My old friend Amanda was having work done on her home in the Catskills. She called me one evening, almost in tears. There was lumber all over. She was microwaving dinner in the bathroom. But then came her epiphany: “Sometimes, Kevin, you need to make a big mess so you can straighten up your life.”

In 1926, Calvin Coolidge was the president of the United States. On Nov. 11, 1926, a highway known as Route 66 opened for business. Had Silent Cal gotten into the presidential limo that year and driven along the Main Street of America, he might have found himself in the Golden State. Had he gone farther north, he might have discovered that on the southern border of San Francisco, in a tract of land that would one day be known as the outer, outer, outer, outer Excelsior, some builders had been caught up in the bungalow frenzy.

The word “bungalow” comes from the word “bungaloue,” shelters quickly built in India, done in the style of the Bengali. When building vacation cottages on the English seacoast in 1869, a clever marketer appropriated the term “bungalow” to give them an exotic feel. It stuck.

The word came to mean a small home, generally single story with a sloping roof, and was the darling of the Arts and Crafts movement of the early 20th century.

Yes, in 1926, the Bedlam Blue Bungalow was built. It wasn’t blue then. And the bedlam had not yet moved in. The dining room had gumwood cabinets, the chimney worked and somewhere along the line, they added a bedroom and the porch got closed in.

But for the most part, it sat quietly on a corner until almost the end of the 20th century, when it was invaded by Fisher-Paulsons. And our bedlam.

At first there were only two of us: my husband, Brian, and me. And the dogs: In 23 years Miss Grrrl, Diva, Wolfcub, Qp, Krypto, Buddyboy, Bandit and Queenie have all lived here. Somewhere during that dynasty, two human boys adopted the pack, Zane and Aidan.

Early in our tenancy around 1999, there was a fire. A roofer had let a spark get caught in the fly space. Do you know what they used for insulation in 1926? Newspaper. Maybe even The Chronicle. And those old periodicals flamed up, and firefighters came in and flooded our little home.

By that time the gumwood had more than 70 years to dry, and so every board in the room warped under those hoses. We fixed the windows, replaced the cabinets, and some very nice men sanded the floors. They had to rub down pretty far to get it even, but they did and the Fisher-Paulsons lived happily, well, if not ever after, at least temporarily.

Which brings us back to the dogs.

Truth of the matter is that all dogs urinate. Some more than others. Old Krypto, you couldn’t walk him past a vertical surface without him raising a leg.

And male dogs can be competitive. If Buddyboy urinated on my recliner, then Bandit had to urinate just a little bit higher. And poor Krypto. He had to stand on his tiptoes (tip-paws?) to urinate higher than that.

We didn’t notice all at once, but one day we saw that the two decades worth of hounds had eroded a moat around my La-Z-Boy. There was almost no oak left. They couldn’t repair it, only replace it.

So last week we moved our dining room table out, our Stickley chairs, our bookcases, our piano, and hired people to rip up the 96-year-old floor. Down to the studs.

For two weeks, we have no television. We have to go through the yard to get to the kitchen. Our sons’ rooms are on the other side of the construction, and they live as strangers, stumbling into the kitchen only for the 12 minutes it takes to eat ravioli and snarl, before going back to their rooms and electronic devices.

Dogs urinate physically, whereas teenage boys urinate psychically. They are all marking their territory. We are, to coin a phrase, bungaloathing each other.

But Aunt Amanda is right. We had to make this mess, to spend this time in separate parts of the house, so that we know how much we belong together. Two weeks from now, we can move the table back in, gather in the dining room, hold hands, say grace and be truly grateful that we live together in this old bungalow.

With all its bedlam.

Kevin Fisher-Paulson’s column appears Wednesdays in Datebook. Email: datebook@sfchronicle.com

The post What we’ve discovered as we renovate our beloved S.F. house appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

My old friend Amanda was having work done on her home in the Catskills. She called me one evening, almost in tears. There was lumber all over. She was microwaving dinner in the bathroom. But then came her epiphany: “Sometimes, Kevin, you need to make a big mess so you can straighten up your life.”

In 1926, Calvin Coolidge was the president of the United States. On Nov. 11, 1926, a highway known as Route 66 opened for business. Had Silent Cal gotten into the presidential limo that year and driven along the Main Street of America, he might have found himself in the Golden State. Had he gone farther north, he might have discovered that on the southern border of San Francisco, in a tract of land that would one day be known as the outer, outer, outer, outer Excelsior, some builders had been caught up in the bungalow frenzy.

The word “bungalow” comes from the word “bungaloue,” shelters quickly built in India, done in the style of the Bengali. When building vacation cottages on the English seacoast in 1869, a clever marketer appropriated the term “bungalow” to give them an exotic feel. It stuck.

The word came to mean a small home, generally a single story with a sloping roof, and was the darling of the Arts and Crafts movement of the early 20th century.

