In Which I Bore You To Tears.

It's October in SoCal. So while the rest of the country experiences crisp air and brilliant foliage, we get blasting, raging, hot, dry wind. The Santa Anas blew in last weekend, wreaking havoc and whipping up fires. Sunsets are gorgeous, thanks to all the dirt and ash in the air.

Now, Jewel and Matt are suffering terrible bouts of sinus trouble and allergies.

And we skimmed an entire garbage can of leaves from our pool. Fun!

Pine needles piled up around my garage door. Our Vote Yes on Prop 8 sign blew away. And here I thought someone would steal it. Jewel found it lying mangled against some bushes. We'll put it up again once the winds die down. I figure if they're gonna hate me for voting McCain/Palin, they might as well hate me for opposing g*y marriage, too. Or, wait. "Taking away equal rights." Yeah, yeah, that's what I'm voting for!

Riiiiiiight.

In other news: the twins' coughs have cleared up and Jude is making so many friends we're turning down playdate offers!

And to think I was worried.

I've got other things to worry about now. Like another leaky cracked pipe going all the way down into the slab. Which means a jackhammer gets to hang out at my house tomorrow. Oh, the joys of owning an old house.

Yeah, that hole goes straight through drywall, exterior stucco and out into open air! We get a nice day-time breeze and at night we keep the possums out by stuffing the hole with an old baby blanket.

Now all I need is a shotgun and a brindle bull-dog named Jack.

I made a discovery about myself today.

One of my front teeth is longer than the other. How did I not know this? Well, for one, I have a husband who isn't too sharp on the details. And for two, I have five children. When I do a mirror check, it's only for MAJOR catastrophes like third eyes or massive growths.

Good thing I'm not vain. Motherhood took care of that.

I did dress-up for a day out with the fam last Saturday. By "dress-up" I mean a clean shirt. The skirt was dirty, but at least it was black.

We went to the Orange County Fire Authority's Open House. Lots of cute firemen. Not that I was looking. I was there purely for the educational value. And to have our picture taken with Smokey The Bear and Sparky The Firehouse Dog!

The kids loved it, especially when they got to work a real fire-hose.

Lastly, I'm bored by Dancing With The Stars. I think it would be better if they rolled the dancing and results into one show. Two nights is too much for me. On another note, I thought Desperate Housewives was good this past Sunday. Did anyone else?

Comments

[Valerie]

Your climate is so like ours! Hoooot and then cold (for about three minutes). No spring or autumn.

[terry, ornament of His Grace]

We don't have fall in Florida, either Elizabeth. No changing leaves or crisp air. Just more heat with the occassional cold front to cool us off every couple of weeks.

Bravo for displaying your voting preference so boldly in such a liberal state.

And Elizabeth...Desperate Housewives? Really?

[Elizabeth Esther]

Valerie: exactly. I don't know why stores even stock fall and winter clothes. It's not like we wear winter coats out here. I wear flip flops all year long.

Terry: I get bored easily with TV shows so I ping-pong around to various shows. I know, I know. It's no excuse. *sigh* Yes, it's a bad habit. :-D

[Heidi Jo]

i heard about the high risk of fires in cali this morning. made me think about you.

i love the little house on the prairie reference, if for no other reason than we are smack dab in the middle of reading the series as a family:0)

i have to agree about dwts. i watch the performance nights and find out wednesday morning while exercising who got kicked off.

[Frances]

Since you've got a sign for Vote Yes on 8, I'm curious to hear why you're supporting it.

When I heard of the proposed amendment, it instantly reminded me of the anti-miscegenation laws. I don't think it's coincidence that the California branches of the NAACP and JACL (Japanese American Citizens League), two big supporters on the Lovings side in the landmark federal case that repealed anti-miscegenation laws in the US. And of course, the more obvious parallel of "separate but equal".

I'm concerned this is perceived as a gay issue rather than a civil rights issue. I would love to hear an honest viewpoint, rather than those canned talking points of the commercials.

[afcndd]

Maybe the rest of your readers are too proper for Desperate Housewives -- but my husband and I LOVE IT. Lynette and Tom are us are they not? We have been with them through daycare, new jobs, working wives etc. It's a great show. Voyeurism into our own neighborhood. Tee Hee Hee.

[Tressa]

Nice glasses, Elizabeth. But wouldn't you rather have a pair like mine?!

As for the irregular sized teeth, try having toes longer than they should be...

[Andrea]

Can't, won't, watch Desparate Housewives. But I love Gossip Girl!! JUST KIDDING!
Anyway.
I love that you put that sign up in your yard. I know just that feeling of living in a liberal state. I can guarantee mine will light up blue on election night. (NY) So I hear ya, sister.
I also just bawled at your letter to your husband because I SO love him with words and he is my "doing" guy. hee. This is year 10 for us.
have a wonderful weekend. I just directed a blog friend of mine here who just had twins (her fourth and fifth) I think she would enjoy reading your thoughts.