Hmmmm…
“Her Teeth Were Stained, But Her Heart Was Pure”? Only half-true.
“If My Nose Were Full Of Nickels, I’d Blow It All On You”?
These, I swear, are actual song titles, but none captured the real me.
So my friend turned to quizdoo.com for their What Country Song Matches Your Personality?
Q. Which of the following fruit makes your mouth water most?Watermelon — and all the childhood sensory memories of hot summer days when my parents took me to the countryside in upstate New York.
Q. What movie genre do you watch most often? Suspense — one of my favorites being Hitchcock’s North By Northwest. Although it ranks in nearly every top film poll, it’s star, Cary Grant, called it a “terrible script.”
Q. Choose a word that describes your best friend. Other choices were determined, loving, fun and relaxed — but I love someone who is independent, and consider myself independent — although I often depend on independent people.
Q. Pick a color!My real favorite, lavender, wasn’t on the list so I picked red which is associated with energy, war, danger, strength, power, determination as well as passion, desire, and love.
Q. Which of these is most important to you? Loyalty, sociability, calm, independence, or intelligence? I quickly answered: loyalty, defined as someone who cares enough to watch my back.
Q. What is your favorite ethnic cuisine? Chinese. Szechuan? Schezwan? Anyway — a food with as many flavors as there are ways to spell it.
Q. School subject enjoyed the most? I chose Math over creative writing. But I also loved poetry and opera, which makes sense because they all depend on patterns.
Q. What irritates you the most? Because I couldn’t reply, “answering this stupid survey,” I chose stress, which I heard once described as: when you wake up screaming, then realize you haven’t fallen asleep yet.
Q. What activity do you have the most fun doing? I chose singing. Believe it or not, somewhere at the bottom of a swap meet sales bin is a copy of a long-lost LP called “Miss Rona Sings Hollywood’s Greatest Hits.” I haven’t listened to the 1974 release for ages, but I’m sure it sounds like I was stuck outside the recording studio: couldn’t find the key and didn’t know when to come in.
Q. Pick a dog breed. I picked Retriever. Until we moved here to the Valley I never had a dog. Ours was an Australian Shepherd and German Schnauzer mix that we had to train to stop making World War II on our carpet!
Based on the quizdo.com analysis, the country song that best matches my personality? “Before He Cheats,” by Carrie Underwood, a song about a Louisville Slugger-wielding woman taking revenge on her unfaithful mate.
My analysis? The psychological kook-a-boo who came up with this quiz should be the one on the couch!
Until next time…keep thinking the good thoughts.
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Rona Barrett, famed Hollywood entertainment writer-turned-businesswoman, is the driving force behind Golden Inn & Village, a new low-income senior housing community in Santa Ynez. “It’s a vision and an idea whose time had really come,” she says. “We need many more kinds of Golden Inn & Villages because there’s just not enough affordable housing all over the state, let alone the country.” (Janene Scully / Noozhawk photo)
Golden Inn & Village’s downstairs lounge features a piano, fireplace, tables and comfortable chairs, and is intended as a gathering place for residents. (Janene Scully / Noozhawk photo)
Golden Inn & Village, at the corner of Highway 246 and Refugio Road in Santa Ynez, features 60 independent living units for low-income seniors and 27 affordable rental apartments for multigenerational housing. (Janene Scully / Noozhawk photo)
With residents now living in the Golden Inn & Village in Santa Ynez, Rona Barrett has seen her dream come alive.
But she’s not done.
The assisted living wing for patients with Alzheimer’s disease and other memory loss needs more funding before construction can begin, hopefully this year.
And Barrett’s ultimate dream is to see Golden Inn & Village serve as a template for low-income housing in other communities.
“It’s a vision and an idea whose time had really come,” Barrett told Noozhawk. “We need many more kinds of Golden Inn & Villages because there’s just not enough affordable housing all over the state, let alone the country.”
She says the need exists, proven by the fact that her new project attracted 900 applicants in just 12 days.
“Does that not tell you something?” she asked. “It certainly told me something.”
Barrett wasn’t surprised.
“I’ve been watching the statistics and seeing for myself what was happening, not only within this community but all over,” she said. “It’s like a tsunami really was going to hit us, and it has hit us now. They call it the gray tsunami.”
Due to her own father’s declining health, Barrett, a businesswoman and former syndicated entertainment writer, created the Rona Barrett Foundation in 2000 to provide affordable housing for senior citizens with services they require.
The foundation later lined up partners, including the Housing Authority of the County of Santa Barbara.
