made some good old fashioned white bread just like my grandmother's.   I love making bread.  I especially love kneading the "live dough".   No bread machines for me.   They seem so impersonal.   Actual kneading by hand connects you more with the creation of a simple loaf of bread, at least for me.    I make bread quite often, actually.   I just never really think about it.   It never seemed blog worthy, but why not?


I've been making a whole wheat bread out of King Arthur White Whole Wheat Flour.   I never knew there was such a thing as white whole wheat flour before I saw it.  


But today, I wanted some white bread -  made with King Arthur Bread Flour.  

Is there anything quite as yummy as fresh homemade bread still warm with butter?

I don't think so.

And yesterday, I made some Apple Fritters.    They were/are delicious, too.   J.C. loves apple fritters.   The ones I made don't exactly taste like apple fritters one buys at a donut shop, but they are still a treat.

So, you see, dear readers, my life is still multi-faceted.

Even so:

I am attracted to

Melancholy.

I find it a

Comfortable

Fit.

Whenever I taste

It’s poignant

lolly

I think to myself,

That’s It!

This doesn’t

Mean

I’m negative.

It doesn’t mean

I’m blue.

It just means

That, for me,

Melancholy

Rings true.

Written 1/10/09 – 9:30 AM  (thinking of Leonard Cohen)

© 2009  Elizabeth Martin

NFL Playoff Game - San Diego Chargers vs New York Jets - 1/17/2010

Qualcom Stadium - 1/17/2010 - San Diego Chargers vs. New York Jets

We got a surprise invitation from our long time friends, Penny and Alan to go to the NFL Play-off game between the San Diego Chargers and the New York Jets this past sunday.   Of course, we accepted!
Even though it was a gloomy day and actually started raining near the end of the game, we had a fabulous time.    Penny and Alan's daughters and son in law had a fun and yummy tail-gate party before the game.   I had no idea how there was this "other world" of tail gaters!   You should have seen some of the parties there.   It was said that Rachel Ray was there to scan the food served.   We didn't see her but it was clear that everyone loved this part of the whole game day experience.   I even had a few people tell me that the tail gate party was the best part of the whole football game experience.

J.C., Carol, me, Alan & Penny

We have known Penny and Alan since 1970.   We lived next door to each other at UCLA Married Student Housing.  What a great experience that was!   Honestly, think of the movie "The Big Chill" and you will begin to know what I'm talking about.  Carol is Penny's best friend and they went to high school together.   Carol's husband, Bill, was kind enough to snap this picture of us.   As you can see, we were there pretty doggone early since the parking lot is still pretty empty.   We left at 8 AM and the kick off was at 1:40 PM.

After the game, we all parted ways and JC and I went to Escondido to see JC's sister, Melody, who was at her time share condo this week at Lawrence Welk Resorts.  Melody is not only my sister-in-law but my dearest and closest friend.  I have known her since she was 8 years old, when I first started dating her brother.  We immediately "took to each other" despite our age difference.  She still talks of how I took her with me to Los Angeles to look for an apartment for JC, Ben and I to live in before we were accepted to UCLA married student housing.    She couldn't believe I would take her on such an adventure.   She was great company even then.   We found a one bedroom apartment off Robertson Blvd. on Canfield Ave. that day.    Living there was a fun experience, also.   I hadn't realized it when I rented that we were the only "gentiles" in the entire building!   I didn't even know what that meant when I first heard it.   That's when we first discovered Canters Deli, a place we still frequent when in LA.   Even Melody goes there.

                                                                    Melody and I


Our daughter, Anne, also went to Lawrence Welf Villas with her two boys for the weekend.   Anne and her girlfriend, Kelli, had a condo booked for the weekend there in a newer section.  They have wonderful pool areas there and despite the weather, Jack and Hayden made the best of it:

                                                                                                                  

Hayden

                                                    Jack
I treasure each and every time I can get together with my family.

New Year - 2010

Hubby and I traveled to San Francisco on New Year's Eve and spent time with our 3 daughters and our 5 grandchildren. It was a very enjoyable visit. Hubby and daughters spent many hours throwing baseballs to our grandsons as they are getting ready to start Little League. My daughter's, Anne and Helen are really quite the athletes, themselves. They both played softball (among many other sports) in high school and while in Oregon, their team won the state championship. Helen was a catcher and Anne played shortstop and pitcher.

We also had some delicious food, of course and I had a great time teaching my granddaughter, Mia, how to make meatballs.

But the highlight of our trip was a family outing to Alcatraz, courtesy of my daughter, Anne.   It was a beautiful,  San Francisco day when we went.  

                                                                  And, oh the views!  

