Thursday, June 3, 2021

Where have you been?

 It's been a long time, almost 6 years, since I last posted here.  That last one was a 2015 Father's Day tribute to my dad, Thomas E. Sebourn (a.k.a Tom Sr., or Tommy).  He passed away this year. 

What a downer. A truly painful loss.  A reminder of my own mortality. 

I think we have all had to endure hardships and losses, especially these last 18 months.

I'm ready to turn a page and share again.  Are you?

Monday, April 20, 2015

Metropolitan Water District Director's Letter to Fullerton City Council

You are probably all aware of the series of events that have taken place during the first 2 weeks of April. The month started off with the snowpack report for April 1st. The snowpack in the state of CA is at the lowest in recorded history. Governor Brown attended a snow measurement station in the Sierra's. After witnessing the measurement he ordered a mandatory cutback of 25% on urban water use.
 
The MWD had been analyzing our water supply and the possibilities of an allocation for the last few months. It was agreed upon and agendized for discussion at our April committee and board meetings. Governor Brown beat us to the punch with his April 1 announcement.
 
The MWD was very successful at moving water to the San Luis Reservoir during the large December storms. The discussions in February and March were centered around a Level 2 allocation, but as March went by it became clear that the snowpack was going to be very low. The snowpack measurement combined with Governor Brown's mandatory reduction caused the MWD to rethink it's allocation level. The allocation debate at the water planning and stewardship committee meeting on April 13th had varying opinions. The discussion was centered around a Level 3 or Level 4 allocation. A Level 3 being a 15% cut, and a Level 4 being a 20% cut in water use by MWD customers. The arguments for either level of allocation had merit. In the end, it was agreed to go with a Level 3 allocation with a monthly review that potentially could bring a revote to change the allocation.  
 
The MWD's water supply situation is not completely finished for this year. We may face some shortfalls in our water transfer program. The MWD contracted for a 100,000 acre feet of water from the rice farms north of the delta. We were informed on Friday April 10th, that the transfers were being halted by the state. That transfer is uncertain. Our fallowing program with the Palo Verde irrigation district will be utilized fully this year, but our stored water in Lake Mead has a slight chance of not being released if Lake Mead's level falls into emergency status. This condition seems unlikely, but nonetheless there is a small chance. These scenarios could trigger a deeper allocation.
 
I discussed the Level 3 allocation with our water manager Dave Schickling. His opinion is that we can meet a Level 3 allocation without penalty from the MWD. The penalty is over $1,400 per acre foot. It goes without saying that we should make every effort to conserve water over the next 9 months. Governor Brown's order for a 25% reduction will be tougher to attain, but if we can reach that level, or near it, the MWD's Level 3 allocation will not be an issue.
 
I have attached General Manager Kightlinger's letter to the state water resource control board. This letter outlines the MWD's position and provides a proposed framework for the mandatory cutbacks. I have also attached a letter to Governor Brown from Chairman Record. These letters were crafted through discussions in various committees, and they are enlightening about past water conditions, conservation, and our current situation. They are well worth reading.
 
On Tuesday April 14th, the board of directors voted to support a Level 3 allocation. I voted in support of the Level 3 allocation. I have also attached the summary report for April. There are 2 other items worth noting. We appropriated 41 million dollars to rehabilitate the filters at the Weymouth treatment plant. These filters are almost 80 years old. The new filters are an enhanced design that is compatible with the new ozone equipment being installed at the Weymouth plant. The other item of interest took place in communication and legislation committee. This action authorized the general manager to express support for SB 385 (Hueso, D-San Diego) primary drinking water standards: Hexavalent Chromium. This bill sets attainable standards for the presence of Hexavalent in our water supply.
 
As always if you have any questions, give me a call.
[redacted]
Pete Beard







Greg Sebourn

The Beauty of a Storm

The Beauty of a Storm
Orange County, Ca.

My Grandma - A Eulogy

LET'S TALK ABOUT 1914 FOR A MOMENT.



FOR STARTERS, GRANDMA WAS BORN TUESDAY, DECEMBER 22, 1914 IN HER FAMILY'S ATWOOD RANCH HOUSE.



IT IS WORTH NOTING THOSE ALSO BORN IN 1914:

JACK LALANNE

JOE DIMAGGIO

DANNY THOMAS



AND WHO DIED IN 1914:

JOHN MUIR, THE FAMOUS NATURALIST FOR WHICH NUMEROUS ROADS, PARKS, HOTELS, AND NATURE RESERVES ARE NAMED.



IT IS ALSO WORTH NOTING THAT IN 1914 WOODROW WILSON SIGNS MOTHER'S DAY PROCLAMATION AND BABE RUTH MAKES HIS MAJOR LEAGUE DEBUT WITH THE RED SOX. MOTHER'S DAY AND BASEBALL- TWO OF MY FAVORITES!! (PERHAPS HER NICKNAME "BABE" CAME FROM BABE RUTH???)