Yes, in 1926, the Bedlam Blue Bungalow was built. It wasn’t blue then. And the bedlam had not yet moved in. The dining room had gumwood cabinets, the chimney worked and somewhere along the line, they added a bedroom and the porch got closed in.

But for the most part, it sat quietly on a corner until almost the end of the 20th century, when it was invaded by Fisher-Paulsons. And our bedlam.

At first there were only two of us: my husband, Brian, and me. And the dogs: In 23 years Miss Grrrl, Diva, Wolfcub, Qp, Krypto, Buddyboy, Bandit and Queenie have all lived here. Somewhere during that dynasty, two human boys adopted the pack, Zane and Aidan.

Early in our tenancy around 1999, there was a fire. A roofer had let a spark get caught in the fly space. Do you know what they used for insulation in 1926? newspapers. Maybe even The Chronicle. And those old periodicals flamed up, and firefighters came in and flooded our little home.

By that time the gumwood had more than 70 years to dry, and so every board in the room warped under those hoses. We fixed the windows, replaced the cabinets, and some very nice men sanded the floors. They had to rub down pretty far to get it even, but they did and the Fisher-Paulsons lived happily, well, if not ever after, at least temporarily.

Which brings us back to the dogs.

Truth of the matter is that all dogs urinate. Some more than others. Old Krypto, you couldn’t walk him past a vertical surface without him raising a leg.

And male dogs can be competitive. If Buddyboy urinated on my recliner, then Bandit had to urinate just a little bit higher. And poor crypto. He had to stand on his tiptoes (tip-paws?) to urinate higher than that.

We didn’t notice all at once, but one day we saw that the two decades worth of hounds had eroded a moat around my La-Z-Boy. There was almost no oak left. They couldn’t repair it, only replace it.

So last week we moved our dining room table out, our Stickley chairs, our bookcases, our piano, and hired people to rip up the 96-year-old floor. Down to the studs.

For two weeks, we have no television. We have to go through the yard to get to the kitchen. Our sons’ rooms are on the other side of the construction, and they live as strangers, stumbling into the kitchen only for the 12 minutes it takes to eat ravioli and snarl, before going back to their rooms and electronic devices.

Dogs urinate physically, whereas teenage boys urinate psychically. They are all marking their territory. We are, to coin a phrase, bungaloathing each other.

But Aunt Amanda is right. We had to make this mess, to spend this time in separate parts of the house, so that we know how much we belong together. Two weeks from now, we can move the table back in, gather in the dining room, hold hands, say grace and be truly grateful that we live together in this old bungalow.

With all its bedlam.

Kevin Fisher-Paulson’s column appears Wednesdays in Datebook. Email: datebook@sfchronicle.com

The post What we’ve discovered as we renovate our beloved S.F. dwelling appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

Good morning and welcome to the Essential California newsletter. It’s Thursday, December 23rd. Shelby Grad, Scott Sandell, and Amy Hubbard (yes, three of us!) Stand up for Justin Ray as we head into the vacation weekend. Just a quick programming note: The newsletter is free on Fridays and Saturdays and back in your inbox on Mondays.

The Omicron variant made it to California with a vengeance. LA County saw its daily cases double, at what a health official has described as “harrowing” rates.

Here’s a breakdown of what you need to know:

Bad, but how bad? Because Omicron is so easily transferable, it is spreading at an unprecedented pace. However, there are also increasing indications that the variant caused less severe cases than the delta variant that has dominated for months. This, along with the increase in vaccinations and booster vaccinations, makes health professionals cautiously optimistic that there won’t be as many serious illnesses or deaths this winter compared to last winter’s surge. The biggest concern right now is that Omicron could spread so quickly that some hospitals could again be overwhelmed, even as fewer people become seriously ill, and the strain could take a devastating toll in areas with low vaccination rates. Los Angeles times

Key Prediction: A very influential COVID-19 forecast predicts that the Omicron surge could result in up to 400,000 new coronavirus cases per day nationwide – well above last winter’s record of 250,000 per day. The University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation predicts that the Omicron surge will rise rapidly through December and into January, and possibly peak in the next month or early February. Los Angeles times

LA County popped: More than 6,500 additional infections were reported on Wednesday alone. “It’s a very challenging time over the holidays,” the county public health director Barbara Ferrer told reporters. “If our case numbers continue to skyrocket this week and next, we could be looking at case numbers we’ve never seen before.” Los Angeles Times

What do we measure With Omicron appearing to cause fewer serious illnesses than Delta, COVID-19 hospital admissions will be a more relevant way in the coming days to determine actions local authorities may need to take, an expert said. This is because, while Omicron spreads quickly, a relatively high percentage of those infected remain who remain asymptomatic. Los Angeles times

