Headless or extinct -- take your pick

Given the devastation to so many areas of our neighborhood, Nellie chose to take a route we haven't taken for several months. She was fairly certain the neighborhood was intact so we went that way. Things were looking normal. A few roofs with tarps from the fierce winds blowing off shingles, but otherwise, looking good. Turns out, Nellie was spot on for knowing things that would bring a smile. Since the last three days dealing with the attic insulation drama have been taxing, she knew cheering up was in the cards. One of my favorite Little Libraries now has a resident pterodactyl. This yard is known for its T. Rex, so it's not surprising he has been joined by a friend.

A couple of steps farther down the same street, we ran across this sad/funny sight. Two statues greet visitors and one poor bloke has lost his head! Well, not lost exactly, as it is in pieces in front of him. Clearly this statue, though made to look as if stone or metal, is neither. Hope he gets appropriate medical care soon.

  

A heart for all seasons

While I pretty much try to avoid holidays, today I received this picture which made me smile so much, it would be stingy not to share. The location is a Florida beach and the message is quite clear. Those things that look are rocks are actually sea shells. Enjoy.

Serious new medical condition

Since the devastating fires in our area there has been an outbreak of a heretofore unknown malady. Now, I'm not a doctor, nor have I played one on TV, but in all humility, I am the first to diagnose this new condition. It has been observable in conversations on walks around the neighborhood and, of course, in our own household. It is fire brain. 

First observed when we would be doing something important, like packing to evacuate, and forgetting to take the most basic and obvious items with us. In M's case, we were already miles from home and he realized he forgot his wallet. Something he has NEVER forgotten EVER. And yes, he drove back through smoke and ash to retrieve it from home. In our haste, I forgot to pack our and our dogs' medications -- even though they were on the list prepared for just such an eventuality. Didn't discover that bit until we were safely ensconced in the shelter and were not going back home. OK, you're thinking, understandable, you were in a rush to leave and it happens. Others in the shelter had experienced the same thing. Alas, the syndrome doesn't end with returning home.

In our shock and realization of all the cleanup required, our determination to be better organized for future catastrophes, and trying to be grownups navigating the necessary hoops to get things repaired and done, we found our brains short circuiting regularly. Put something down and can't find it even though it is right in front of us. Make a to do list and forget to check it. Promise to finish something and get so distracted we don't even remember the promise. Fire brain in action. And lest you think we are old and that is simply a symptom, I assure you that we weren't THAT bad prior to the fire. Not only that, younger people in the area are complaining of the same symptoms. Needless to say, the symptoms should wear off as things return to semi-normal, but one can never tell with these new outbreaks of interesting conditions. May you never have to experience it.

Sweet Charlotte

As someone who is absolutely ga-ga over dogs, I have to share one of my favorites on our block. She's a rescue and is the sweetest girl ever. Her name is Charlotte and she does  demand a good head rub when she sees me, so naturally, her wish is my command. Here she's pulling to come over.

And here she's wondering why I'm not loving all over her, like, right now!!!! Who could ever resist that beautiful face?

Standing Guard

If the fires have shown us anything, it has reinforced how communities come together. That said, unfortunately there are people who like to take advantage of disasters by looting or even setting more fires. That's where law enforcement realized it needed help and called the National Guard to assist with enforcing curfews and access to burned out areas. Soldiers have been standing guard for 12 hour shifts 24/7 once the flames died down enough to do so. Originally they were assigned to prevent people from entering areas that were deemed too dangerous to return to. After a couple of weeks, they were checking IDs to make sure people who were trying to enter neighborhoods were actual residents. Not only did they deploy soldiers, they had a scary huge tank-like truck to deter anyone from trying to get around the detour. This was the scene across the street from us.

 After 3 weeks of severe restrictions for access, those restrictions were lifted and we assumed the National Guard would depart. Were we wrong! They simply moved to park on our street in front of the house. Not that I ever feared looters before, but with a constant guard, I sure feel super safe. Just for fun, I go out and talk to the soldiers and yes, baked brownies for them. And while it's been interesting, apparently my personal body guards are finally getting to move on to more exciting tasks. The end of the week terminates their service here. Frankly, I shall miss them, though I suspect that sitting in a Humvee through chilly nights is not anyone's idea of a good time. And while they have been good sports and talk about service to the country, they have admitted that yes, they are bored. Still -- better than being in war zone. 

After all the sad news, some cheer

There's nothing like someone in the neighborhood who makes a fun way of adding joy. This was on my walk with Nellie on a street that has seen disaster. Bright, cheerful, and makes you smile. Hand crocheted no less.

