It Never Rains in California

It Never Rains in California

The song says it all.

Seems it never rains in southern California

Seems I’ve often heard that kind of talk before

It never rains in California, but girl, don’t they warn ya?

It pours, man, it pours

We’ve had two days of dry overcast and today California explained reality to us. It started pouring rain in the wee hours. As with most things, we were the last to know the weather was taking a turn for the worse. The critters of the field knew it was coming. As we went to bed last night I though I heard Cecil, over on Kim’s side of the bed, making some strange noises. He was so tired and racked out so early that I was a bit worried about him. When I asked Kim about the noises, she said it wasn’t him. We then spent twenty minutes trying to sleuth out the source of the noises. We finally decided it was coming from outside just below our windows. It was all very strange and mysterious. We figured we had some sort of wounded animal outside. Now, understand, here in the Southern California hills we have seen coyotes, bobcats, mountain lions, rattle snakes and all sorts of wild critters. We are mostly conscious of them on behalf of Cecil’s well-being. We don’t usually consider them a threat to us. But on this late dark night with Cecil fast asleep and these strange noises coming at us intermittently, it did cause us to take pause.

Given the coming stormy weather, whatever was making the noises was seeking shelter under our eaves. At times the animal sounded wounded (Mother Nature is a bitch to us all at times), and at times it sounded like it might be an animal trying to give birth. Either way, it was disconcerting. With the storm raging and the dark darkening, I was in no mood to go outside barefooted with a flashlight and a tennis racquet only to get surprised by some wild thing in a bad mood. I could see myself getting shocked into falling into a bed of prickly cacti and then spending my Christmas Eve in the ER getting prickers pulled out of my ass. I’m no scaredy-cat, but then again, I’m new to all this out here and I know enough about wounded beasts to know not to mess with them.

This morning, in the clear light of day and despite on-and-off downpours, I ventured out to the area below our bedroom windows to see what was what. What I found was a large bed of the cacti I had been fearing and one small open-ground area under a bush that was exactly where all the noises were coming from. There was no telling what sort of animal with what sort of circumstances had taken shelter from the storm the night before. I must admit to being curious and a little sheepish about not having ventured out in the dark to confront the beast. While it seemed wise last night, this morning it felt more wimpy than not. I’m considering it part of the California settling-in process, which is my way of using avoidance to ignore my lack of late night bravery.

Speaking of adjusting to California, it looks like part of adjusting is going to be realizing that it may always be sunny in a Philadelphia, but it is not always sunny in San Diego. A little bit of rain is actually a good thing out here. Since drought and dryness are far more a problem than bad weather, whenever it rains out here I figure it’s a good thing. Luckily, my report on this house when I bought it showed that there was low risk of mudslides, which are a direct result of excessive rain on hillsides which are not used to heavy rain. I am far less likely to worry about mudslides than over-watering our award-winning cactus garden. The one firm instruction about the garden from the prior owner, who planted and lovingly maintained the garden, was to avoid excessive watering. As I look out at the pouring rain, I find myself wondering whether rain can result in excessive watering.

And then it hits me. Even in the pouring rain, this zero-scape is beautiful. When it rains in NYC I see wet pavement. When it rains out here, I see nature in the raw. Strangely enough, I find everything more dramatic in the rain than on a normal sunny day. The wind makes the live oak move with grace where the yucca tree doesn’t budge an inch. The succulents seem to drink the water before my eyes while the bigger cacti stand tall and brush off the rain. The truth is that beauty lives everywhere if you let yourself see it. It lives in NYC as much as it lives in San Diego. It thrives in the rain as much as it does in the sun. I have never respected people who seek out the sunshine for lifestyle reasons. Chasing palm trees and sunshine has little to do with our move west. I won’t deny that I prefer the weather out here, but life has decided that it’s going to rain on me this week to make sure this move is not about the sunshine. That’s fine. I’m sure it’s not. But then again, I must admit it’s easier and more fun when it’s not raining. Motorcycling in the rain in less than fun. Hot tubbing shouldn’t be effected by rain, but it somehow is.

So, here’s the bottom line; it’s going to be a rainy week here this first week in our new home in the land of sunshine. We may get more critters trying to find shelter in our shelter. I have lots of family here this week (not to suggest that they are varmints), so that shouldn’t bother me so much. I also have boxes of clothes we’ve shipped out and I have to triage my wardrobe. I have a rather large closet, but even larger wardrobe. In other words, I have plenty of indoor activities to occupy a holiday week. I will be less torn and wanting to ride my motorcycles and acting what might be considered rude or antisocial.

Once this storm system passes, life will continue with its more normal sunshine and warmth (at least winter-in-San-Diego warmth). Critters will stay in the wild. I suspect next week will be lovely and I will be reminded of how wonderful the weather out here is for my general state of mind. We are all responsible for our own happiness in life. No other person, critter or external element like weather or views can make up for a sense of inner peace and happiness. With these thoughts, I feel safe in saying it never rains in California.