John Polanskey, director of housing development, said Golden Inn & Village’s 60 affordable rental housing units for seniors, along with the adjacent 27 affordable rental housing units for families, are providing important new housing opportunities for Santa Barbara County’s lower income residents — including those with Santa Ynez Valley connections.
“As we held community meetings, we consistently had people come up to us who didn’t want to leave the Valley, were working in the Valley and living elsewhere, or who wanted to return to the Valley, but couldn’t find housing that was affordable,” he said.
“Many of our residents have or had some type of ties to the Valley.”
Sitting on 7.3 acres at the corner of Highway 246 and Refugio Road in Santa Ynez, the Golden Inn & Village includes 60 independent living units for low-income seniors and 27 affordable rental apartments for multigenerational employee/family housing.
A community center was designed to accommodate day programs, family visits and caregiver respite. The facility can house a barber, beauty shop and other services.
A downstairs lounge has a piano, fireplace, tables and comfortable chairs. Upstairs includes an activity room, with windows providing sweeping valley views.
The grounds include gardens and walking paths with sustainable landscaping.
The independent living facility has 66 people with every apartment filled. Across the property, the facility has larger residences for families, such as people raising grandchildren or employees.
Barrett estimated the site is now home to between 120 and 130 people.
One key aspect, making the facility a true village, is the creation of a buddy system to have neighbors checking on neighbors on a regular basis.
While the interior looks complete, Barrett said some finishing touches remain. For instance, the library needs shelving before it can be completed.
Another big piece — the Alzheimer’s disease and assisted living facility — needs more funding before construction can begin on 2.2 acres at the site.
“That, to me, is the most important facility or housing that we could possibly be building,” Barrett said.
She wanted it done yesterday, she acknowledged.
“It can’t be done fast enough or quick enough as far I’m concerned,” Barrett said, adding that partners will be required since the Alzheimer’s disease and assisted living facility will cost $13 million.
The foundation already has raised several million dollars, but since they plan to award scholarships for people who don’t have the financial means, Barrett hopes to create an endowment fund to subsidize costs of those who can’t afford the facility.
“You cannot keep shoving the elderly in this country under the rugs and under the carpets,” she said.
The trailblazing Hollywood reporter often reflected on her father’s influence on her second career.
“The funny thing is he wasn’t very inspiring during my first career,” she said. “But he has been very inspiring during this particular time of my life.”
Click here for more information about Golden Inn & Village. Click here to make an online donation.
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Low-income Seniors move into new homes in Santa Ynez
SANTA YNEZ, Calif. – A new housing community has opened its doors to 60 senior citizens in need.
The seniors moved into the the Rona Barrett Foundation Golden Inn & Village in Santa Ynez in early December.
Barrett worked on the project to build the independent living units for low-income seniors for many years.
The Housing Authority of the County of Santa Barbara also played a big role.
The funding came from tax credits and money raised by the Rona Barrett Foundation.
The project cost 35 million dollars.
Barrett said the housing crisis in Santa Barbara County and across the country has created a dire need for this segment of the population.
“Nine-hundred people in about less than two weeks applied for residency. If we had four of these residencies, we still wouldn’t have enough,” Barrett said.
This is just the first phase of what Barrett calls the “campus”.
She plans to build an Alzheimer’s and assisted living facility on the same lot. Barrett said she will name it “Harry’s House” after her father.
To donate or learn more about the Rona Barrett foundation, click here.
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Low-income Seniors move into new homes in Santa Ynez
SANTA YNEZ, Calif. – A new housing community has opened its doors to 60 senior citizens in need.
The seniors moved into the the Rona Barrett Foundation Golden Inn & Village in Santa Ynez in early December.
Barrett worked on the project to build the independent living units for low-income seniors for many years.
The Housing Authority of the County of Santa Barbara also played a big role.
The funding came from tax credits and money raised by the Rona Barrett Foundation.
The project cost 35 million dollars.
Barrett said the housing crisis in Santa Barbara County and across the country has created a dire need for this segment of the population.
“Nine-hundred people in about less than two weeks applied for residency. If we had four of these residencies, we still wouldn’t have enough,” Barrett said.
This is just the first phase of what Barrett calls the “campus”.
She plans to build an Alzheimer’s and assisted living facility on the same lot. Barrett said she will name it “Harry’s House” after her father.
To donate or learn more about the Rona Barrett foundation, click here.
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A Golden day for Rona Barrett
Ribbon cutting at Golden Inn & Village opens doors to seniors, families
Len Wood, Staff
Rona Barrett speaks as Santa Barbara County Supervisor Doreen Farr, state Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson and Congresswoman Lois Capps, from left, listen during the grand opening of the Rona Barrett Foundation’s Golden Inn & Village in Solvang.
