Anticipating Hilary!

The Buckets are Ready to Collect Rain Water!

I live in southern California, in a semi-arid part of the country, where we are used to earthquakes, wildfires, and droughts, where normally, August is a scorching hot and dry month, where the regular rainy season doesn't start until October and the average annual rain fall is just under 15 inches, although, often, they bring about flash floods and mudslides, especially in the burn areas.  Hurricanes are something that happen in other parts of the country, along the Gulf Coast and the Atlantic, mostly.  So, when the news announced that a category 4 (winds of 130 miles per hour) hurricane named Hilary was forming in the Pacific, off the coast of Mexico, and it was headed towards parts of southern California, it was very unusual.  According to the news, the last time the southern California area experienced a hurricane was back in 1939!

Even though Hilary is expected to downgrade to a tropical storm by the time it reaches us, they are forecasting heavy winds and lots of rain.  Some areas are expected to receive a year's worth of rain in just a couple of days!  Hurricane-turned-tropical-storm Hilary is expected to reach the Los Angeles area on Sunday.  We are told to expect heavy rain, strong winds, some flooding, downed trees, and possible power outages due to downed power lines.  Catalina Island (part of Los Angeles County) is being evacuated ahead of the storm.  

My initial concern when they forecasted rain was the window air conditioner unit I had on the window sill.  There is a shelf attached to the outside of the wall on which the unit rests, but, the front of the unit rests on the window sill and when it rains, water drips down from the top of the unit onto the window sill and wets the wall.  I've already had water damage to the wall, earlier, and had the plaster repaired several years ago.  I don't want any further damage to the wall.  Gardener M returned from his vacation, yesterday (Friday) and I asked him to take the a/c unit down for me, even though I haven't used it at all this summer!  We already have some bags of mulch and some bricks on the patio overhang to hold the roofing panels down; M return later, today, to add a bag of mulch and two leftover bags of gravel to weigh down the roofing material over the front walkway, as well.

I hope the trees in the garden won't suffer any damage, especially the eucalyptus tree in the front!  I was waiting until fall to get it trimmed as it provides some shade during the summer!  I hope none of the other trees will have any broken branches, etc. 

I picked all the Asian pears that were on the tree although they are small and not quite ripe (Asian pears will not ripen once they are picked), mostly because one of the branches already broke from the weight of the fruit:

Asian Pear Harvest

Hopefully, without the weight of any fruit, the rest of the branches will survive being whipped around by the wind!  Next year, I'll know to thin out the fruit on the Asian pear tree as well as the peach tree.

I set out the row of buckets to collect the rainwater; I just hope that they won't end up getting blown all over the yard!  

I pride myself on being prepared for emergencies such as earthquakes.  This is the first time I'm expecting a hurricane, but, I think my usual emergency preparedness will suffice.  I have bottled water and ready-to-eat food, candles, flash lights (torches) and spare batteries for them.  I will keep the computer and my cell phone charged and I am charging the two phone chargers my daughter bought for me after our last power outage.  I am hoping that the power doesn't go off, but, if it does, I should be able to manage.  As long as the roof doesn't blow off or a tree doesn't fall on the house, I should be fine, I think.  I don't expect the house to flood, although the garage might get some water in, partly because the side door is warped and there is a gap under the main, overhead door.  

In the meantime, I did a load of laundry, just to have everything caught up.  And I will do a bit of cooking in the evening.  

This morning, neighbor S's daughter N called me and brought over some goodies for brunch:

Cinnamon Rolls from N

N said her parents are away; a cousin had come to stay the night with N and her sister and had brought some cinnamon rolls for breakfast.  N thought I would enjoy some and I did!

Today, I am grateful for:

- M's help with preparations for a hurricane turned tropical storm
- My regular state of preparedness
- N bringing me treats for brunch
- Asian pears from the garden (even if they are not ripe) 

- Inquiries from blog friends to check on me

Today's joyful activity was enjoying cinnamon rolls for brunch!  

Have you ever experienced a hurricane?  Or, even a tropical storm?  Are you prepared for any type of emergency?  Do you have extra water, flash lights, batteries, etc.?