RSABG Exhibits

This year's Garden Tour, a CUCC fundraiser, started out at the Rancho Santa Ana Botanical Garden. Even though I have been through the garden on countless occasions, there seems to be something new every season, so we had to check out the new sculptures, the wildflowers, as well as the fabulous exhibit in the container garden. Here are some of my favorite shots.

Where I'm From

At Women's Retreat, we usually have an ice-breaker on Friday night where we can share things about ourselves. This year we had a fill-in-the-blank poem about where we come from. We enjoyed this activity very much, and here is how I filled out my poem.

Women's Retreat - Highland Springs Resort

It was time, once again, for our annual Women's Retreat. This year we had a new venue and a different weekend (the MLK holiday weekend this time, rather than the last weekend in January). The Glen Ivy Retreat Center has closed, so we were on the hunt for a new venue. We came up with the Highland Springs Resort and Conference Center in Cherry Valley. You can read about the history of the land here from the early 1800s when the land was a Rancho - an outpost for the San Gabriel Mission, then as a stagecoach stop, then in 1927 as a health resort (complete with colon cleansing and vegetarian meals).

Today the Resort hosts weddings, retreats, conferences, and also walk-ins for lunch and dinner at the Grand Oak Steakhouse and Bar (I guess they gave up on the idea of vegetarian food....). The claim to fame, I think, are the lavender fields, but the olive trees are also beautiful. Yesterday we took a walk through the trees, by the fields and ended up at the 1100-year-old Oak Tree and a pen of sheep and some beautiful vistas.

Shoes That Fit

Some traditions are meant to last only so long before they lose their meaning. It would appear that our annual White Elephant Exchange in our church group has gone that way, and last night, instead of bringing gifts for each other at our annual Christmas party, we all brought shoes and socks for that great program Shoes That Fit. I always thought that this was a local organization, having seen the cards with children's shoe sizes hanging on bulletin boards int the Claremont Village. The website says otherwise. We did not have any particular children to shop for, but we all brought shoes and socks in a variety of sizes and styles that I am sure will find a good home. I, for one, thought that this was a far better idea than the White Elephant Exchange, and I hope this, or something similar, continues every year now.

Joyful Voices

I think I am nearly done blogging about last weekend. Just in time for another December weekend to start! It certainly is that time of year….

Our women's choir at church had our first annual Christmas party. I thought it should be simple, so I suggested that everyone bring their family, an appetizer and a bottle of liquid refreshment, and then I asked one of our members if she'd let us come to her lovely house. Normally I might not write about just a party where we all had a lovely time chatting with each other (because we really don't have enough time to do that during practices….).

However, what was the most fun part was the singing. It was suggested that since we were in a house with a piano and people who enjoy singing, that we sing some Christmas songs. I was elected to play the piano, which shows how hard up we all were, and I played along, as many notes as I could. Some were right, most were wrong, but the singing was not deterred by my fingers, and it proved to me, yet again, how singing with a group of people is so good for our spirits and souls. The wine probably didn't hurt, either….

Recycling Wine Corks

For a number of years I have been saving my wine corks. Every once in a while I look online to see if there is a place I can send the corks to be put to a second use. The only things I find are ways to make trivets, or other crafts, but I have so many corks and need so few crafts at my house. 

Today I was delighted to find in my email inbox a request from the church to bring corks (and other things) to be used for our annual Advent Workshop. Advent Workshop is just a name that means Christmas Craft Party with cookies and punch. Woo hoo! An easy way for me to recycle (and clutter cleanse!).

Of Rummage and Pinterest

I had pinned this website to my "miscellaneous" pinterest board because I like the various ideas for hanging photos in interesting groupings. However, I am unlikely to be hanging new photos on my wall in the near and even far future, so I took some photos from this morning's Riches and Rummage Sale at CUCC and made this collage, inspired by the layouts.

The sale continues tomorrow from 8-2 where more Riches and Rummage are still to be found.

A Full Day at Church

From the CUCC Facebook Page

The first Sunday after Labor Day, congregations often have a Homecoming Sunday, or some such day to celebrate the start of the fall season. Sunday school starts up again, choirs are back to regular rehearsals, etc.

It was a busy day for me with Women's Choir practice, regular church service, and music committee meeting. However, the most exciting part was the installation of our new lead pastor, Eileen Gebbie. We have these events rarely, so it was exciting to see all the community members participate in the celebration, from the pastors of local churches, our own conference minister, representatives from Kiwanis and other organizations as well as two CPD officers and a firefighter.

