The last Sukkah Tour 5769

This sukkot was quite a bit different this year.... as I said earlier we built a bigger sukkah this year 20x10 (Barry claims that it is bigger than his first bedroom)

we also moved our holiday party from the usual Hanukkah time to Sukkot...it was a smaller group but we had a great time. A little Havdalah in the sukkah and then dessert.

Those of you who couldn't join us we missed you for those of you who made it thank you for making the eventing great.

This year we also had a little wind & fire issue but we fared better than many of our friends and we recovered and repaired the damage that was done.

In time to have a nice little shabbat in our sukkah.

We also had some very special first time visitors.

But as all good things do ... it was time to take our sukkah down... but before that happened Ashleigh took us on The Last Sukkah Tour for 5769 as only Ashleigh could. So until October 2, 2009 this will be the end of sukkot for me.

Thought for the day

Life is short,

Break the rules,

Forgive quickly,

Kiss slowly,

Love truly,

Laugh uncontrollably,

And never regret anything that made you smile.

it's fix it time

Well the winds have stopped the fire is almost contained.... so it's time to start putting things back in place....

First the walls

some of them were doing fine...

just reattaching a string or two and it will be o.k.

other walls needed to have a some new grommets

and then some walls needed to be to start over from scratch

And then there was the roof....

Now Sunday Night when I was finished putting everything together there was a roof on the sukkah but as you can see from the pictures Hashem and the wind felt that maybe there shouldn't be a roof on the sukkah......

So we took the palm fronds that were left and put them back up on the roof.. and we will probably have to go back up the hill for a little more...

So Bubbie and Shomer and I went into the sukkah to see what we could do

and look at what we achieved

A view to the east

A view to the west

and a view from the front

Chag Semach to all!!!

We're still here

Well it was not what I would call a restfull night.... but we did get to stay in the house. The sukkah is still standing... well maybe I should say waving... becasue the walls are flapping in the wind....

The Santa Anna Winds.....

well it was 10:15 this evening and we had just gotten into bed to watch the fire... I know it's a sick California think.... when we heard a loud speaker....it was our friendly neighborhood peace officers the ones who had been checking ID's when you came up the street....letting us know we were in an evacuation warning area.....

What is an evacuation warning area you might ask.... well basically it means you will not be sleeping much tonight.... and get your stuff together cause if they come back with a real order you will have 2 minuets to get your act together and out the door....

and that means that my poor little sukkah will be left behind....

so the computer is getting shut down .... just in case...

ohhhh no my poor little sukkah

my pretty little sukkah (o.k. so maybe at 20x10 it wasn't so little) but is was sooooo nice and we worked so hard and when we left this morning everything was good....

but then we heard on the computer that they were evacuating everyone from Twin Lake Rd. (in Chatsworth Lake Manor) to Indian Hill Lane (that would be our street) so Barry and I decided to pack it up and head home.

There was a lot of smoke and ash and Santa Anna's and then we went in the backyard... and saw what the 60 mile and hour winds did to my little sukkah.

But every one is fine and I will have to do a little rebuilding before the party on Saturday....

Stay tuned for the sukkah's progress.

Sukkah Building day 3

So hebrew high was over...

We put up the rest of the walls some wall panels

were just white muslin and other walls had a little autumn color going for them.

and then it was time to put up our roof.

and after the roof was on we could decorate!!!

and then we called it a night....

our sukkah is done and it is ready for dinner tomorrow night

Sukkah Building day 2

on Friday we finished the frame and Ashleigh and Matt had climbed up the hill and cut down the palm fronds.

and it passed Shomers inspection

But now it was time to string the lights (this is when the Christmas clearance pile pays off)

After the lights we needed to string ...string across the frame to help hold up the palm fronds and give us a place to hang things up....

after the lights and the string comes the walls.

This year with our new and enlarged sukkah we were not able to use the cloth that has served us well for 9 years so it was off to Joann's for more muslin and putting up the walls. The process took a lot longer than originally planned so we never go to put up the roof... that is actually the last thing to go on before the decorations...

but as evening came we turned on the lights just to know that everything was working

Now I don't want anyone to think that I did this all by myself... there were a lot of helpers Ashleigh, Bubbie, Sarah and Matt.... and oh yes....

We can't forget JEWISH MEN WITH POWER TOOLS

I try to stay very far away when Barry has power tools even if they are my power tools.

somoene is eating my lettuce !!!!!

and I think it is the rat fink rabbits..... next time Shomer wants to chase them I think I will let him .....

Sukkah Building Day 1

So Yom Kippor is over and shabbos hasn't started 

.... so it is time to build our sukkah even Shomer tried to help... 

but without opposable thumbs it was a little difficult.

Instead I had my regular helpers...

Bubbie, Ashleigh, Barry..and this year we added two of Ashlieghs friends Sarah T (this is her second year helping) and Matt A... this was his first and he did a great job climbing 

the hill to get palm fronds.

now in years  past we has a sweet little sukkah the first one was only an 8x8 square box... the walls were muslin and I had the kids lay down  and I traced them on the walls...

and  then in 2007 we moved up to a slightly bigger sukkah 10X10

but it was still very tight.... so this year we went a little bigger.... 

now when I first sketched this out it didn't seem that big and when we bought the wood it didn't seem that big.... even when we were painting the wood I was thinking that it would 

be a little on the small size.... well that was before we actually got the foot print down... and then I realized that 20x10 is pretty big.

So much has happened since I last wrote

Rosh Hashana: has come and gone I wish you all a 5769 filled with good health good deeds and the opportunity to make wonderful memories.  I can say that I have learned the down side to empty nest... I miss my comrades in the kitchen.

It was very lonely in my kitchen this year no Celia (Portland), no Samantha (Davis), no Morgan (Florida), no Ashleigh (she was in school).  Bubbie was helping in other places and well I was all alone in the kitchen.

and as much as Shomer might have wanted to help... all he could do was sit and watch and wait for someone (usually Ashleigh or Barry) to feed him something good.