Emotional Scars: The mental and emotional toll of yet another vacation turned upside down by COVID is real. How to cope? Here are some reminders of what causes fear and tips on how to face uncertainty with a clear head. Los Angeles times

More news about the coronavirus

• A Marin County social gathering that saw 28 people test positive for the coronavirus is a cautionary story. Los Angeles times
• The Pfizer pill could be a game changer as the first US-approved COVID home treatment. Los Angeles times
• Some potentially positive news from South Africa, where the huge Omicron wave seems to be subsiding as quickly as it has grown. Washington Post
• … And from Europe, where three research teams report that Omicron infections are milder. New York Times
• What cancels COVID-19? We have a running list. Los Angeles times
• Home tests are in short supply. Los Angeles times
• How Long Should You Isolate If Vaccinated and Have COVID-19? Mercury news
• Cal State now mandates booster shots. Los Angeles times

And now this is happening across California:

Note: Some of the websites we link to may limit the number of stories you can access without a subscription.

CALIFORNIA ALMANAC

We start our California tour with the Almanac, because it should be “raining everywhere” by this afternoon. So said forecasters calling for a slow winter storm that would rock northern California with rain and snow before heading south. Rainfall began yesterday for parts of the state, but was not expected to slide into LA County until today, the National Weather Service said. Los Angeles times

Just take a look at this very squishy almanac:

Los Angeles: rain, 57th San Diego: rain, 61st San Francisco: rain, 57th San Jose: rain, 62. Fresno: rain, 57th Sacramento: rain, 57.

LA STORIES

That is the sound of silence at Mater Dei. High school and Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange are charged with trying to cover up a brutal locker room altercation in which a player suffered traumatic brain injury. The school is committed to reviewing safety protocols as part of the athletics program. But otherwise, employees, parents, students and the diocese have largely closed. Mater Dei has one of the best high school football programs in the country and is a strong fundraising powerhouse. Supporters and staff of the program have fallen back on a wall of silence. Orange County’s Bishop Kevin Vann issued a public statement denouncing coverage of the lawsuit as “media frenzy” that is “worrying and sad.” Los Angeles times

The huge network of influential supporters and alumni of the Mater Dei High School has largely kept the scandal secret.

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

Cara Schneider, a Fairfax High School graduate and longtime teacher and administrator in Los Angeles, knew her students well. She knew they spoke Spanish so she learned the language. She knew they needed a dose of joy – and knowledge of the Beatles in their lives – so she would broadcast “Here Comes the Sun” over the school intercom once a week. She died last month at the age of 58. Los Angeles Times

POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT

Hotels will soon move away from housing the homeless as part of the Roomkey project. Nearly 1,400 rooms are still rented under this program – which provided a much-needed landing pad when the city went on missions to help people and clear large camps. Plans may change, but hotels will be closed to Project Roomkey participants in the New Year, writes Benjamin Oreskes of The Times. The officials of the city and the district are in a small race against time. They have to hand out thousands of rental vouchers received from various stimulus programs. Los Angeles times

What will your convention district look like? An independent government body has redrawn the boundaries for California’s congressional boroughs. Put your address on our map to see how your district has changed. Los Angeles times

CRIME AND COURTS

The ACLU has accused Tulare County of “seriously inadequate” prenatal care in its prisons. County Sheriff Mike Boudreaux denies the allegations. The ACLU detailed stories of three women who were allegedly denied adequate prenatal care. One interviewed by the Fresno Bee described a “traumatizing” experience where she bled for three days before being rushed to hospital. Fresno bee

Free online games

Get our free daily crossword, sudoku, word search and arcade games in our new game center at latimes.com/games.

CALIFORNIAN CULTURE

San Francisco has a number of mega-housing projects on track for 2022. Even if smaller projects are pending due to market uncertainty and astronomical construction costs, San Francisco’s colossal multi-phase projects will move forward at full speed. San Francisco Chronicle

Low Bridge Ahead: The main engine on Tower Bridge between Sacramento and West Sacramento has broken, causing the bridge to stay in the down position. Although a California Department of Transportation spokesman said it was safe for vehicles to cross the bridge, boats on the Sacramento River will have difficulty getting through it. Sacramento bee

Tower Bridge in Sacramento on November 11th.

(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)

The Cowboys of Baja California: “While cowboy culture north of the border has become a shadow of itself, some insist that Baja’s off-grid vaqueros still embody the harsh individualism of US legends.” National Geographic

Shaun Piccinino from Chico hit gold with his original Netflix film “A California Christmas”. Now the filmmaker hopes that the sequel will be just as successful – so that he can shoot a third part. Chico Enterprise record

Our daily news podcast

If you’re a fan of this newsletter, you’ll love our daily podcast, The Times, hosted every weekday by columnist Gustavo Arellano along with reporters from our newsroom. Go beyond the headlines. Download and listen to our app, subscribe to Apple Podcasts and follow Spotify.