Len Wood, Staff
Dignitaries cut a golden ribbon Oct. 28 during the grand opening of the Rona Barrett Foundation’s Golden Inn & Village in Solvang.
Len Wood, Staff
New residents Judith Collier, left, and Wilma Gyesko tour rooms similar to theirs Oct. 28 during the grand opening of the Rona Barrett Foundation’s Golden Inn & Village in Solvang.
Len Wood, Staff
Guests tour one of the buildings at the Golden Inn & Village in Solvang during the grand opening Oct. 28.
Len Wood, Staff
The Golden Inn & Village in Solvang, which offers affordable housing to low-income seniors and families, officially opened its doors with a ceremony Oct. 28.
Len Wood, Staff
Invited guests fill a tent erected in case of rain Oct. 28 for the grand opening of the Rona Barrett Foundation’s Golden Inn & Village.
Len Wood, Staff
Rona Barrett, center, listens to speakers during the grand opening of the Rona Barrett Foundation’s Golden Inn & Village on Oct. 28 in Solvang.
Len Wood, Staff
Rona Barrett receives a ceremonial golden key Oct. 28 during the grand opening of the Rona Barrett Foundation’s Golden Inn & Village in Solvang.
Len Wood, Staff
Congresswoman Lois Capps speaks Oct. 28 in Solvang during the grand opening of the Rona Barrett Foundation’s Golden Inn & Village, an affordable housing complex for low-income seniors and families.
The grand opening of Golden Inn & Village (GIV) represented the “vision and the dream of Rona Barrett,” Lois Capps said.
The U.S. Representative for California’s 24th Congressional District was one of the many federal, state, county and local officials as well as Valley supporters who came to Solvang on Oct. 28 to mark the grand opening of Golden Inn & Village.
Designed to bring affordable housing to the Santa Ynez Valley, the compound is a 60-unit development for seniors and a 27-unit development for families, some of whom will be employees at GIV. Over 900 seniors have applied for those 60 studio and one-bedroom apartments.
Capps remarked that she’d attended the groundbreaking in March 2015.
“We want this to be everything Rona wanted it to be. I wish all my colleagues in Congress could see it.”
Inspired by her years of caring for her late father, Harry, Barrett launched the Rona Barrett Foundation 16 years ago, determined to provide affordable local housing for seniors.
Thanks to partnerships with the Housing Authority of the County of Santa Barbara County (HACSB) and Surf Development Co., and funding acquired through the Federal Low Income Housing Tax Credit Program, Union Bank, the Rona Barrett Foundation and others, the first residents are moving in this week.
“Well-behaved women rarely make history,” joked California state Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson about Barrett’s determination. She also echoed Capps, calling GIV a “project we should be replicating.”
Several of the speakers commented on the complete lack of opposition to the development, something essentially unheard of in Santa Barbara County.
“We had no opposition from Day One,” confirmed John Polansky, director of Housing Development with the HACSB.
Santa Barbara County 3rd District Supervisor Doreen Farr concurred, while recalling that she expected opposition when Barrett first presented the project to her.
When it was time for Barrett to speak, the former entertainment reporter said she’d “like to pretend this is my Oscar speech,” and joked that no one should try to “play her off” for speaking too long. She had so many people to thank, most notably the three women on stage with her, Capps, Jackson and Farr.
She also singled out her foundation board of directors, the HACSB staff, county Sheriff Bill Brown, interior designer Shannon Scott, major donors and even the Valley’s usual anti-development forces for not being anti-GIV.
“This is not about me,” Barrett said. “It’s about all the people we are bringing into this facility. This has been one of the most glorious days of my life.”
Before cutting the golden ribbon — with a pair of oversized gold scissors — Barrett reminded the assembled that more donations are still needed to complete Golden Inn & Village. The next phase of development is for affordable assisted living and memory care units.
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A Golden day for Rona Barrett
Ribbon cutting at Golden Inn & Village opens doors to seniors, families
Len Wood, Staff
Rona Barrett speaks as Santa Barbara County Supervisor Doreen Farr, state Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson and Congresswoman Lois Capps, from left, listen during the grand opening of the Rona Barrett Foundation’s Golden Inn & Village in Solvang.
Len Wood, Staff
Dignitaries cut a golden ribbon Oct. 28 during the grand opening of the Rona Barrett Foundation’s Golden Inn & Village in Solvang.
