You can't win for losing

 

Source: COR

The Sundial Bridge is a stunning pedestrian bridge spanning the Sacramento River in my town. It connects the north and south ends of Turtle Bay and functions as one of the largest sundials in the world.

It measures time during a four-hour window daily, from 11 AM to 3 PM, with its shadow moving about one foot per minute. However, it becomes less effective in winter when the shadow is cast too far into the adjacent arboretum.

Designed by renowned architect Santiago Calatrava, this bridge is both a functional infrastructure and a celebrated piece of art.




My pomegranate is overflowing with potential...


So here we are - Saturday afternoon! I took a nap today to try and recoup that lost hour. Most likely, it may just keep me from being tired at bedtime, where I will toss and turn for an hour -  which will make me tired all day tomorrow. 

You can't win for losing.  🎲


Tomorrow is the monthly church potluck. 

This month's theme is Asian cuisine and the first letter of my last name means this month I bring a main dish.  I’ve never felt the urge to make my own Chinese food—take-out works just fine! While I have a couple of salad recipes from a Japanese friend and a fried rice recipe from my friend Betty in Hong Kong, it's been 30+ years since I've made them, so I don’t think it's a good idea to bring those.


Last week, I tried a Teriyaki chicken casserole, but it didn’t taste authentic, so I’ve decided to keep it simple and bring a ramen noodle salad, possibly throw in some chicken. Asian foods are best fresh; making them the night before can compromise the crunch and flavors. Cooking for a pot luck shouldn’t be stressful. A friend and I discussed how hard it is to find Asian recipes that are simple and maintain their fresh taste after reheating. We might see a lot of fried rice and pork or chicken salads!


🥡🥢🧧

I'll blame it on Daylight Savings! 




The City has released a new 2025 city-wide fire map. While I don’t recall seeing one in my 17 years here, I knew the problem areas in our community.  Just up the road, it is rural - Although this information is not surprising, seeing it visually represented on the map underscores the reality of the situation.

Orange is SEVERE fire danger

Goldenrod is High

Yellow is Moderate. 

Upon examining the aerial view of our neighborhood, it's not promising. I noticed that to the left of our house, there was a significant presence of goldenrod, which extended to cover half of our property, while the other half was yellow. The Orange is about 7.2 miles (give or take) at Oasis. 

Okay, so we reside in a designated high-moderate fire risk area. As a consequence of this classification, our homeowner's insurance may be canceled, or alternatively, the premiums may increase to a level that becomes unaffordable for us. This situation highlights the challenges faced by residents in fire-prone regions regarding insurance policies.

Fortunately, we are not in the orange zone, and our adult children are not located in any fire-risk areas. Our plan is that if we need to evacuate, we will go to the home of my son and his wife.

We've received an abundance of rain here, but even with a healthy, robust rainy season, our hot/dry summers work against us.


It's all in God's hands 🙏🏻



Enjoy the rest of your afternoon/evening.

It's pizza night for us!  


Until Next time, 

Debby




Comments

  1. You are exactly right Debby...it is ALL in God's hands. Really kinda stinks though that from this map, Insurance companies can increase the cost of being covered. I think I would have anxiety if I knew we didn't have insurance coverage on our home. Sounds like you all have studied the map and have a good plan in order in case there are fires in your area. Prayers that this never happens.

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    1. Yeah it does stink!
      I’m not as anxious as I would have been 17 years ago. If a fire wiped us out I am confident that my husband and I can get through anything together - it’s still not like losing a child.

      We won’t worry about it - we’ll prepare instead and yes, pray it never happens.

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  2. Oh my, that map. I hope you continue to remain safe. I have never heard of the sundial Bridge, it is amazing!!

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    1. I doubt anyone outside our area knows about it. I’d be surprised if anyone did. Just one of our little secrets here.

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  3. we all have danger zones where we live, and for all 40 of my years here, even though we had a few near misses, this past year we got three.. I pray now that you do not have fire near or have to use your evac plans. we re in the same situation as you are, with insurance.. sky rocketing prices or will not sell it at all..... 38 years in this house, we have never once used our insurance so if we had put the money we paid in a savings account, look what we would have.. like the pioneers did, if it burns/falls,floods, build it back... of course we don'thave any trees left to make a log cabin

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    1. That’s the way I look at it too. There’s danger and disasters in every place. Homeowners insurance is high all over I guess.

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  4. That bridge is so amazing! I've love that sundial that is added into it's function.
    I always think potlucks for church are hard. You have to come up with something to be ready after the service and that's not easy. Add in a theme and it's harder yet! :)
    I hate hearing about your fire concerns. There is great comfort in knowing it's in God's hands!

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    1. It’s our little secret up here.
      Pot lucks shouldn’t be overwhelming but they can be. It’s the “Martha” in us.

      Delete
  5. You have so many amazing things in your area. You are right ...it is ALL in God's hands!!! Really kind of stinks that from that map, Insurance companies can increase the cost of being covered. You never had one before? Do you have a lot of water there?

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    1. Right! But apparently it came down from Sacramento. We are not in a drought. This is the third year of a bountiful season of rain and snow.

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  6. Hi, I do appreciate you reminding me it is ALL IN GOD'S HANDS!! Now, I need to LET GO and TRUST!!

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  7. Wow, that is really tough on the fire map. Everybody's insurance is going up. I pray ours doesn't fit in the revised fire zones. We can't afford to pay more.
    4 years ago we finally saw and walked across the Sundial bridge and visited the gardens. I love d it. this was after our granddaughters wedding up in the church camp in Viola.
    Yes, that's the only way we can live..putting it all in God's Hands.
    Sue

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    1. Do you have many fires in your town? We have several wildfires every summer. If not then you should be fine.
      Oh I know the camp in Viola. It almost burned down a couple years ago.
      The practice of putting it all in Gods hand is just that - something we have to continually practice doing!

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  8. Oh WOW*!* on that Sundial bridge. Never have I ever!
    I love Asian cuisine, but preparing it is waaaaay above my paygrade. I like your church's potluck idea of bringing something beginning with my the letter of my last name. Novel!
    Thank you for continuing to keep us in the loop regarding the potential for fire. God's got this!

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    Replies
    1. I like the cuisine too but would rather eat it out. My daughter in law before she met my son she dated a Filipino man and his mother taught her how to cook Filipino food. - like Adobo. Yum

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  9. I needed to take a nap too. I hate the time change. Praying that you do not have to evacuate. So scary. The sundial bridge is an awesome piece of architecture. Janice

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  10. What a beautiful and unique bridge.

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