AND FINALLY

Today’s California memory is from Jane Anne Staw:

One morning in late December 1981, my five-year-old son and I left Iowa City, where the temperature was below zero, and arrived in Berkeley, where the sun was shining and the air was swaying in the high 50s. My son immediately tore off his down parka, slipped off his winter boots, and ran up and down our block of Garber Street in shirt sleeves, hands spread like wings, celebrating the golden California climate. He’s now the father of two lovely girls, but I often remember his sheer joy in the warmth all those years ago.

If you have a memory or story about the Golden State, share it with us. (Please limit your story to 100 words.)

Please let us know what we can do to make this newsletter more useful to you. Send comments to essentialcalifornia@latimes.com.

The post Important California: What we have realized about Omicron, the extremely fast-moving variant appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

The Warriors head coach Steve Kerr entered the training camp last month believing it would take him at least 20 games to solidify his rotation.

But after eight games this season, Kerr is already aiming for a rotation that he likes. Here are the great takeaways from Golden State’s lineups:

James Wiseman will soon be playing 30 minutes a night: The Warriors are keen to put Wiseman into a heavy workload, which is understandable given that he has only played three college games, hasn’t had a summer league, and missed the entire preseason due to a positive coronavirus test. But little more than half a dozen games in his NBA career, he’s clearly the Golden State franchise center.

Kerr realizes that the best way to learn is through experience and plans to play Wiseman for about 30 minutes a night in the near future. This will allow Wiseman, who currently takes an average of 21.3 minutes, to iron out inconsistencies in the blink of an eye and stabilize a center rotation that is without Marquese Chriss (broken leg) for the next several months.

Andrew Wiggins is the head of the second unit: Kerr has identified Wiggins, not Kelly Oubre Jr., as the first choice for the second unit. As Stephen Curry kicks off the second and fourth quarters, Wiggins is the undisputed leader of a group that includes Brad Wanamaker, Damion Lee, Eric Paschall and Kent Bazemore.

This has been a fruitful decision in the last few weeks as Wiggins is not only a proven goalscorer but also an experienced playmaker. By calling up a series of tall screens for Wiggins, Kerr let him showcase his skills as a presenter. On numerous occasions, Wiggins has curled up from a tall screen, drifting the color, pulling the defenses toward him, and stepping out to open archery.

Bazemore has proven to be an important part of wing rotation: Two weeks into his second term as Warriors, Bazemore has seen some ups and downs. After completing just 16 minutes in the first four games, he cracked the rotation in Friday’s loss to Portland, scoring eight points and two rebounds in 17 minutes.

Now, after three more solid appearances, Bazemore seems firmly entrenched as the seventh or eighth man of the Warriors. While not conspicuous, he is an accomplished wing that limits errors, holds multiple positions, and knocks down open 3-pointers. This kind of reliability is very much appreciated by a team with so many new players.

Paschall is undeclared as a small ball center: Sometimes injuries can be positive because they allow a player to show off a part of their game that they may not even know was there. After Chriss suffered a high right ankle sprain with a broken right fibula in training last month, Kerr started giving Paschall, who is 6 feet 6, minutes in the middle out of necessity.

Kerr found the new position ideally suited Paschall’s abilities. He has the power to guard tall men at the post, and his ability to shoot at goal and handle the ball make him a disproportionate standard for traditional attack centers. Kerr appears content with a central rotation of Wiseman, Kevon Looney and Paschall so that Golden State can’t take advantage of its $ 9.3 million disabled player exemption.

Jordan Poole is behind Mychal Mulder on the depth map: Much of the off-season conversation that came from Warriors’ camp focused on the behind-the-scenes steps of Poole, who was a successful shooter and playmaker towards the end of his rookie season. What few could have guessed, however, was that the appearance of Mulder would make it difficult for Poole to find a meaningful game time.

Mulder’s shooting ability – in eight games he has a 50% clip out of 3-point range at 2.5 attempts per game – provided the warriors with much-needed ground clearance. Despite showing promise on the floor, Poole is still not a reliable marksman or defender for granting a spot in the regular rotation.

Juan Toscano-Anderson will play meaningful minutes when he is available: Within a week Toscano-Anderson switched from cutting to power forward for the injured Draymond Green. Kerr was so impressed by Toscano-Anderson’s energy and feeling for the game that he has gone all out in the last few days to name Toscano-Anderson a true NBA player.

Although Toscano-Anderson doesn’t offer much offensively, he makes informed decisions, finds Curry off-screen, and plays tough on defense. That might be enough for Toscano-Anderson, whose two-way contract limits him to 50 out of 72 possible games, to keep his rotation slot when it’s available, and an average of 12 minutes a night.

Connor Letourneau covers The Warriors for The San Francisco Chronicle. Email: cletourneau@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @Con_Chron

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