Our weekly Events Wire newsletter is your guide to Northern Santa Barbara County concerts, arts, and local happenings—delivered every Friday.
I remember how I felt on the first day of school every year when I was a child. I had a sense of excitement and exhilaration about the newness of my book bag, pencil case, notebooks, and even my shoes. I still love to buy new notebooks of any size. Enrolled in a Catholic school […]
It’s December and we have come full circle again. The pumpkins on my porch have been replaced with poinsettias. My favorite Thanksgiving traditions are watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, the National Dog Show, and giving my family the bird. Every year my English spouse asks, “Are we going to have a turkey?” Turkey day […]
November is a month in which to be thankful for many things we take for granted. Wonderful mothers and grandmothers, who make the best Thanksgiving dinners ever, come to mind. Loving family members who enjoy spending time together any time of year, including on Thanksgiving Day, are a blessing. But November is not just about […]
Oh, autumn! How I do love thee! It’s my favorite time of the year, and October is my favorite month. The frosting is on the pumpkin scones and the air is crisp with the scent of ashes from the smoldering wildfires of summer. Pumpkins abound at every corner Starbucks in lattes, frappes, and the aforementioned […]
Are you the lucky parents of a teenager? My husband, The Brit, and I are and so you have my sympathies. To be fair, we were all teens once, and I was the teenager from hell. Just ask my mother. However, living that experience doesn’t prepare you for raising one of your own. God help […]
There is one place in our home that I consider sacrosanct. It’s a peaceful inner sanctum where I can meditate, think things through, and just bare myself completely. It’s our huge, wonderful master bathroom. I love to linger in the shower, exfoliate my entire body, shampoo and condition my hair, and slather on lotion and […]
Mom has two younger sisters, Lorna, the older of the two, and Sharon, the baby of the family. I have written about each of these remarkable ladies in this column on several occasions. Each one has had a unique influence on me, for which I am both blessed and grateful. I have never thought about […]
The month of June has become a little more wistful for me because of Father’s Day. My dad passed away in 2001 and my lovely stepfathers, Clarence and then Joe, died in 1994 and 2013, respectively. Now I buy cards for my brother and my husband, The Brit. But Father’s Day also holds memories for […]
My husband, The Brit, and I have lovingly been raising our grandson, The Briteen, since he was 3 years old. This sweet little boy has been a joy and a blessing in our lives. Until now. Now our little boy is growing up and I want to know what the hell is happening? He used […]
I was writing a very different column for this week. Outside, on our roof I heard the soothing coo-hoo of a dove. We have quite a few around here on the hill where we live, but this bird’s song was different. My husband noticed it too. “Coo-hoo, coooo-hoo!” It persisted. I finally decided to take […]
When I was 4 years old I used to wonder what things would be like when I became 21, my mother’s age at the time. (She had married and had me at a very young age.) I would ponder what the world would be like and what the future held. When I was 21, my […]
On Feb. 18 the Sun published its wedding issue and I hope you all had a chance to read it. The articles were wonderful, and the Sun staff wrote a terrific piece about weddings from various cultures. Brenna Swanston included the traditions observed in Jewish weddings, and I shared photos and memories of my wedding […]