Because red is Eileen's favorite color, she requested that people wear red, and the sanctuary was very brightly colored for the festivities.

New Leadership at CUCC

On Sunday the Claremont United Church of Christ called our first woman to be senior pastor. Eileen Gebbie has been our associate pastor for just over a year, and when our senior pastor resigned a few months ago, it seemed clear to many that Eileen would make a great senior pastor. We already know her, she knows us, and we are ready to move forward under her leadership.

I borrowed these photos from the CUCC Facebook page as I was sitting too far back to get a good shot on Sunday.

Here Eileen is talking about the UCC scarf project during the children's celebration

Here Eileen is moments away from accepting our call

Measuring Solar Power

If you stop by the church office, you can now watch how much solar power our new panels are generating and how much energy we are using. Yay, sun!

* * *

Day 30 - Clutter Cleanse: Out with the old hiking boots. I do not remember when I bought them at REI, but it was well over 10 years ago, perhaps as much as 20. Trashed, unless I decide the hold on to them and take them to the NIKE Factory Store at Ontario Mills for recycling. Yup, that's what I should do. 

Garden Tour 2013

This year's CUCC Garden Tour was definitely cloudier and chillier than last year's. That did not deter people from wandering the 6 featured gardens in Historic Claremont. Our Celtic Duo, Drowsy Maggie, played background music for one of the houses, thankfully inside the pool house room off of the garden. Since we were the second group to perform, we took the opportunity to visit the other gardens and enjoy the diversity and beauty of them all before our gig. I took along my camera and shot lots of photos. Here are a few of my favorites.

* * *

Days 13 and 14 - Clutter Cleanse: I finally got around to shredding my folks' outdated will and trust. I also decided that I was not going to finish the book The Beet Queen by Louise Erdrich, so that gets donated.

Mission 4/1 Earth: 50 Great Days

This morning in church we heard about the UCC mission to be actively engaged in being good to the environment for the 50 days between Easter and Pentecost. Apparently you can log on and count your participation in three different goals: 1) 1 Million Hours of engaged earth care, including clean up, advocacy, and education (does this blog post count?) 2) 100,000 trees planted 3) 100,000 letters of environmental advocacy written and sent to elected officials and media.

This got me to thinking that I should really revisit my idea to compost. I've thought about it off and on, but it seems a little daunting to me. Just how will I compost? How can I make it easy enough that I will actively compost every day? I certainly have plenty of food scraps from dinner and lunch prep that we could eventually use in our garden. Maybe over this week (CUSD spring break!) I will carve out a little time to plan what I should do.

* * *

Day 7 - Clutter Cleanse: While sitting in line for gas today, I went through the glove box and found all the old, expired paperwork (car registration and insurance, tire receipts). Shredded!

Going Solar

Claremont UCC is going solar! 

From the church communication: We are pleased to report that our forward-looking congregation has now donated or pledged the equivalent of 125 panels. The California Solar Initiative rebate will pay for about 50 more in equal installments over the course of the next five years, which means that we only need donations or pledges for the equivalent of 15 more panels to pay for the system. The system will offset 50 tons of carbon dioxide per year emitted into the atmosphere, which is the equivalent of planting 1300 trees. It will also decrease our electrical bills by about $15,000 per year, thus paying for itself in less than 10 years. The panels are warrantied for 25 years, and are expected to last for up to 40 years.  

Feb. 28 - the first week of work  

Solar Panels are delivered - March 13

Solar Panels begin installation - March 14

Spirit of Women - As Exhibited in the Arts

Celebrating women at church yesterday included the morning service with litany derived from the poetry written at the women's retreat, an anthem sung by Joyful Voices (the women's choir) and a hymn composed by one of our members.

In the evening, the Spirit of Women dinner featured a presentation by one of Claremont's artists, Eleanor Scott Meyers.  She showed us a number of her paintings, some of which can be seen at her beautiful website. Her art style of Plein Air comes from the French "in the open air" as the French impressionists who paid particular attention to the effects of light in their paintings.

Eleanor Scott (the name Scott is part of her first name, not last) is another example of the tremendous talent at Pilgrim Place, and another reason why it would be great to retire there. I would not mind owning one of her works.

Jean Platt

The HMC community is saddened to learn of the passing of Jean Platt, its founding first lady. Jean is preceded in death by her husband, Joe, and is greatly missed. We knew both Jean and Joe not only through HMC, but also from their involvement in CUCC.

