You Cannot See the Wind

Southern California change of seasons is a little different. Obviously, we don't have snow, but we do get a Fall-like Autumn. It comes later here, too. The temperature drops, but not too drastically. We put on jackets or sweaters in the evening, but the day temps are mild. It was a fluky 85 degrees on Thanksgiving, but generally in the low 70's. One of our Fall conditions are the Santa Ana Winds. I have to say, I hate them! They dirty the pool and the yard (these pix don't show how bad it can get). They make my allergies worse. (The ones I didn't know I had). They cause the arsonists to come out of the woodwork and set fires. We had one up a few miles behind us just last week. It freaks me out. They leave dust on the windowsills. They cause the planes at John Wayne Airport to take off and land the other way, so I don't hear planes all day. (You'd think this was good, but it reminds me of the few days after 9/11 when the planes were grounded). They are just a pain. And they can last through the winter. The worst ones we ever had were the day Timo was born in Jan of '03. At least these that we have had the last couple of days are pretty mild.

Oh well....you get what you get when you live in anyplace. I will take those winds, the earthquakes, the sunshine, the mild temperatures, the no snow, the beaches, the mountains, the crowds, the freeways....I love it all. I love living here. (I just don't like Santa Ana Winds.)

Talked to Tam this morning. She said Mari is doing better, but still not 100%. R and T gave us permission to tell you that they have chosen a name for the new one. It's Caleb Lewis. J and B will find out in about a week what they are having. We are excited about new grandchildren!

Today is the 30th. I have to say, I did not do well on my Nanowrimo goal of 50,000 words. But I do not feel that I failed. I wrote well over 20,000 words and over 20 stories. It has been a great experience and has taught me a lot about myself. I have enrolled in the Personal History Writing class at my school again for next semester and plan to edit those stories and write more. I loved having a goal to work towards. To other writers...keep trucking!

My final note...it was brought to my attention that I have been putting a lot of personal info on the blog. I am going to start using nicknames and initials where they apply. I also edited the profiles on this blog and changed a few of the settings. I decided not to make the blog password accessible, but I hope that these changes will make things better. Please keep reading and posting comments. I love you all and hope all is well with our entire family. Enjoy the pictures and videos. Love, Mom

Two shots of the pool. It looked so much worse after church yesterday, but Dad skimmed it.

The wind is strong enough to blow over our lawn chairs.

The pile of Fall leaves under the Golden Amber tree.

The pile of Magnolia leaves up against the garage door.

My very dirty windowsill. (I shamefully admit that part of this dirt came from the winds and part from my housecleaning neglect!)


Listen carefully and you can hear me talk and clear my throat. Something I do a lot when the winds blow. You can also hear the wind chimes. They ring regularly during the winds.

The gentle wind chimes. You should hear them when the winds are bad and gusty. They go crazy. Everyone take care. Love you all.