Italics alert

It is winter here in SB. You know how I know? I am wearing fuzzy slippers. I have worn them much of the day. I am wearing them instead of flip-flops. This is a big deal.

These are the yummy black slippers that my dear in-laws gave me for Christmas ...gulp...five years ago. They are very nice slippers. They were given to me when I was going barefoot on the cold, hard hardwood floors of our house back in the other SB. The other SB, where we averaged 70 inches of snow every year instead of averaging 70 degrees all year. Or something like that. But I digress.

I have weather on the brain because tonight was the night of the "Giant Pickle" up at the college. This is the annual tree lighting event, so-named because in the dark, the lit tree looks like...a giant pickle. There is gospel choir and an Annual Pickle Address. The students really get into it, but nearly so much (I think) as the neighborhood kids. The Pickle (and accompanying cider and cookies) are a major event. Last year we drove all the way over from the rental!

This year, however, there was a new addition to the list of festivities...the powers-that-be actually brought in snow. SNOW, for all love! And I hope that there are pictures. I am stalling, you see, because the lovely Maddie was at the snow with my children, and she still has my camera. I am sure there are precious photos, in spite of these facts: Pixie was crying because of snowballs, Wombles said, (I quote him telling me later) "NO! Miss Maddie!!" to snow, and Bud had to stay home as a consequence of un-bud-manly behavior this afternoon. This is all rumor though (except the Bud part, and Wombles telling me "I said, No!, Miss Maddie!" whenever I asked him about the snow). I was teaching Spanish.

So, snow was carted in, and I wore (1) long sleeves (2) trousers and (3) a sweater tonight. It's December! Winter is here!!

By the way, J thinks it would be bad form to admit I've developed a sock allergy. I say there's no reason to be smug about living in a perfect climate...it means I'm going soft. Gone are the days (?) when I come home from errands with just a down vest over my clothes and declare it gorgeous, warm, we must go for a walk!

And J smirks and says "It's 15 degrees outside...there's just no wind."

I'm a total wimp. And I'm OK with that.

So, since I have no Thanksgiving photos, no Boppy-and-Grandma photos, nothing--they being on my camera--I give you one of the past month's delights.

A couple of weeks ago, we saw Wombles turn the corner to being accepted in Pixie and Bud's play. There were a magical few days where I realized it was happening...somehow, to them he had graduated from baby status and was welcomed as a co-conspirator. He was so incredibly delighted.

Here is one game they played over and over. They are using a "Big pop," a gift from Aunt Joy. It's a half-dome that you turn inside out, set down, and wait to pop up into the air. It gets about a 12-minute EV (entertainment value) rating, unless you do NOT restrict surfaces on which it may be used. Then, my estimate would be about 45 minutes or until something gets broken.

Here they are waiting for the (green) big pop to go.


POP! There it is!



It is so fun and crazy to see what these three are getting into these days. Today it was ashes out of the charcoal grill; Bud spread them around on the patio. Pixie made a cake from a mix by herself (mostly) for the first time. Wombles...Wombles said "Giant Pickle!" frequently and clearly. And looked up at that bright 150-foot-tall redwood tree with the shining eyes that make motherhood feel like the privilege that it is.

Getting Ready/Pot Pourri

We have Boppy and Grandma here. Hooray!

We have fun news. Hooray!

We will have 14 or 15 here for Thanksgiving. Hooray!

And I have found some things to help me decorate for the feast. May be they will be helpful for you, too?

http://www.ccef.org/thankful-people

We love the Powlies. This is going to be fun. Which reminds me, I need to check on the roll of butcher paper...

Also, the prayer is one that was regular for us in our days at St. John's in Philadelphia. It brings comfort and feels like home...a boon when I'm way out here in California!

Hope to have more soon. I have pictures from this morning...heh heh heh. But for now I'm getting lunch and getting ready to teach Spanish again...I've had 1.5 weeks off.

By the way, this morning Wombles put on trousers that were too large. Bud offered to lend him his belt. Later, Wombles stood in the kitchen and announced to J:

"I'm wearing [Bud's] belt. I a man now, Daddy."

So far, our quote of the day.

Superhero School

This morning, Bud was at superhero school instead of regular school. This meant that between math and phonics he had flying practice.

He's getting really good at it.

He's so fast, I don't even have a picture.

I do have some of the words to the theme song, though:

There goes Bud just flying around
So fast his feet aren't even close to the ground
Watch him as he's learning to fly
Can you believe he can reach so high?

Or something like that. Wombles and Bud liked it, anyway.

Here's a shot of him practicing for his flying lessons at the Fall Festival last weekend:


I can't believe he's getting so big! You can compare with here and here. (Weekends of Fall Fests past).

We got to have really-o-truly-o Superhero o school for a while; Pixie was here in the office having a blast with Spelling City.

Especially Hangmouse.

OK, I am so pleased with myself. Those of you who are photographer-types just cover your ears/eyes... I am so excited that in about 2 minutes I was able to take Bud's name off of the cover of his phonics book in the picture above, and replace it with "Bud." It's ridiculous, and I didn't take the time to get the axis right on his name since I'm supposed to be getting together dessert for when we go to our friends' for dinner...but I am so happy to be working with Photoshop.