GRANDMA WAS BORN INTO A PERIOD OF TIME FILLED WITH TURMOIL. IN JUNE OF 1914 ARCHDUKE FRANZS FERDINAND WAS ASSASSINATED. WITHIN ONE MONTH WORLD WAR I RAGED ACROSS EUROPE. TWO DAYS AFTER HER BIRTH HOWEVER, GERMAN AND BRITISH TROOPS INTERRUPTED WWI TO CELEBRATE CHRISTMAS. (PERHAPS THEY PAUSE KNOWING THAT A GREAT WOMAN WAS BORNE) WORLD WAR I CONTINUED UNTIL THE TREATY OF VERSAILLES IN 1919.



ALTHOUGH SHE WAS ONLY 5 YEARS OLD, SHE SAW THE LEAGUE OF NATIONS CREATED AND THE 19TH AMENDMENT WAS APPROVED BY THE U.S. CONGRESS GUARANTEEING THE RIGHTS OF WOMEN TO VOTE.



SHE LIVED THROUGH MANY NOTABLE EVENTS. LIKE THE 1933 LONG BEACH EARTHQUAKE OR WHEN ATWOOD FLOODED ALONG WITH MOST OF ORANGE COUNTY IN 1938 AND THE FLOOD-WATERS CLAIMED MORE THAN 50 PEOPLE, 43 OF WHICH WERE FROM ATWOOD! ALL OF THIS DURING A TIME THAT WE READ ABOUT IN SCHOOL AND KNOWN AS "THE GREAT DEPRESSION". SOMEWHERE IN ALL OF THAT SHE FOUND THE LOVE OF HER LIFE, GRANDPA LEO, GRADUATED HIGH SCHOOL, GOT MARRIED, AND HAD KIDS!



THEN THERE WAS WORLD WAR II. FROM PEARL HARBOR TO HIROSHIMA, GRANDMA WAS RAISING MY UNCLE BOB AND MOM ARLINE. WITH AIR-RAID SIRENS AND BLACKOUTS SHE WAS A WIFE AND MOTHER. WHAT A TIME TO RAISE CHILDREN! I BET GRANDMA'S PARENTS WERE ABEL TO TELL HER A THING OR TWO ABOUT RAISING KIDS IN WARTIME.



GRANDMA WAS THERE WHEN THE BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA HELD THEIR 3RD ANNUAL NATIONAL JAMBOREE IN 1953. SHE SAW AIRBASES OPEN IN '42 AND CLOSE IN '99. SHE WATCHED WALTER KNOTT START UP HIS BERRY FARM AND WALT DISNEY TURN ORANGE GROVES AND STRAWBERRY PATCHES INTO DISNEYLAND!



SHE SAW THE HORSE AND CARRIAGE FADE AWAY INTO HISTORY AND SPACE TRAVEL EXPLODE BEFORE HER WITH THE FIRST LUNAR LANDING. JUST IMAGINE HOW MUCH TECHNOLOGY HAS CHANGED OVER THE LAST 100 YEARS. FROM TUBE RECTIFIERS TO SUPERCONDUCTORS; FROM TRANS-ATLANTIC TELEGRAPH CABLES TO SATELLITE TV.



SHE SAW MORE IN HER 93 YEARS THAN MOST OF US WILL EVER READ ABOUT, LET ALONE LIVE THROUGH!



OF THOSE 93 YEARS IT IS MY HONOR TO HAVE BEEN HER GRANDSON FOR 35 OF THEM. SHE WAS MY MOTHER WHEN MOM HAD TO WORK. SHE WIPED MY NOSE AND PUT FOOD IN MY MOUTH. SHE LET ME PLAY WITH GRANDPA EVEN THOUGH SHE NEEDED HIM TO TAKE HER TO THE STORE. SHE WAS MY GRANDMA AND I WILL MISS HER IMMENSELY.



JUST LOOK AROUND THIS ROOM; SHE DID THIS. SHE IS RESPONSIBLE FOR BRINGING SO MANY GOOD PEOPLE INTO THIS WORLD AND TOGETHER TODAY. THIS IS HER LEGACY.



A Dedication To My Loving Wife, Stacey. Thank you for all you do for me!

Brad Paisley - I Thought I Loved You Then


I remember trying not to stare the night that I first met you
You had me mesmerized
3 weeks later in the front porch light taking 45 min to kiss you goodnight
I hadn’t told you yet but I thought I loved you then

Chorus
Now you’re my whole life now you’re my whole world
I just can’t believe the way I feel about you girl
Like a river meets the sea
Stronger than it’s ever been
We’ve come so far since that day
And I thought I loved you then.

I remember taking you back to right where I first met you
You were so surprised
There were people around
But I didn’t care I got down on one knee right there
And once again I thought I loved you then

Chorus
Now you’re my whole life now you’re my whole world
I just can’t believe the way I feel about you girl
Like a river meets the sea
Stronger than it’s ever been
We’ve come so far since that day
And I thought I loved you then.

I can just see you with a baby on the way
I can just see you when your hair is turning gray
What I can’t see is how I’m ever gonna love you more
But I’ve said that before.

Now you’re my whole life now you’re my whole world
I just can’t believe the way I feel about you girl
Well look back some day at this moment that we’re in
And I'll look at you and say I thought I loved you then
And I thought I loved you then...