Mother Was (Almost) Always Right

One month from today will be the 25^th anniversary of my mother's death. She was 79 years old at the time. I mention this because the weather in southern California today leads me to offer a memory about Mom now rather than on January 17.

I moved to the L.A. area from Springfield, Illinois to start a new job in January, 1982. At that time, my mother was living here. The weather was delightful! I moved from snow and slush and cold to sunny days and warm weather. That seemed like heaven. Then as Spring arrived, the sun was harder to find. It seemed like it appeared only briefly during April, May and June (contrary to Chamber of Commerce claims). I learned new terms from local TV weathermen; they referred to fog as the "marine layer" and the daily lack of sunlight as "June gloom."

One day as I was complaining about the continually overcast weather, my always optimistic mother proclaimed to me, "The sun shines every day in southern California. Some days you just have to wait a little longer for it to appear." For the most part Mom was right. There were only a few exceptions; today was one of them. We are having our 2^nd rain storm in a week. (I'm not looking for sympathy from my freezing, snowbound friends in other parts of the country.) Today, I did not see any sunshine.

Alas, my mother's assertion was wrong today. But that's all right. Just thinking about her and that statement brings a smile to my face nearly 25 years after her death. Once again I think of how "wise" I was in the "selection of my parents." :-D

I still miss you Mom!

Just How Hot Was it?

I rarely complain about the weather. Living in southern California for the past 26 years, I know how lucky I am. I don't have to deal with snow, ice and extreme cold in the winter. And when it gets hot, the humidity stays low. I generally appreciate the wonderful climate in which I exist. But there are exceptions. . .

We are in the midst of a heat wave. At our house on the Palos Verdes Peninsula the temperature yesterday hit 91°F. It rarely gets that high in this area where few houses have air conditioning. But I had to drive to Van Nuys in the San Fernando Valley for a meeting. As I was about to exit my air-conditioned car, I noted that its external temperature gauge said the temperature was 104°F. The blast furnace that hit me as I got out of the car was as hot as I've ever felt and I had to walk over a block to get to the meeting place which was cooled (?) by a fan blowing on a room full of 20 people. Even with low humidity, that was hot!!!

It was still 104°F as I returned to the car to head home. Once I was back on the freeway heading up into the Sepulveda Pass which took me out of the Valley and back to L.A., I glanced at the gauge. It read 108°F. (And I understand that it hit a few degrees higher nearby.) Fortunately, by the time I got home, the temperature here was only 86°F, substantially cooler than it was in the Valley.

Today was a bit cooler but not much. For the most part I vegetated, even keeping the lights off so as not to generate any extra heat. And I now fully understand why they caution folks in my age bracket to avoid strenuous exercise and to be sure to consume lots of water on days like this.

I really do love the weather in southern California except on the rare days like yesterday and today. I don't like it when the heat makes me feel my age.

Okay – that's all the complaining for today! Now to get on with my life!