Happy Friday to all the wonderful citizens in the City of Claycord. This is a post with no subject, you can talk about whatever you want. If breaking news happens (such as a shooting, earthquake, etc.), or you hear about something newsworthy, feel free to post it here.
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Cowellian’s first.
This has been a cold, cold week, that will get even colder this weekend. Our generator has been getting a workout, with our first outage lasting over forty hours. We’ve had several other outages during the week between one and six hours in length. We are still safe, dry, and warm, but I really miss summer.
Thank Goodness for your generator!!
Hope you continue to stay safe, warm, and dry.
Sorry Cowellian, but I haven’t worn a jacket all winter (except for one day when the rain was heavy).
I love the Californian weather!
You should come back.
It’s still got to beat the hell out of being here though.
The recent decision to remove mature redwood trees in Heather Farm Park to make room for a new pool is deeply troubling. These trees are not simply landscaping; they are living carbon sinks that have been quietly improving our air quality, cooling the park, and providing habitat for countless species for decades. Eliminating them in the name of development undermines the very environmental values our community claims to uphold.
Equally concerning is the replacement of
several acres of natural grass on the park’s soccer and baseball fields with
artificial turf. Synthetic turf may seem convenient, but it brings significant
environmental costs: higher surface temperatures, increased stormwater runoff,
microplastic pollution, and the loss of natural soil ecosystems. At a time when
climate resilience should be a priority, replacing living groundcover with
plastic feels like a step backward.
Heather Farm Park is one of Walnut
Creek’s most cherished green spaces. We should be expanding its natural assets,
not diminishing them. The city leaders that made these choices made a terrible
decision on this project .
It’s a City Park not a National Park.
Everything green and natural about that pond and the surroundings was lost when Walnut Creek made a park out of it.
The only thing it is needed for now is recreation, swimming, baseball, frisbee & a playground for kids.
Quit whining.
I’m agreeing with the good Doctor. Whiny climate alarmism is really sounding silly these days, especially considering how much Heather Farm will be improved and enjoyed by so many people. All the apartment buildings popping up all over Walnut Creek….go ahead and get mad about that, if you’re worried about a net negative impact on everything.
What are they going to do with the pools they have now?
I’m just wondering what’s the status of the building (listed address as 1335 Galindo Street Concord CA) that is still under construction by new Rick Judd Commons? I can’t find any website that informs any status or updates.
Joey Ortiz,
.
It’s a senior housing complex.
.
https://sfyimby.com/2023/10/extension-requested-for-senior-hextension-requested-for-senior-housing-at-1335-1385-galindo-street-concordousing-at-1335-1385-galindo-street.html
If you haven’t paid second half of tax bill from CoCo county, get it in the mail.
.
Note to parents, thinking about selling your primary residence and have
adult children. Give kids a heads up and try to work it out they buy and
would make it their primary residence. Bought my parents home and
by filling out a single form, got to retain their pre original Prop 13
property tax assessment. Check with assessor’s office to be sure
there is still the ability to do so. Is parent to child only, no Grandparent
to Grandchild.
I was thinking of selling my house and giving the proceeds to my 2 single kids as seed money for a down payment on their own future houses. They should get started asap in property ownership to shelter income and also buy before prices go up. It is impossible to gift the house to 2 kids who do not get along. They must be financially independent from each other. Plus if they get married, spouses will have a say too which puts extra strain on relationships.
Another thought is to gift the house to my 2 kids then pay them rent to live in the house while their pay rent in another city near their future job (silicon valley? LA?) That way they can keep the original property tax base and declare it as investment property. But the truth is someday they will marry, settle down, and live in their respective cities somewhere. I don’t want to cause siblings to fight each other.
Another thought is to let you kids make it on their own. My parents did it and we did it with our three kids who get along very well. I understand helping your kids if they’re struggling (job loss, divorce, etc.) but there’s a fine line between helping because you want the best for them and enabling. It’s a sensitive subject for some people but I think we can all agree that when you make it on your own it means more. We’re parents, not ATM machines.
