Pleasant Surprise - Hike Minutia

We were in the creek before the sun this morning. I was trying to give my girl one last romp before she's housebound for a week and a half.

Mabel was thrilled when a runny babbit jumped out onto the trail right in front of her. A good chase ensued. I was quite happy as I know she won't get much running in while I'm gone.

We wandered down to the runoff and were headed up the levy. Mabel in front, as usual. Suddenly a flock of Mallards took off from the creek bed parallel to the girl. She had startled them even though we were up on top of the levy.

This made no sense to me. Why would there be so many mallards in a dry creek bed? I worked my way through the shrubs near the levy wall... and I heard it before I got to the edge. Water in the creek!!!! I started running back to the end of the levy as fast as my pitiful feet could carry me. What a wonderful surprise.

Mabel dashed right through it at first...not even noticing??!!! She always visits with a homeless man in this area and she ran right into his tent, waking him up. In reality, I think she was trying to tell him about the creek. They both emerged and she led him down to the water's edge. I guess both of us Piscean girls get really excited when out old friend returns to town... we have to tell everyone!

I found a tennis ball and Mabel frolicked and dashed through the water, retrieving the ball. Since I had to get back and leave for the airport, we had to go... but not before doing one of my favorite things.

We chased the water to the downhill edge, watching, listening to the creek filling up. The sound the parched earth makes when it's finally quenched. The musical notes each crevice and dip in the rocks makes. The water was moving so fast, I stood on a giant rock, mid empty stream and watched it flood all around me.

Rock hopping back to the edge, my soul was flooded like my creek. Joy and gratitude overwhelm me.

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Packing My Bags & Photo Update

I'm FINALLY getting around to uploading the fire pictures. This first one is from the first day of fires. The smoke is coming from the Valencia fire. The following day, the smoke was coming from the left side... the Malibu fire.

Since the second day, the air of full of ash. It makes the sun glow a really intense orange. This photo was taken in my backyard around 3 in the afternoon. Now, the sky is so full of ash... It's so grey you can't even see the mountain behind my house. We are in dire need of rain or a gentle ocean breeze to get rid of all the muck.

Below is the photo of where the little red sports car went through the barricade. The car was in this post.



And finally, in all fairness to my mother, I decided to describe what's going into my bags:

- a huge tin of crackers from the Philippines... left behind in August by my college roommate.
- a tub of psyllium for same roommate.
- gigantic warehouse size pills for Mom: Mucinex, Nyquil, Vitamin C, Airborne, Multi Vitamins for Seniors, Tylenol PM.
- a large baggie of cinnamon (for my breakfast shake)
- vanilla bean paste (my breakfast shake again)
- two pairs of pants for Mom to take in or repair.
- an old bedcover of Mabel's so her Granny can put in a new zipper
- two very large gummy snakes and two gummy lizards (Halloween presents for little cousins)
- Almonds, a protein bar and an apple (lunch on the plane).
- bookkeeping for the business (Like, I've got something planned for every day so I'm really going to get around to that, right?)
- laptop for bookkeeping (see above)
- sudafed and chewing gum (to make my ears behave on the flight)
- my camera (photos of my cousins' kids)
- a photo of Mabel...I'm gonna miss my girlie!



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The Fire Inside

I've tried to post all day but kept getting interrupted. But here's the latest.

I know several evacuees. A horse acquaintance lost their home and barn but every one including the animals made it out. I know evacuees from both the fire in Lake Forrest and San Diego. My buddy Kris is still hanging in there and can no longer see flames from her backyard. School is still canceled so her kids are quite happy.

The closest fire to me is ten miles...Northridge / Porter Ranch area. But that means nothing with winds. Most of the fires have been caused by construction or power lines...totally innocent. A few were caused by idiots.

The weirdest thing these last two days has been all the ash and smoke in the air. Yesterday, my eyes were so full of toxic crap, I was convinced I was coming down with the flu. After chatting with several friends, I realized we all had the same symtoms and decided we were all suffering from "Smoke in the eye." Still, I went to bed at 8:30, exhausted.

Today, my eyes were better but my mind was not. There was so much ash in the sky, it covered the sun, lending an orange cast to everything. Just walking through the house, I would see an orange spot on the floor near an window and become convinced my house was on fire and go outside to check! (Everything smells like smoke, so that's no help.) I did this about eight times!

It also doesn't help that our media (radio, t.v. and newspapers) have all named this "Southern California ON FIRE" and all are doing 24/7 coverage of the various fires. (Thank God, I get East coast channels on my DVR... it's just too much!) Add in the constant sound of fire engines and helicopters going to and fro and maybe you'll understand my jangled nerves. But, considering how many families are now homeless, I'll take this fire inside my crazy head anytime over the real deal.

There was one bright spot today. Because the sun's rays were dulled by all the soot and ash, our temp only reached 90 instead of the 103 promised.

The winds will hopefully dissipate by sunset tomorrow and then our wonderful fire teams will get a handle on these infernos.