It was because of my grandson, Jack, that we went.   He had heard about Alcatraz and really wanted to go and see it.   He wanted to stay longer than we were able to.   When I got home, I ordered a children's book about a boy who lived on Alcatraz.    It was interesting to learn that families lived on Alcatraz.   There is an apartment building still there that housed them.    There are other smaller houses that are no longer there.    These all were for the guards and their wives and children.  
When you arrive, you are given a set of headphones (see Jack) and these provide you with a guided tour with interesting facts and stories about Alcatraz.

I'd go back in a heartbeat!   There's a night tour, too.   The lights of San Francisco would fantastic.
 I love San Francisco!

LOVE and FIRE!!!!!!!!

It is now the 4th day of fire where I live. What a week this has been. On Thursday, April 30th, my youngest daughter, Jane, got married on the Santa Barbara Courthouse lawn. It was a lovely, immediate family only, wedding on an absolutely picturesque day in Santa Barbara.

From left to right: Best friend, Tracy, sister Helen, Jane, James, sister, Anne.



Jane and James's picked this date because it is the day between both of their birthdays. Jane's birthday is April 29th and James' birthday is May 1st. It was a wonderful day.


It was another "first" for me in that Jane asked me do make all the bouquets for her wedding. I admit I had a moment of panic , but I did a "trial" run the weekend before and felt confident enough after that to make them.





Jane walked down the isle to the Rolling Stones' song, "Lady Jane". Jane and I had always thought this would be a unique and beautiful song for her wedding because it is such a melodic song with a harpsichord playing and the words included not only her name but that of her older sister, Anne. Part of their service included a surprise for everyone. Both James' mother and myself were called up front and handed an envelope. When we opened them, we discovered ultrasound pictures of their baby with the news, "It's a Boy"!

After the service Jane and James walked out to the tune, "Sweet Child of Mine" as a tribute to our late son, Ben.


Later that day, Jane told me that they were planning on naming their baby, Benjamin Chance", and call him "Chance".


We had a wonderful weekend with both the Gilmore and Martin families. Then, my oldest daughters and families went to Palm Springs and Jane and James went home to begin their married life together. My husband and I went to Palm Springs, also. The weather there was hot and beautiful.








On our way home to Santa Barbara we were stuck in traffic in Los Angeles and turned on the radio for the traffic report when we heard the "Breaking News", "Fire in Santa Barbara". I immediately called my nearest neighbor and was reassured that for the moment, we were not in the path of the fire. Since we arrived home, we have been monitoring the fire and it has been absolutely crazy. Our weather is all over the place. It's over 100 degrees Fahrenheit wherever the fire is at it's peak, but not where I live just a few miles from it's eastern boundary. But we have had high winds for days, switching directions constantly. We have also had intermittent power outages and go to bed not knowing what will happen with the fire at night. We woke up this morning (May 8th) to the news that one end of the fire is creeping towards us. I shouldn't really say, "creeping" because when it moves, it moves fast, driven by the winds. This morning the winds are toward us. We are hoping that they will shift as the day goes on. The last fire, we had to pack everything near and dear to us and were ready to flee at a moment's notice. I truly do no want to do that again. But I have learned the bitter lesson that life does what it does, with no matter to my wishes.



This is a picture of the fire in the mountains near where I live. There is a lot of dry underbrush to feed this fire. If you add wind to the mix, then the possibility of it spreading gets much higher. We have our SUV parked facing out in case we need to load up the cats and what is most important and leave quickly. To where, I do not know.........

It's been an indescribable past 11 months. First, the birth of our granddaughter, Annabel, the unexpected death of our oldest child and only son, Ben, three major fires, one of which we are in the midst of now, the wedding of our youngest daughter, and the news of a new grandson on his way. Life is whirling around me, with my emotions being pulled in opposite directions. I am but a witness to it all.

Silly Painted Door Test

My front door isn't painted. I have no intention of painting it, either, but I thought this one question test was fun because it reminds of a sight I encounter frequently. Whenever I venture down the mountain I live on, I drive past a house which always catches my attention. It's a modern stucco house with a flat roof that is painted all pale lavender except for the south facing side which is painted bright yellow. And on the attached deck of this side is a stunning black and white canvas gazebo. This sounds horrible, I know, but it actually isn't when seen in person. It's all done in a very tasteful way. I loved it when the owner had a life size zebra by the purple front door, but they moved that. I wonder where? I also love that they have a freestanding faded green painted door - just a door - standing by itself at the entrance to their garden. I never see who lives there and often think that when I do, I will stop and tell them how much I admire their creativity.

Your Door Says You Are Absurdly Fanciful

You are daring, unusual, and extravagant. You are like an eccentric wealthy person... Even if you don't have the money to back it up yet. You crave luxury. You love to feel rich.

The Front Door Test