Friday, February 9, 2024

Had to Write About the Rain

For the first time all week I didn't have to turn on the light when I went to my computer.  There was enough sunlight coming in the window.  There was sun everywhere turning the left over rain droplets to glittering diamond.

I didn't realize how much all the clouds and rain got me down until the sun returned and I felt all smiles.  

The rain was unrelenting, flooding part of our yard.  The rain totals were mind boggling.  Woodland Hills which is right next to us got almost 11 inches of rain. The power went out from Ventura Boulevard to a block away from us.  And late the day after it had gone out, A truck had the street blocked on Ventura Boulevard and they were working under the street.  All the stores were still dark, along with the houses..  I was so grateful not to be included.  

My flock of daffodils looked like fallen soldiers during the rain.  But as soon as jt stopped they started to straighten.  

It was a good time for writing.  I was off in my imagination writing letting the characters in the Indiana school house shop have their say.  It was always a jolt when I glanced out the window and saw the leaves on the lime tree bending with the rain.

That's not to say that we weren't out in the deluge.  A trip to Costco on Sunday led to soggy groceries and puddly footprints all over the kitchen. 

There was lots of trouble other places.  I heard there were over 300 mudslides. Houses have slide off their foundations which is why I gave the house behind us a few worried looks.  It is actually at the end of a cul de sac that loosely parallels our street. The giant fake farm house replaced a smaller house built at the top of the slope at the front of the property.  I watched as the developer  dropped piles of dirt to extend the hill back.  The backyard slopes downward toward our yard and if the hill he created wasn't stable, trouble would come our way.  To make it worse, a huge monstrosity was built next to the fake farm house.  It is up slope from them and I wondered if the farmhouse people were worried it might slide into their yard.

So far all is well, but the news people said more than once that even when the rain stops, mud can still move.  Years ago, two houses in Tarzana slid off their foundations and fell into the street.  I hope nothing like that happens again-- particularly in my backyard.

6 comments:

Patty Jenkins said...

Good morning -- I was wondering how much rain you'd had -- sounds horrible. The thought of houses sliding off their foundations and possibly into your yard is scary. With the mud slides California gets every year, it seems the building codes should be stricter about building on hills and building up soil to build on. Glad you had no major problems.

Aren't daffodils the greatest little flowers!! So sunny and bright. There is an area in East Texas that has a "Daffodil Drive" each spring -- acres and acres of all sorts of daffodils, jonquils plus dogwood trees and azaleas -- absolutely gorgeous.

I'm loving the stripes yarn -- it works up beautifully in just rows of double crochet, is great for the moss stitch and a C2C square or rectangle. And the speckle is also great -- I like that it has so many colors in addition to the main color so it blends with many other yarns. I'm making a dent in my stash but still have plenty to keep me busy for quite a while.

Do you have a time frame for books being released? If I remember correctly, a yarn retreat book should be the next one out. You're working on a new series -- is another Tarzana Hookers book in the offing? I miss Molly!!

Enjoy your day -- keep dry!!

Betty Hechtman said...

Hi Patty,
The sun was out today, but then we had an earthquake.. It was short, but quite a jolt. No damage, just frayed nerves. I do love the daffodils. Every year there seems tome more of them and they have a faint sweet fragrance. Yarn like your stripes one are great. You can get more colors without having to change yarn.

The Yarn Retreat book will come out next. Probably April or May. I hope to have another Molly book out by fall. The book in the new series probably won't coe out until next year.

It is supposed to stary dry here until next weekend.

Happy Crocheting!

chkntza said...

I'm glad your house is safe. I kept getting flood watch alerts in my neighborhood. I was downtown at Walt Disney Concert Hall when it started raining on Sunday. I also felt the earthquake on Friday. I was out at lunch at the top of Mulholland and the earth gave a good shake.

Linda O. Johnston said...

It's still a bit dark at odd times in my area, Betty, but the weather's a lot better.

Sorry the rain gave you such a hard time.

Betty Hechtman said...

Chkntza, It uust have been a mess getting home in the rain. I bet you really got a good shake at the top of Mulholland.. It's funny how it's all faded to the background now that it's been sunny for a few days.

Betty Hechtman said...

Linda, the west Valley seems to have gotten more rain, but the area around Studio City had more damage. The yard unflooded as soon as the rain stopped. It has been nice having the sun again.