Check in later and I'll add some pictures. I'm just too tired right now. Oh, and THANK YOU to all who emailed to check up on me! I appreciate it.
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Devil Winds - Update 10 pm

Photo credit: Kristine Dery

I awoke at 4:30 this morning to shop door being slammed. The Santa Anas have arrived.

I certainly am not the first writer to try and explain this Southern California phenomenon, nor will I be the last. For the record, Janet Fitch's White Oleander is one of the best.

The winds blow in at hurricane force from the desert, earning the name "Devil Winds" for the hot, dry air that follows. They are devilish in more ways than one.

Of the four Los Angeles seasons known to Angelenos, Wind has earned his rightful place as one of them - the other three being Fire, Earthquake and Flood. There are rules about these seasons and when they occur. For example: Fire is a sneaky one, usually riding on one of the other three season's coattails. While Earthquake season is the least predictable, within days of a major quake, (which is quite often followed by Fire), there will be a rainstorm which often brings on a Flood. While Wind season typically occurs here in what's known as Fall and Winter to the rest of the country, it actually can appear at any time.

The last serious wind event did this to the tree in my front yard. I loved that tree. It was the only interesting thing about the front of the house. I had just returned from dragging two of my trash cans home from almost a mile away. (That's the other thing about Wind season - It always happens on a trash day!) I had found one of them around the corner early that Monday and walked a few more blocks looking for the other two. Returning home from an errand in the car, I noticed two cans in the middle of the street... everyone had gotten their cans in early, so they were mine. It was an uphill battle literally but I was hiking into 90 mph gusts. As I secured the cans, I looked at my beautiful tree and thought Well, she's hanging in there.

Not two minutes later, my next door neighbor was knocking frantically on my door, yelling that my tree had fallen on a car.

The Devil wind wreaks its havoc on everything. Patio furniture is tossed about as are automobiles and tractor trailers. Leaves that hadn't had a single thought about the oncoming of winter suddenly loose their will to live after being blown to bits and rapidly find their way to the bottom of the pool. Doors, windows and nerves rattle. Animals, human and otherwise, are on edge...waiting for the next gust and the damage that it brings. Sleep comes in fits and spurts. And then there is the heat. We are to hit 102 by Tuesday.

And sure enough, that pesky Fire has followed the Winds. This morning, there were two. Now, there are seven. [10p.m. update: Now there are 12 fires!] One is so close to my beady buddy, Kris' house, her hubby found warm embers in their yard. When we spoke this afternoon, she said the sun was mostly blocked by smoke and the air was hideous orange. The above photo was taken from her backyard.


It's going to be a rough couple of days. It's starting to make Baton Rouge look good...
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How Do I Explain This?

I've been licensing a stamp line created by one of the most twisted, humorous designers I've ever met -- JK Beard. I'm slowly getting all her products added to my computer products database. Which means, when I sell something that's not in the database, it gets entered.

With the last minute rush of Halloween stamps I've been selling, I'm just wondering... How am I supposed to explain to the accountant that I now sell "Pickled Brains?"

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My Sweetest Admirers

I've been at a loss for a subject lately partly because of my schedule and partly due to the pressure of my upcoming trip to Baton Rouge. Closing the shop for 10 days is really stressful.

I decided to post a short story about a certain nameless hiker and her crazy dog being chased by the police. I wrote is several years ago and am very distressed to say I can't find the darn thing and have spent way too much time looking for it.

Leave it to our dear Velvet to provide me with inspiration for this piece with her love letter story.

When I was in high school, I worked summers in our Mini Park system. It was a program of sports, games, crafts and organized activities designed to keep kids off the street. No one ever seemed to want the little kids, ages 4 - 5, and, since I was low man on the totem pole, that job fell to me. I could never understand why no one wanted to supervise them...they were easy peasy.

The little kids preferred to hang on the swing sets which were far from the rec room and the a/c. But other than making sure the big kids left them alone, my job basically consisted of pushing them on the swing or allowing them to push me.

In my group were two little boys, age 4 and first cousins. Dixon and Dylan were both blond with blue eyes - the epitome of cute. Both had a massive crush on me. Each was the complete opposite as far as their courting techniques.

Dylan was my favorite because he was just so sweet. At break, he would return to the swings with soda and candy. He would also bring a cup to share his soda with me and offer up his candy willingly. The boy would seem downright hurt if I refused to partake. When he found what kind of candy I preferred, that became his favorite. He would pick flowers and bring them to me. Dylan would tell me I was pretty and compliment my outfits. Boy, did I wish he was another dozen years older. This went on every summer of my employment there.

On the other hand, Dylan's cousin Dixon, did his best to get my negative attention. He would stare at me until I glanced his direction, then look away. If I spoke to him, he would simply ignore me. Once, as I was headed to the rec room, Dixon was coming towards me on the field. He looked up, saw me, turned sharply to his left. He walked about ten feet, turned to his right and once I had passed him, he made another left and continued on his way. Sometimes he would call me names and yell at me. I really thought the kid hated me.