You can read a brief bio of Jean and her remarkable life at the HMC site here, but it does not mention a story that she told me. As a high school student in Massachusetts, Jean wanted to attend Stanford University, but her parents advised against it since she would not be able to see her family for the four years she would be in school. California was just too far away to have her come home. So, she went to college in Ohio at Miami University instead.

While a student, she did some computational work for a researcher who was interviewing housewives in Indiana. She had no idea about the content of the research at the time since she worked as a number-cruncher. You may have guessed it though, she had a part in the Kinsey Report.

A gracious, intelligent, kind and funny woman - we miss you, Jean.

Constantine Family Garden and Orchard

Just over in San Dimas, tucked behind a family home, abundance is growing, blooming and producing a variety of delicious fruits and vegetables. At church I kept hearing about The Constantine Family Garden and Orchard, but I wasn't exactly sure what it was. Last night, Tim Constantine spoke to our church's social group about what has happened here since the garden's inception about a year ago.

Tim and his sisters grew up in this house and now the backyard has been transformed into gardens and an orchard, the bounty of which goes to feed the hungry through Inland Valley Hope Partners in their food pantries and family shelter. The garden has a communal work day on the first Saturday of the month, and volunteers are encouraged to drop by and help for an hour or more.

Many students have already used this opportunity to gain volunteer credit from Damian High School, the University of LaVerne, as well as the Claremont Colleges. 

You can help by going to the Facebook page and contacting Tim, who coordinates what gets planted, etc. Or you can make out a check to Hope Partners with the Constantine Family Garden and Orchard in the memo. I can't wait to go see this gem for myself.

3rd Annual Women's Retreat

Just a photo from the Glen Ivy Retreat Center this morning just before we left our Women's Retreat. The air was clear, the clouds beautiful, but we had to find the right place for a photo since so many trees block the view of the mountains.

Song of the Coyote

On Tuesday I wrote that I would be leading a poetry-writing session with women from my church. Today was that day, and I was immensely pleased and impressed with the variety of poetry that the women in the group wrote and shared. Using some Walt Whitman as a prompt, the "assignment" was to write a poem where you invite someone to come with you to and to share your secret power.

In the wee hours last night while out at the women's retreat at the Oak Glen Retreat Center I heard coyotes, and they were the inspiration for my poem. Here it is:

Song of the Coyote

Listen to the howls of the coyotes.
The song is in them,
  the song is in me.
You do not know it yet, but if you come with me,
If you come with the coyotes into
  the dark of the night
  you will know the song of the
  coyote in you.

We will run with the dark mist
  in our faces as we
  howl a duet
Our tails behind us, rising and dipping

And when we reach the place ...
  we reach that sacred place
where voices and songs of all time
  and before time and voices
  from time yet to come
our song will entwine within
  and throughout
  the communion of
  all breath

Community Close and Far

We feel so helpless in this time of national tragedy. What can we do to support the people of the tight-knit community devastated by the horrific tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut?

A Claremont UCC member contacted the Congregational church in Newtown and got a list of addresses where anyone can send cards of condolences and healing thoughts to not only the people of that church, but to Sandy Hook Elementary School as well as the first responders, most of whom are volunteers.

Please send your own note of love and compassion to the church, the school, and the first responders. The addresses are:

Sandy Hook Elementary
12 Dickinson Drive, Sandy Hook, CT 06482

Newtown Congregational Church

14 West Street, Newtown, CT 06470

Newtown Police Department
3 Main Street, Newtown, CT 06470

Sandy Hook Volunteer Fire & Rescue Company
P.O. Box 783, Sandy Hook, CT 06482

Hawleyville Fire Company
Hawleyville Road, Hawleyville, CT 06440

Botsford Fire Recue
P.O. Box 335, Botsford, CT 06404

Newtown Hook and Ladder
45 Main Street, Newtown, CT 06470

Dodingtown Fire Companty
55 Dodgintown Road, Newtown, CT 06470

Annual Voyager Christmas

Last year the Voyager Christmas party did not conflict with any of my concerts, and, for the second year in a row, it did not this year, either! Our instructions are always to bring a consumable White Elephant gift, and this year, the gift in the highest demand was a gift certificate to the Laemmle Theater.  We did not walk out with that gift certificate, but we did manage to snag one from the Cheese Cave. We also came home with a gift from someone (who remains mysterious) that was not consumable. At least I shall not try to eat it. It is a Mr. 7 Hands tool which requires 2 AA batteries (sold separately).