It's a Whole Different World

I'm settling into 2018 nicely, thank you, and I hope you are too. Although I could have done without this horrible cold that I am nursing but it has provided some relief to Mom in that I cannot speak today due to laryngitis.

January 8th is the date -- the first snow has fallen at the top of the Palm Springs Tram. So if you bet on that date, you won.

It is raining quite steadily which is a joyous phenomenon in the desert. Up to one inch of rain has been predicted and the street flooding warnings have gone out with barriers on the ready to deflect unwise motorists. 

The same rains have been viewed with horror in the Thomas and La Tuna fire areas in the greater Los Angeles area because mud slides and flooding are imminent. People are deploying sand bags around the homes spared from fire. One canyon neighborhood has decided they will hunker down, knowing that access may be closed due to mud slides. This does not sound like a fun time. I wish them well.

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Watching TV in California is truly an education. I have learned that people go for stem cell treatments. One elderly actor, formerly of soap opera fame, is promoting it as a cure for pain after hip revision. The ads promote this therapy as a cure for everything ... and the same office can provide botox.

After an ad for stem cell therapy, there might be an ad for mini dental implants which might only need one visit, another two ads for weight loss with "Dr.H." I thought it was interesting that Dr. H. stands for Hashimoto which is the name of Hashimoto Disease (thyroiditis). This disease, more prevalent in women than men, causes an underactive thyroid -- causing you to gain weight.

I'm sure you can see a trend indicating that appearances are everything here. However, some of these ads provide a public service. I had no idea that there is a business called Venus de Fido. It's a gym where you can bring your dog. (Cats don't want to go, so don't feel sorry for them.) There is also a restaurant there so that people who don't have dogs can go too ... I was thinking it might be a way to get in some friendly dog pats if I went there.  At the bottom of the TV ad, they listed a "2 for 1" special. Is that two people or one person with one dog? I suppose it could be one person and the second dog is "free." 

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 Hummingbird photo by Dorothy Swift-Grant (through the kitchen window)



Today will be 'cold' in that it will only be in the 60s. By the weekend, we will be back to 80 F. I have stopped lording the wonderful temperatures over my east coast (and Canadian) friends. It's just wonderful here, although I have to admit that 83 F. for pool water really is too cold for me. The Home Owners' Assn. here voted to heat it to 87 F. but I guess the equipment can't make the change. Or something. The hot tub is great!

 Edmonton, Canada Sunset by Lorne Huston

Have you read The Obama Inheritance: 15 Stories of Conspiracy Noir? You should! It's edited by Gary Phillips and my favorite short story is by Kate Flora. It's called Michelle in Hot Water and it details Michelle Obama as the super hero she could be in a graphic novel world. The stories are all fiction and a hoot. Try it, I think you'll like it.
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If you have FaceBook: https://www.facebook.com/pg/bangormainepolice/posts/?ref=page_internal. If you don't "do" FaceBook, go to the Bangor, Maine Police Department web site and see if you can find "posts." TC writes some of the funniest columns I've seen lately and he (and his merry band of police professionals) embody the neighborliness and kind hearts that we look for. He provides a darn good read.

Also a fabulous read: Jim Wright. His web site is Stonekettle Station and he often puts his posts on FB, where I usually read him. He's also a master craftsman/sculptor in wood, but I don't think he has his workshop fully up and working after a move from Alaska to Florida. He's currently mastering drone photos, although I think his photos are pretty perfect anyway.  

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This coming Saturday is the 11th annual Desert Women's Show. I hope I'm well enough to go. They will have the Taste of the Valley food and wine tasting along with other booths.

And on Sunday, there will be polo! I'll let you know if I get to any of these. I'm skipping Thunder Down Under on Saturday night, but I'm sure I can get an accurate report ...

Cheers. I'm going to get a hot liquid and see if I can actually produce a sound other than a croaking whisper. 

11:15 a.m. Update: Topanga Canyon has been closed. Only one car was trapped (midway up the tires) in the mud. An 18 year old was returning from his security guard job, went around a curve and was caught in a mud slide. It may be two days before the canyon is reopened. 

A Fedex big rig went off the highway in Colton and the storms are heaviest now in the Santa Barbara area (where the Thomas fire was).