Blog archive
March 2026
My Home for Now
03/30/2026
Black History Month: Poetry Reading Brings Community Together
03/26/2026
Do I Really Need a Will and/or a Trust?
03/26/2026
Everybody Needs a Blankie
03/26/2026
Fire Recovery Grants – Giving Back to the Community
03/26/2026
Kickoff: Prepared 50+ Emergency Preparedness
03/26/2026
President’s Message: Volunteering to Build Community
03/26/2026
The Birth of an Archive for Pasadena Village
03/26/2026
Too Smart to be Scammed?
03/26/2026
“I DIDN’T KNOW THAT!” A Refresher Course
03/26/2026
Across the Waiting Room
03/11/2026
February 2026
Refresh and Refocus 1619: Continuing the Dialogue
02/28/2026
Status - February 28, 2026
02/28/2026
AI Presentation
02/26/2026
Exploring the “Cheech”
02/26/2026
Mary Mejia is Here to Make a Difference
02/26/2026
One Year On
02/26/2026
President’s Message – March 2026
02/26/2026
Support Groups: Who, What, When, Where, and Why?
02/26/2026
Volunteering, Belonging, and the Power of Connection
02/21/2026
January 2026
BEACONS OF HOPE - The Dump Trucks of the Eaton Fire
01/29/2026
Exploring the Hidden Trails Together: The Pasadena Village Hiking Group
01/28/2026
Five Years of Transformative Leadership at Pasadena Village
01/28/2026
For Your Hearing Considerations: A Presentation by Dr. Philip Salomon, Audiologist
01/28/2026
Hearts & Limbs in Zambia
01/28/2026
Lost Trees of Altadena Return Home
01/28/2026
President's Message: WHY the Village Works
01/28/2026
TV: Behind the Scenes
01/28/2026
Trauma to Triumph
01/28/2026
1619 Group Reflects on Politics, Climate, and Democratic Strain
01/23/2026
How Pasadena Village Helped Me Rebuild After the Eaton Fire
01/10/2026
My Home for Now
By Karen BagnardPosted: 03/30/2026
My home for now is compact and comfortable. There are beautiful views out all ten windows, as well as the sky light above the shower that brings the top of the old oak tree into view. The storage is perfect for my few possessions.
My work table is just large enough to accommodate my creative meanderings. If I need more space, I move it out my garden door to the shade of the oak.
My donated chairs and my white sofa offer seating for any visitors who come over. My two-room bathroom serrves as an art station as well as a coffee station. The door next to the sink leads directly outside to a private walk to the lawn and the oak tree.
Ceramic pots salvaged from my incinerated home have been replanted with succulents and live outside my east windows. The scorched ceramic frog that belonged to my father and lived in my garden for many decades after he passed was also saved and sits between the pots of succulents.
The tin tub that I remember from childhood and that served as a pool to my kids when they were toddlers, leans up alongside the house, waiting to he returned to a new home in Altadena.
Outside there are lawns, gardens, a large shady porch and a lovely deck that overlooks a pristine pool. There are bird songs of all kinds and, at this time of year, the honking of low-flying geese.
My closest neighbor lives at the other end of the hall with three large rooms between us. She is the lovely woman who allowed me to move in after the fire. We were strangers then and only had the Pasadena Village in common. We are as close as sisters now. She has said I can stay for as long as it takes to rebuild my home.
I have all the comforts of home. I have had parties and dinners and meetings here. She and I have joined our families for Ffourth of July and for Christmas celebrations. We’ve entertained Villagers together and become friends with each other’s friends.
My home for now is the very best a home could be. My home for now offers me a place to create, to heal and to enjoy my life. I am filled with gratitude.
