Wreath Making

I make wreaths of native and greenery available on the ranch.
Last Christmas I sold them at Rogers Gardens, but I will have them at
a tree lot in Dana Point.

They are wild and fun, not your plastic $179 wreath from Target or Hobby Lobby

I sell them wholesale for $20 and $45 for anything you order. The size is from twenty inches
to forty. Every one is different. Some have long needle pine, olives, toyon berries (used by Native people as tea), lemons or oranges with cloves, rosemary, lavender, sage and pine cones.
They smell wonderful. They are all organic and decompose very easily. The frame is wild grape.
Even the wire turns to dust.

Here are a few unfinished. They will have velvet ribbons and more wild fruits before I deliver them.
A few friends an family get one dropped on the doorstep as if Santa stopped by on black friday.
I'm not into selling Christmas as big mall stuff.

Use what greenery surrounds you.
I start with grape vines and wire them.
I allow them to dry in shapes then remove
the wire.

Happy Thanksgiving

On Guard

Be on guard for hackers. It’s hard to keep secure in the digital age. Don’t give any application your real date of birth- Facebook, Apple, and social media apps do not need your Private information. They sell your behaviors and habits online.

If you use a cell phone for banking, Venmo, email or work Outlook notifications you are vulnerable.

On your desktop/ laptop be aware. Allowing Google Cloud Identity, Okta, One Login, Last Pass Enterprise. CA SSO, Sailpoint Identity Now, Microsoft, or companies that manage and secure user authentication in applications, website web services and into devices puts you at risk. These companies hold a cheat sheet of passwords online. The best protection is to use different and complex passwords and to change them once a month.

Email accounts can be hacked. Don’t send bank statements, paperwork with your social security number and date of birth unless you can encrypt the send email. Delete the thousands of old emails stored in your account. 

When an email arrives from an unknown sender, don’t click on the attachments. When you see an email from Apple or your bank name try and reply to the email and see if the email address is indeed who they say they are. If the email is reportapplexyq~”{pm@papz.com  you can see the email address looks wrong. If it feels wrong, don’t answer. If you get an email from your bank account to change the password DO NOT click on the link. Call the Bank and double check.

When wiring funds for a real estate transaction. Call the lender, call the escrow company more than once to triple check the account information.

It is easier to protect yourself with cumbersome passwords than to try and make a claim to get the money back.

C G Caroline Gerardo Barbeau

Mortgage Banker CMG FI

RATES ARE LOW

NMLS 324982

(949) 784- 9699

California Go Solar

Wichita Line Man Says Go Solar

Californians are at the mercy of Energy Companies. Do you recall when Enron defrauded California and contributed to the energy crisis? Our system is more fragile than it was in 2002. 

What will happen if your utility company turns off the power for a few days or a week? P G and E refused this week to give a household even one hundred dollars for the loss of all the food in their refrigerator and other hardships.

Power in California is supplied to your business or home from “the grid.” Wind, water, natural gas and solar systems are converted by electric power generators that are fueled by natural gas. Sounds complex. In turn the gas grid relies on electric powered compressors and pumping stations. Our system is old, mostly dates to the 1950’s. Power companies have not updated lines and cut trees and obstacles in the path of the lines.

If the power goes down long enough you will also be without water and natural gas. Gas stations for your vehicle will also close. Not meaning to sound doomsday; but you won’t be going to work, if you have health issues this will most likely be during a fire, heat wave or earthquake and daily life will be hard.

If you own your home and you plan to stay there more than four years, I encourage you to research solar. The type of solar you want is off grid solar that does not connect to the public utility company. Solar has greatly improved. There are twenty options for battery systems varying in price from three thousand dollars to ten thousand dollars depending on type, space, and storage needed.

In researching your solar contractor, you want really to inspect them carefully. Check the contractor’s license with the state board, better business bureau, references, your local lender who does construction loans. It may be necessary to upgrade your roof, add support for possible earthquake. Add protection under the eaves for fire prevention and so forth.

Fire season is year-round, this is California we love our State; but being ready is everything. Don’t expect our government local, state or Federal to figure this out. It is our job to protect our families and homes.

If you need advice or recommendations, please call me. I don’t work for a solar company and make nothing referring you.
I've designed and installed a few.

C G  (949) 784- 9699 

Caroline Gerardo Barbeau

NMLS 324982