Our garden, pretty much decimated by the winds, which I am trying to consider an opportunity to be creative in new ways (when not crying in frustration of years of work down the tubes), is happily creating arches for bees and hummingbirds to enjoy. Not to mention passersby.

Being forced to deep clean every nook and cranny in the house to rid it of soot and ash residue has brought to light long forgotten items. We were VERY lucky in that our windows are super tight so we didn't get much in the way of smoke damage. Washing textiles made the huge difference immediately. But being the worry wart I am, cleaning behind everything, wiping down every surface somehow made sense. That's when I re-discovered a mosaic table top done in the dark ages of the 1990s. It was hidden under another piece of furniture (don't ask). 

I'm sure there are more hidden gems around, though I'm also taking this opportunity to ditch some stuff that simply sits around to gather dust. Sometimes it take a fire to get me to do what is right!

It breaks your heart and this is one has it lucky

There are so many animals who not only lost homes, but haven't been reunited with their people yet. Shelters in the area are overloaded, every rescue group is at maximum capacity, and kind neighbors are caring for pets until people get on their feet again. Cody is a small friend of ours who lost his home to the fire. Fortunately, his people and he got to safety and have a place to live until they either rebuild or move. But should you think it is only people who are traumatized by these events, think again. This heartbreaking photo says it all:  Cody staring at the devastation that was once his home, straining to get in, and not understanding why he can't go back.

Putting a mind at ease

Damage to our house was so minor compared to those who lost everything that it seems somewhat presumptuous to even mention the repair we needed. However, our roof that overhangs our back porch decided to finally depart this world for good this go round. Given all the construction needed, we were worried it would be weeks, if not months, before someone could come and put an entirely new and improved (meaning wind proof) roof on before the apparently non-existent rains finally come. I was talking to a good neighbor, G., about it and he casually said, "Use my guy. He's great." Those five words proved prophetic. Four days later we have a roof. M. not only communicates, but he's terrific at his job, and, wonder of wonders, charges reasonable prices. While I miss the light our clear plastic sheets gave us, I won't miss the rattling in every wind, the real worry it will be damaged, and the thumping noise when panels do blow off. The new roof is sturdy and provides more protection from the elements. 

The damaged roof:

Our brand new roof:

Yes, you are still seeing the mess we have to take care of, but things are slowly getting better.

Gangs roaming devastated streets

With all the downed tree branches, you'd expect to see people in front of their houses frantically cleaning up. Well, around here, gangs of young people visited affected areas and brought with them all the shovels, rakes, and brooms to help clean up the debris. When asked what volunteer group they were part of, they gave a surprising answer. They just found each other through social media and met up. The majority of the group were Gen Z, so if anyone complains that young people are lazy and don't know how to work, I will happily punch them in the nose on Gen Z's behalf. They worked tirelessly to rake yards, haul large branches, and do a general cleanup. This particular group is mainly from USC. 

They weren't the only ones thinking of the devastation and how they could help. A tree company from a fairly distant city came to start cleanup of the larger piles. FOR FREE. A huge crew with lots of equipment, working in a city they don't call home -- for FREE. Just there, being giving, decent human beings. Some good things do come out of tragedies. 

The estimate is that a year's worth of damage was done in the two day wind event. Though there are still piles on the street, all the volunteers, private companies, and City/County workers have been working tirelessly. Our completely impassable street is almost back to normal.

Earth, Wind and Fire

As anyone in the US who has a cell phone, TV, or newspaper knows, Los Angeles County is on fire. Fire danger, extreme at any time, was increased ten-fold by winds, that even by Santa Ana standards, were devastating all on their own. Thousands of people have lost their homes. 

The first day of high wind, which terrified me, was nail biting, but we felt we could ride it out. Power went out. We've been through this before. Then the phone call that changed everything. "Look out your window. Do you see flames?" Not only did we see flames, they looked to be across the street. Checking for alerts, we learned  that appearances to the contrary, the fire was huge but not that close. Okay, we've ridden out fires before. Probably smart to pack go-bags just in case, but how bad could it be? To err on the side of caution we made a pact with Elvis's Mom and Nick's Mom, that should it come to it, we would evacuate together. At 4 am, it came to that. Police with bull horns drove down the streets and weren't even polite. They were yelling GET OUT. Phone calls to make sure we were all awake and ready to ride, throwing bags in cars, and off we went toward safety. Nick's Mom bundled Nick off to the Convention Center right away, even though the fear was they weren't allowing pets. We and Elvis's Mom took off to Costco, of all places, because we knew they have a huge parking lot so we could walk the pups and hang until we had more information. One downside to that -- no restrooms until Costco opened, in SIX hours. You can guess where this is heading.

