Hurriquake

The bands of the hurricane started arriving Saturday evening. Here in our usually sunny SoCal valley of Santa Clarita, the sky was painted with a cloud spangled gorgeous warm glow. There was something in the air. The pressure was on a steady decline. Blankets of blue and gray clouds stretched across the horizon, putting us to sleep with ominous warnings from the National Weather Service.

Sunday morning awoke with a breezy drizzle that became a downpour. There was a unique odor with this storm. It smelled of ozone, like when you accidentally let the smoke out of your circuit board (not that I’ve ever done that!). The subtle hints told of the origin of the storm coming from lightning infested waters. Here we were, experiencing a unique moment in our time in SoCal. A hurricane!

“Earthquake Detected, drop, cover, hold on!” Of course, our go-to natural disaster danger here in California is earthquakes, not hurricanes. Clearly, it was jealous of all the attention the hurricane was getting, so we got to experience a 5.1 magnitude quake in Ojai, CA. It was 50 miles from our house and enough to bounce us around in our home, swing the chandeliers and move pictures on the wall, all while we watched the rain pour buckets in our backyard. A double feature hurriquake weekend!

We measured 8.75 inches of rain! For some of us in SoCal, you probably spent some time “unflooding” areas by clearing out rarely used drains and gutters. I had cleared our side yard drain on Saturday but forgot the back yard gutter… It’s okay, it let me know. Once that attention was given, I watched the rain fall. The pools of water slowly rose over time and the drainage ways surged to life. Streets filled up. Gutters were roaring. Even the Santa Clara river was full! It was mesmerizing.

Monday is here. The storm has passed. Brilliant white clouds cover the sky. Some remaining power outages across SoCal are gradually coming back online. Each hour gets brighter. Life is stirring about again.

Breathe in, breathe out. There is something magical about the air after a storm. Go on a walk outside. The landscape is glistening with a refreshing scent. The emerald green lawns and shrubs seem to radiate life. Patches of sapphire blue are now floating across the sky.

I’m issuing a new alert… a new day is here! Soak it in. Enjoy every minute.