But the boys' grandmother lived across the street from me. She told me Dixon really had a crush on me too. He just didn't express it as kindly as his cousin. Apparently when he would visit her, he would sit on her swing, never going inside, hoping to see me.

Years later, my mom ran into the boys. They were both around 14 at the time. My mother teased them a bit about their crush on me and was floored by Dixon's starry-eyed response.

"Yeah, that {Creekhiker} is gonna sure make some man a mighty fine wife. Too bad she's just a little too old for me!"

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Sunday Hike Minutia

Well, I guess from the lack of comments, no one is enjoying my hike minutia but me!


Snipes spotted: 2
Hawks: 1
Lizards: 1
Runny Babbits: 1
Snakes: 0 (thank goodness)
Best moment: Watching the sun come up
Most creative moment: Using the front of my sweatshirt for a scarf when the Santa Ana winds kicked up after sunrise. I pulled the front back over my head so the collar was around my hairline and the body of the shirt protected my ears.
Things I carried: A dalmatian "paw sized" rock
Did I bring it home: Nah
Most exciting moment: Noticing a red sports car down a ravine.
Most dreaded moment: Realizing I had to hike down and see if there was a body in it. (It was empty. WHEW!)
Most frustrating moment: Explaining to the LAPD where it was.




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Saturday Hike Minutia

Even busy girls have to hike:

Snipes spotted: 3
Bats: 2
Lizards: 3
Runny Babbits: 2
Snakes: 0 (thank goodness)
Canine friends seen on the trail: 3
Two legged friends seen on the trail: 2
Things I carried: Not a darn thing for once!
Peacocks seen on the way home: 11


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The Hike Minutia

I have a really hectic several days ahead: Huge cookie bouquet class on Saturday which means huge prep today; Sunday / Monday lampwork class with Leah Fairbanks out in Yorba Linda; Tuesday, I will be playing catch up in my regular jewelry class thanks to it being canceled due to traffic issues yesterday (three hours in traffic and NO class...yeah, that was fun!) and I'm teaching glass fusing Tuesday night. Wednesday, I'm staying in bed!

So, I won't be posting for a bit and I thought maybe you'd be amused with my daily hike stats for today.

Mallards spotted: 11
Blue Herons: 1
Egrets: 1
Lizards: 1*
Runny Babbits: 1*
Snakes: 0 (thank goodness)
Snake sighting total for the year: 2
Things I carried: a nice oval shaped slice of Eucalyptus
Did I bring it home: yes... Hope it'll make the fire smell nice.

*Lizards and runny babbits are the ones I saw. Mabel Lou would probably disagree but you'd have to consult with her on that.


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Mother of the Year

Velvet wrote a great post tonight about a strange courtroom scene that occurred during a contested adoption. It reminded me of one of the worst stories about adoption.

I had a friend in college name Marie. Marie was ancient at 30! I couldn't believe a woman her age was in college, living in the dorm with all of us 18 year olds. She was back in school to start a second career.

Her first career, one she loved, was that of a social worker. Her first week on the job, she had been assigned the case of boy who was in a loving foster home. He had been there since infancy. His foster parents wanted to adopt him more than anything. He wanted them to adopt him.

But the law stated that there was a certain amount of time that must pass without contact from his birth mother before parental rights could be terminated. Every year, it would come down to the last possible hour on the last possible day and his mother would call and want to see him, thus resetting the clock.

After almost ten years of this, Marie had had enough. The last time that mom called, she resigned.

I've thought about that boy so many times over the 20 + years since I left college. Every time, I pray that some judge somewhere figured it out and let him be adopted.


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Engineering Problem

Sometimes, when I ponder God, I am certain S/He is an artist. The colors and sounds I see on my daily hikes constantly reinforce this. But, in reality, He's probably more of an engineer.

Think about it. Our bodies are an engineering marvel. The miles of veins and arteries that carry oxygen from the lungs to ...everywhere else. The fact that relatively tiny feet can not only hold up the rest of the body, they can actually move us around too.

That being said, I do think there are a few things that could have been made a tad better.

For example, why is that so many of us cannot control how much we eat? Is it that our mouths were made so sensitive to taste and texture that we don't hear our stomachs saying , "Enough already!"? And if we were made to stop eating at the the exact moment of satiation, would food taste good at all?

What about tears? I know so many people who have no control over their tear ducts. Mine are leaking uncontrollably as I type thanks to fall allergies. I could hardly work today because I couldn't see. And then there is the uncontrollable crying that comes with deep grief. The ugly cry where the nose scrunches up and the whole face distorts and the back ratchets to and fro as the tears fall. If we could control that, would we still have the wonderful, exhausted relief that comes after a good cry?

The worst bit of engineering in the human body is the sinuses. Even scientists debate their function. My own are either completely stopped up or leaking so much, I've taken to storing clean tissues in my bra(finally a good use for a bra!) - and dirty ones up my sleeve. And the sinus' are worse when I need to be sleeping. While every opening in the body seems to emit some type of fluid, the sinus' seem to run rampant.

So I've made a decision as I sit here struggling for every breath. When it's my turn to be God, I'm going redesign those puppies!

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