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.

Wind, Rain and Fire -- sounds like a song...

Yup. I think the universe is trying to tell us something. The Santa Ana winds are starting up and though we've managed, so far, to escape the worst winds, it's enough to play mild havoc with garden, trees, and other things about the place. My greatest worry is, of course, that crazy hen we love yet cannot tame. Well, that's not entirely true. She allows me to get within 3-5 feet of her now, especially if I have her fruit and veggie treats. I've been adding bits of cheese on the advice of a chicken whisperer (you know who you are), and that's made her a bit more forgiving for trespassing on her territory. 

Yesterday, in preparation for what we were assured were devastating winds, I made the bold decision to move her house from the spot we set it up (where she chose to so completely ignore it I figured it was a wash) over to her favorite hangout. We didn't place it there initially because it's by the wall where predators can easily sneak up (we have two feral kitties that have taken to hanging out with naughty intentions in spite of multiple conversations about appropriate behavior). But with devastating winds predicted, it seemed a more protected place. The other plus is that, theoretically at least, we would be better able to lure her inside. Yeah, right. But, we'll keep trying. And trying.

So here's her new home:

And here is her highness scooting right by it:

Now, you may wonder what the toilet tank is doing there. I use those for planters (along with stray toilet bowls for that matter) and will start planting things chickens are supposed to like in there. It goes without saying that if all the chickens in the world like something, Ninja will put up her cute little nose at it, but hope springs eternal...sure, we'll go with that.