Greetings from CA Wildfire Rebuild

Many readers know that I live on a block where 8 neighbors' houses burned to the ground last November 15th. Here is my update on our progress.
This is my own front yard flag with a view to the neighbor's house. It didn't use to be that big. The house went from around 3000 square feet to 4500. Doesn't bother me at all. I'm happy for them.

This picture shows 2 houses around the corner. I like the flag in front (has been hanging there since November 2008) and the moon in the sky. There are still 4 properties on this street that have not yet begun to rebuild.

And this is the house on the corner. This family will be the first to move in. Hopefully in the next couple of months.

And a happy 4th of July to all of you.

Personal Update

Yes, Mother's Day went well. Very well. In fact, I hesitate to brag about it. My daughter drove in from college. She and I went out Saturday night for dinner and had some nice girl talk. Sunday brunch with her brought more girl talk. Then we took all 5 older kids to the beach for fun in the sun. She drove back to college from there, and the boys and I went out to a local Japanese Teppan Grill that night. Boys LOVE it when they throw food in the air.


There was a nice post on Breastfeeding Moms Unite this past week that described how single moms of very young children sometimes miss out on Mother's Day festivities, because their kids are so young. That is true. I spent 11 years as a single mom. Now that my kids are older, everything has come full circle. Each stage of childhood brings new vistas. When children become adults, the scenery changes again, and still for the better. It is a pleasure reaching the point where you each value the other, forging bonds of friendship/love that last through time, though you may be separated.

I took a nice, long walk with the baby today. He fell asleep in his jogging stroller. Sweet little snorer. I have been walking a lot more lately. The weather has been perfect. There is a fragrance in the air here, in Southern California, that is heady. May brings profusions of Star Jasmine and Honeysuckle, that make my walks as sweet as a visit to the candy store.



The neighbors are forging ahead on their rebuild. Quite a change, if you recall the mounds of dirt and flat expanses of concrete.


More random thoughts:

I saw on The Steady Drip blog a post about keeping a positive attitude with regard to today's politics. This reminded me of a story from the day of the wildfire, and here is my comment: "I do believe in the power of positive thinking. Yet, this concept can confuse people. They start to believe that we must be "happy" all the time, and if they are not, they must take "happy" pills. Doing this at a time of national or personal crisis can be disastrous. For example, during the CA wildfire last year, my neighbor, who takes "happy medicine", was unable to pack or think about packing as the flames bore down upon our neighborhood. She said airily that she would wait for her husband to come home. The flames chased us out 15 minutes later. I prayed for her safety as I ran for my life with my kids and boxes in the car.
So yes, I think we need to visualize success. We can and WILL get our country back. But we should not kick ourselves about feeling upset about present events. These are upsetting times."

Azaleas in bloom

I love this time of year. These shrubs are right by my front door. It makes coming home such a pleasure.
Don't you love the funny things kids say? My 4-y-o boy noticed the storage unit/office that the contractor had installed on our neighbor's property, in preparation for rebuilding after the CA wildfires. He said from the back seat as we drove by, "Hey Mom, look. There's a jail!"

The sweet sound of jackhammers

That is what has been reverberating through my house the past 3 days. Am I being sarcastic to call it sweet? No. I have gotten to the point where I miss my neighbors so much, that I'm willing to put up with this. Kind of like a woman in her 9th month of pregnancy. The discomfort reaches a point where even labor and delivery are looked to as a welcome relief.

In the picture above, that adorable-looking vehicle has a jackhammer attachment in the front and has been tirelessly breaking up the concrete on my neighbor's property.

What will her house provide for me? A relief from the strange loneliness that hangs over this neighborhood. And, frankly, a wind-break. When the winds whip up from the east, we call them Santa Ana winds in our area, they bring with them ash and dirt from the burned hillsides. Before the fire my property felt the winds strongly, but since then it has been much worse. My house is now the wind break for the rest of the neighborhood. And my pool has a constant layer of silt in it which no amount of vacuuming seems to be able to abate.

And I am glad it is specifically my neighbor who is moving in. She has been a wonderful neighbor all these years. No more than 2 parties per year, with music and laughter extending into the night. That I can put up with. And she is a civic-minded citizen. Everybody in the area knows her because she allows her garage to be used as a voting place for each election. It has been so nice all these years to roll out of bed at 7am and scoot next door to vote.

I send my best wishes to all of my neighbors, particularly her and the 7 other neighbors who have yet to break ground on their rebuild.