Fortunately, Panera was open early with nice amenities and breakfast too. By then, Nick's Mom texted us that, yes, our fur babies were welcome. Of course, they didn't know that Rascal wasn't too friendly, but we really wanted to be somewhere indoors and safe with friends. Elvis's Mom had the good fortune to be able to go to family in a safe area not too far away. So off to the Convention Center we went.

Shockingly, Rascal and Nellie were very well behaved and seemed to get the seriousness of the situation. We settled in and as we sorted through bags, I realized that in my haste, there were important things missing. We decided to chance it and go back to the house and grab some more stuff. Fortunately the Officer at the road block let us through the thickening smoke and our house was still there. Grabbing things that were important and things we thought were important, stuffed them in the car, and went back to spend the night in safety. Word to the wise:  plan well in advance for emergencies. Have lists. Don't wait until the last minute. Just sayin'.

The Convention Center had numerous volunteers who made people as comfortable as possible. Cots to sleep in, blankets, even pillows. They provided dog and cat food, bottled water, and meals. And yet, we all just wanted to go home. After a sleepless night and downing an incredible cinnamon bun, we all packed up and left. We knew there were houses burned to the ground two blocks north of us and four blocks east. We had no idea if our house was still intact since we were closest to the fire. We knew our area was still under an evacuation warning, which could become mandatory at any moment. We headed slowly up the street of downed branches and debris. Told the officer we lived on the street and wanted to check the house, because, yes, it was still there. All there. Our entire block was spared from fire. The winds were a whole different story.

Huge branches took down part of a power pole (deja vu from 2022). The street was nearly impassable. Some home had to have their gas shut off. But we survived and the community came together so strongly to get things back to normal (more on that later) -- whatever that will be in the future.

Copperheads -- and I'm not talking about snakes

If you haven't read Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver, go to your nearest library, bookstore, or ebook reader and read it. It is a powerful look at a part of the country that has been disrespected for too long and left to deal with the aftermath of uncaring companies and government. The story is told through the eyes of a young man who is orphaned as a child and has to navigate the foster system and beyond in an area known for poverty. Once you pick it up, you won't put it down. And it's not lollipops and roses, but oh so powerful.

Do it. Do it today.

Kidnapped...but a happy ending

"I'm being kidnapped," thought Nick as this stranger was trying to wrestle him into his harness, on a Monday, when Mom was supposed to be home. His mind raced to all his options for not going with this nefarious criminal. He thought it was very clever she brought along his buddy Nellie for the heist, but he was on to that. "I know," he thought, "I'll drag behind like a 300 lb. weight. She should give up after a block and bring me back home." His plan failed and he was taken to a house he recognized, only to be met by another buddy of his, Rascal. "This is weird." "Why am I here?" "What's happening?"

So, let's back up a bit and start at the beginning. On Mondays Nick's Mom works from home. We usually don't meet up with them until the evening stroll around the neighborhood, for juicy gossip, judging people's houses, running into other dog walkers, and letting Nellie and Nick sniff, try to find things to eat off the sidewalks, and otherwise get business done. On Tuesdays, because some people are forced to go into the office whether it makes a difference or not, Nellie and I show up at Nick's house to render the first class concierge service he is accustomed to. We also distract him a bit from his wailing in sorrow that he has been left alone without constant attention to his every need. So, strangers we are not. In fact, I have proudly been his auntie for quite some time now, and though he is not a cuddle-bug by nature, he happily allows ear and back scratches before he settles onto his bed.

Alas, Nick's Mom had an emergency to deal with and had to leave Nick behind. Being alerted to the issue, naturally Nellie and I went over to check on her best friend. Turns out the issue required more time than expected so a decision was made on the spot: Nick naturally would come to my house to stay until things were sorted. That's where his angst kicked in. And that's where the harness wrestling ensued. Fortunately I had already experienced that Olympic sport with Paco the Pug, so it didn't take too long to figure out how to best deal with the situation and we were ready to head out. Only Nick, in his confusion, didn't much like the idea, so for 4 blocks, tried to indicate his displeasure by insisting he was being kidnapped to anyone who would listen, and making his 20 pounds of angst weigh as much as possible to drag behind. Once we made it to the house, however, he realized that this was a safe place to just hang out and concierge service would be provided as usual. Which, of course, it was. He supervised kitchen duties, was supervised in turn as he roamed the backyard, and happily bounced ahead of us on the subsequent two walks we took. All was back to normal. 

Fortunately Mom was able to come home earlier in the evening than expected, and Nick's response to that was to curl up in an exhausted ball and go to sleep. 

And now, to make up for his confusion about the affair, he would like to wish everyone a Happy New Year.