In other news, Wombles was able to get himself a little dressed up this morning in the midst of Pixie and Bud's dress-up game. Kudos to him for getting something together, including accessories (OK, only accessories).


Nothing too weird today...yet.

And, finally, gratuitous beautiful-sunset shot. November is the month! (Yes! We actually live somewhere where NOVEMBER is the beautiful month! )

My Poem

Four

Running, Nakey
No
No clothes
In my room?
Perched on a dresser
So high
So Nakey
Behind the abacus,
I can count to forty.
I just did.
Laughing
Laughing at mom
I have a donut hat on my head.
Krispy Kreme
Do you see me?
Donut Hat.
Animal abacus.
Not coming down until Dad's home.

Four.


I thought it was probably illegal to show a picture of what transpired in our house this afternoon. I didn't actually take one, because I couldn't find the camera. I hope I've given you a little picture anyway. It was hilarious and vexing...but mostly hilarious.

Non-stop adventure!

Our Neighbor's House

We tried to take a picture of our neighbor's house every day from when construction began until it was done. Here are a few of the shots.

The violinist playing is a friend in the neighborhood who also lost his house in the fire...but I found the recording online entirely by chance the day it was released. That happened to be the same day our neighborhood was rededicated! I bought it right away.

**Since the original posting, I have gone back and edited the shots that gave away personal information. **

Happy New Year! :)

13th November

At the one-year anniversary of the Tea Fire, it is simultaneously hard to believe that it's only been a year...and that an entire year has passed. What a year! The rental seems like some part of my imagination, but at the time Wombles had spent about 1/5 of his life there.

Last March, when we were moving home and everything was the complete chaos which followed our messy return (see March 24th post), we said that if things were "back to normal" by this time we'd be in good shape.

I think we're in good shape.

Incredibly, our neighbors have been back for about a week. Someone driving through the neighborhood would see a lot of landscaping being done but I don't think would be able to guess which houses burned and which ones didn't. Can you believe it? 14 houses. 1 year.

I am feeling happy and sad and deeply not profound...and I look forward to posting the "all things new" part of the story tomorrow.

~at our arrival in the gym~

This was when I thought the fire wall would burn around our neighborhood, taking out bushes but no buildings, of course. It wasn't even smoky in the gym yet at this point, looks like. I also thought we would be there 2-3 hours, tops. There are no pillows, and no one had eaten dinner. I was singularly unprepared. Later someone gave us an apple which we shared out; Bud ate the core when I wasn't looking. A woman give them some crackers. Late, late, more food came from the dining hall after the fires on campus were under control.

~the children sleeping in Russell's office (our neighbor, Allison's husband)~

Our children slept through the night (2a-7a) in the office, which they could not have done in the big gym. There was even a bathroom right down the hall, and it was quiet. Except for the incessant helicoptering overhead (a Vietnam vet described it as very like a war zone) and the loud, loud voices within.

~The walk home to grab some clothes the next morning~

There were fire crews from all over Southern CA on our street. I was so moved by their being there.

It was a SB engine that saved our house, though, locals who left these marks on our garage door as they forced it open to put out the flames inside.


What can I say? The students in the gym were wonderful; praying, singing, talking, comforting. The parents and high-schoolers (did you know it was a preview weekend at the time? so crazy) were great, too. I am so glad to be part of a community that in the midst of the storm insists that "all I have needed, thy hand hath provided...great is thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me."

Here we are two days later, meeting to talk and pray; it was the first time many of us had seen one another, as we were all crashing in hotels or the homes of friends (it was to be another 30 hours or so before anyone was allowed back into our neighborhood).

Bud is at far left, and the Pacific at far right. I remember being overwhelmed with how beautiful this park was. I had not been to this little part of town before. Little did I know that I was only about 6 blocks from what would become "home" in the months to come! Even as I am sad, I can see God's goodness.

Strength for today, and bright hope for tomorrow...blessings all mine, and ten thousand beside.

SF K's Come to Town

As I've said, we had a chance to reconnect with old friends from WTS over the weekend. I was able to just scratch the surface of things I wanted to show them while they were here--next time, tidal pools and the Courthouse! --but it was cozy, fun, great to see old friends and great to get to know them as they are now. Very fun.

Here are a few shots from our time:

Our first SB adventure was Saturday morning, when we headed out to the beach. This is one of the reasons I want a vehicle that can seat eight.



I was very concerned that it would be too cold, but it was warm and lovely. Even the grown-ups thought so.



Although, we weren't as into sand as Bud was. Saturday was his special sand day. When we went again on Monday, he was joined by Pixie and CM in "sand angels." I don't have a picture, so just try to imagine it for a moment...no, sandier...no, deeper sand. And in their hair. Yep, that's close enough.

These shots are from Saturday though.




Here we have L with The Little Dude "shakin it"--the salad dressing, that is. Yummy and fun! Everyone had a turn to "shake it!" (There was a song, of course.)


Here's the beautiful finished product:



Don't look at me. You know I didn't bring my CSA box down here and work some magic.



We are looking forward to seeing the SF K's again!



As they were leaving, my children were crying. When Wombles woke up from his nap, has asked for E (The Little Dude). I said he was gone. "Gone-gone? Drive away in the car?" Yes. "Aawwwww!"

The kids actually ALL GOT ALONG!

Tomorrow is the anniversary of the fire. I'm going through pictures. We'll see.