NATURE IN ALL ITS FURY AND GRACE

 If you grew up in Southern California, you knew that January 1st, the day of the Pasadena Rose Parade, would always be a bright, sunny day. Rain didn't dare make an appearance. The sun was shining on January 1st  this year too. Soon after though, California returned to its rainy season, which we have missed for several years because of a severe drought haunting the state. Now we are on flood watch in many places as the storms continue to come one right after the other.

Blue sky over Mt. Diablo on January 1, 2023

I always thought that the Rose Parade and the sight of the blue California skies in winter encouraged people to move to our state. They didn't realize how Nature spreads itself with fury over California landscapes with earthquakes and storms that can bring 20 feet of snow in a season to the mountains along with floods, landslides, and fires. The Earth lets us know she is here.

Up our street the creeks that usually are empty most of the year rage like rivers and bring trees down with them. We spot mudslides that have coursed down the hills nearby and caused creeks to change their paths. On the street, seed pods have been flattened by the rain, and leaves have left ghost prints. Inside our house, we discover ant scouts looking for new, dry homes. We have been whipped, battered, and worried by the amount of water running down streets and creeks. We are having wild times.

This morning the sun was up and only wispy clouds moved across the sky -- a short reprieve before the next storm. The ground is spongy to walk on but I discovered new growth poking up through the wet soil -- Nature at its gentlest as the daffodils and primroses sprout out from the wet clay soil, just a teaser of Spring to come. The sun shining makes a difference.

We and our house have been spared damage from the storm. We are just wet through and through.