Len Wood, Staff
New residents Judith Collier, left, and Wilma Gyesko tour rooms similar to theirs Oct. 28 during the grand opening of the Rona Barrett Foundation’s Golden Inn & Village in Solvang.
Len Wood, Staff
Guests tour one of the buildings at the Golden Inn & Village in Solvang during the grand opening Oct. 28.
Len Wood, Staff
The Golden Inn & Village in Solvang, which offers affordable housing to low-income seniors and families, officially opened its doors with a ceremony Oct. 28.
Len Wood, Staff
Invited guests fill a tent erected in case of rain Oct. 28 for the grand opening of the Rona Barrett Foundation’s Golden Inn & Village.
Len Wood, Staff
Rona Barrett, center, listens to speakers during the grand opening of the Rona Barrett Foundation’s Golden Inn & Village on Oct. 28 in Solvang.
Len Wood, Staff
Rona Barrett receives a ceremonial golden key Oct. 28 during the grand opening of the Rona Barrett Foundation’s Golden Inn & Village in Solvang.
Len Wood, Staff
Congresswoman Lois Capps speaks Oct. 28 in Solvang during the grand opening of the Rona Barrett Foundation’s Golden Inn & Village, an affordable housing complex for low-income seniors and families.
The grand opening of Golden Inn & Village (GIV) represented the “vision and the dream of Rona Barrett,” Lois Capps said.
The U.S. Representative for California’s 24th Congressional District was one of the many federal, state, county and local officials as well as Valley supporters who came to Solvang on Oct. 28 to mark the grand opening of Golden Inn & Village.
Designed to bring affordable housing to the Santa Ynez Valley, the compound is a 60-unit development for seniors and a 27-unit development for families, some of whom will be employees at GIV. Over 900 seniors have applied for those 60 studio and one-bedroom apartments.
Capps remarked that she’d attended the groundbreaking in March 2015.
“We want this to be everything Rona wanted it to be. I wish all my colleagues in Congress could see it.”
Inspired by her years of caring for her late father, Harry, Barrett launched the Rona Barrett Foundation 16 years ago, determined to provide affordable local housing for seniors.
Thanks to partnerships with the Housing Authority of the County of Santa Barbara County (HACSB) and Surf Development Co., and funding acquired through the Federal Low Income Housing Tax Credit Program, Union Bank, the Rona Barrett Foundation and others, the first residents are moving in this week.
“Well-behaved women rarely make history,” joked California state Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson about Barrett’s determination. She also echoed Capps, calling GIV a “project we should be replicating.”
Several of the speakers commented on the complete lack of opposition to the development, something essentially unheard of in Santa Barbara County.
“We had no opposition from Day One,” confirmed John Polansky, director of Housing Development with the HACSB.
Santa Barbara County 3rd District Supervisor Doreen Farr concurred, while recalling that she expected opposition when Barrett first presented the project to her.
When it was time for Barrett to speak, the former entertainment reporter said she’d “like to pretend this is my Oscar speech,” and joked that no one should try to “play her off” for speaking too long. She had so many people to thank, most notably the three women on stage with her, Capps, Jackson and Farr.
She also singled out her foundation board of directors, the HACSB staff, county Sheriff Bill Brown, interior designer Shannon Scott, major donors and even the Valley’s usual anti-development forces for not being anti-GIV.
“This is not about me,” Barrett said. “It’s about all the people we are bringing into this facility. This has been one of the most glorious days of my life.”
Before cutting the golden ribbon — with a pair of oversized gold scissors — Barrett reminded the assembled that more donations are still needed to complete Golden Inn & Village. The next phase of development is for affordable assisted living and memory care units.
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Low-income senior housing complex opens in Santa Ynez
Over 900 seniors applied to live in facility
Rona Barrett Foundation Golden Inn & Village in Santa Ynez. (Photo: Julia Minsky)
SANTA YNEZ, Calif. – Some low-income seniors in Central California will now have a new place to call home in the Santa Ynez Valley.
The Rona Barrett Foundation Golden Inn & Village celebrated its grand opening Friday morning with a ribbon cutting and tours of the newly built facility.
The grand opening comes shortly after founder Rona Barrett celebrated her 80th birthday. For Barrett, the living facility is the crowning achievement of more than 16 years of hard work.
The foundation said over 900 low-income seniors applied to live in one of the 60 new independent living units on the campus.
Special guests at Friday’s ribbon cutting included members of the housing authority of Santa Barbara and U.S., State and local officials.
For more about the Rona Barrett foundation and the Golden Inn & Village, click here.
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