Yes i could kick them out of the house at 18, let them pay for their own college, car, medical, dental, & car insurance, save up for a down payment on a 1.5-2.0 million dollar house. Hopefully they’ll be making $200k/yr just to survive. But in reality, they’ll only be afford to buy a house in Stockton (no jobs) or South Sac (sheethole).
Then I could sell our house, buy into a Florida retirement community, spend all the money on myself by taking tons of cruises. The perfect cookie cutter all American dream?
I’m in my 60s and I’ve seen the detrimental effect that enabling adult children has on my friends and their offspring. It’s a lose-lose situation, but I bite my tongue because it’s none of my concern. It’s commonly known as “cutting the apron strings” but if you choose not to do it, it’s your children. I’m just glad my parents did it with their four kids, and my husband and I did it with ours. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have gotten as far as we have in life.
Self-sufficiency is healthier, and it promotes a growth mindset. You become responsible. You don’t have any choice. For the record we paid for their college and that was the end. Different strokes for different folks.
I wish you well.
@Kentucky Derby
You received a pretty flippant response to your sound advice.
Cyn, I agree. Parenting can be a sensitive subject, and I think I hit a nerve. It’s trial and error. I remember reading that parents can’t take all the credit or blame when it comes to how their children turn out. It’s probably true, but I keep in mind that children are raised, and we’ve all made mistakes. We have one opportunity to get it right.
Tony,
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How old are your kids? Your first post makes it sound like they’re adults and out on their own, while your second post makes it sound like they’re still kids living with you.
.
There’s areas in the state and across the country where buying a home is much more affordable than the areas around metro-San Francisco, metro-Sacramento, metro-Los Angeles, and metro-San Diego. How do you know your kids are even going to or want to stay in the area as they age? You don’t even know if your kids will be responsible with any money that you might give them.
Make sure you don’t put yourself in a financial bind.
.
My best advice for now is, encourage both of them to see at least four
fee based certified financial planners. Usually first meeting with a
planner is free. By fourth one they’ll have an idea of who to trust.
You might want to have a review of your finances and run by a certified
planner options you are thinking of.
.
Look into “gifting” to each child if you’re able,
believe IRS still has a generous yearly limit.
.
Kids need a financial cushion (savings) before and after buying a house.
Cushion prevents panic if a lay off happens or water heater goes out, etc.
Shake, rattle, and roll.
Great way to start off a Monday morning.
The first report was a 4.2, but that will change.
Felt in North Concord.
M 4.2 – 4 km ESE of San Ramon, CA
V
DYFI
V
ShakeMap
Time2026-02-02 07:01:13 (UTC-08:00)Location37.760°N 121.937°WDepth9.4 km
San Ramon a 4.2 and a 3.8 aftershock just a couple minutes ago
Hardware giant Lowe’s, management has gone and
planted both feet squarely in the litter box.
.
A loyal five year employee and customer favorite has been fired.
.
‘Outrage as Lowe’s ‘fires’ beloved CAT from her job in
Gadsden, Alabama store’
https://tinyurl.com/43kem763
.
Rattle their cat carrier, IT’LL BE FUN,
Bring back MAMA CAT
Lowe’s corporate HQ
1 (800) 445-6937 they’re 3 hours ahead of CA
If they had “retired” the cat instead of firing her they could have avoided all the flack.
Providing a case of kitty food every month would have been a nice pension.
Who the hell handles PR for Lowe’s anyway?
‘These Signs Will Tell You When You
Start Turning Into Your Parents’
https://tinyurl.com/2whjmkrj
Well…. I’m officially cheesed off.
My Alexa voice changed without my permission.
All of a sudden she sounds like Moon Unit Zappa with the high pitched, fast talking, hyper chick voice. My kid showed me how to switch it back, but what the hell were they thinking?
ROCKWELL B-1 Lancer circling between Watsonville and Los Gatos.
Stadium flyover likely,
https://globe.adsbexchange.com/?icao=ae6bde