Blown Away

That is a fitting name for this post, as the winds outside our house right now are blowing at speeds that have been clocked at 85 mph, which is technically hurricane-force. The wind truly sounds like a freight train. I have never experienced such a ferocious wind storm, and we get them every year around this time.

Oy.

If you've checked the news, you've heard about the Malibu fire, but seriously, when doesn't Malibu burn? Every frickin year they have a fire, it just goes with the territory of being remote and having heavy brush, combined with no irrigation and a canyon. It's just a volatile mix.

Meanwhile, in the very canyon in which my house is located (the Fremont Canyon) we are in the thick of those winds clocked at hurricane speed, and it is just crazy, people. There are trees being uprooted everywhere, as well as something that just hit my roof. I'm not kidding. We have seen at least two transformers blow out, kind of pretty, actually that huge blue glow that lights up the sky, and we are just waiting for our power to go out any minute now. We're lucky it hasn't already. The amount of dust, ashes, and debris in the air is horrible, and at times, it is difficult to even stay on the road if you are in the car.

And, we've just had our own fire started about 8 miles away, so we'll see what happens with that. Although the wind is blowing in the other direction, so unless it changes course overnight, which is unlikely, we should be fine.

Never a dull moment here in California.

UPDATE: Power has been down since 10:30 last night, I'm at the library and Hubba-hubba is on the cell with the utility company trying to find out when things will get back on. I'm just pissed that I missed the last 20 minutes of Brothers and Sisters. It's not looking good, though. So, all our food is probably done for, which is almost 300 bucks worth of groceries. But luckily, I ate the last of the ice cream last night. The fires are not imminent around here, but the sun is currently being blocked out by all the ash in the air. If the power doesn't come back on by this evening, I'm guessing we will have to stay somewhere else tonight, because it is too hot to stay without A/C and we can't open the windows due to all the ash. Boo.

Comments

Wow. Hope you didn't lose power overnight!

And that the wind didn't change direction, either.

- Heidi
Megs said…
I hope everything turned out ok! I live in Hurricane Alley, so I understand the freak storm.
Wow, that is pretty scarey. I hope you guys are safe.
captain corky said…
I hope you guys are alright. Tornadoes are all the rage here in KY. They interrupted Thursday night television all night long to talk about possible tornadoes last week. I'm sure everybody in this state was pissed. I know me and my wife were. Luckily I got most of Smallville, but the same could not be said for Grey's.
karla said…
Holy smokes.

Will be waiting for the update on all being well Gina.
chichimama said…
I knew there were reasons why I don't live in CA...

hope everything is OK and the wind continues to blow in the opposite direction. Or, better yet it rains and the fire goes out...
Patois42 said…
We're up in Northern California. All I keep thinking is it feels like earthquake weather, but that's probably just my mind screwing with me by conjuring up the 1989 quake here. Hope those winds die down for you soon.
Mrs. G. said…
Stay safe, Gina, and don't inhale.
Suzanne said…
Yikes -- scary stuff. I hope that the wind dissipate soon.
Anonymous said…
Stay safe, Gina, and please keep us updated as you can...
ML said…
That's some scary stuff you got going on there. Hope all is well!
Autumn's Mom said…
Hold onto your knickers Gina! Hope it dies down soon. Maybe you should come up here, it's been beautiful all weekend and we expect more of the same for today :)
J said…
Blech. Sorry Gina, crappy weather sucks. I hope the winds die down and you're not without power.

Stay safe.
maddie said…
ugh. i'm sorry it's so close to you. when i heard the santa ana's were blowing, i knew it was fire season all over again. a few years ago there was a fire near my parents house in glendale and it was just how you are describing it now. hope it dies down soon...
Heidi said…
I get the west coast channels on my Sat dish and I saw the fire on their news last night. I hope you are OK and didn't have to evacuate. Keep us posted.
Liz said…
I've been watching the news and hoping those fires aren't near you. Stay safe!
Take care of yourself and let me know you are OK... I grew up in So. Cal. so I know what you mean about Malibu.
Atasha said…
Geez, it's been one scary morning. I am, as we speak, watching the news to see if we have to get out. To the back of our house the sky is red and the winds....well you know what's going on with the winds. It's crazy. However, when you walk out the front of the house all you see are blue skies.
dgm said…
I can't see a damn thing down our canyon just now--it looks like fog but it's all residual smoke. Are you evacuating?
Hope said…
We have been hearing hourly updates about your weather up here.
One does feel helpless when faced with the power of weather & other natural forces. Stay well.
Granny said…
This answers the question I just asked in email (around 1 p.m. Monday)

I was concerned about you. Didn't know exactly where you are in relations to the firestorms.

Be safe.
Nance said…
Holy crap. And, you sound just like me: all that bluster, and it's the expensive food in the freezer that you're really worried about.

Keep that closed, hope for the best, and if it thaws, just start cooking up a storm! Remember, you can freeze cooked stuff! (never underestimate the power of your grill...)
J said…
I'm glad you're safe. I'm sorry for those that will lose their homes, and probably pets, and maybe a few human lives, too. Scary.
Steph said…
Yikes... hope that you are all safe and that things are calming down out there. Keeping you and your family and friends in my thoughts.
Anonymous said…
Few things make me feel more powerless than the loss of electricity. And the groceries going to waste? Drives me nuts! Hope things settle down soon.
dmmgmfm said…
I have been wondering about you!

Please keep us posted if you can.

Hugs,
Laurie
Quiskaeya said…
I had not idea you were in CA! For some reason I thought you were on the east coast. Please be safe! How is Mr. P handling all this?
(((Hugs))) to you!
Maya's Granny said…
Gina,

I'm glad that things aren't any worse for you than they are and hope that the wind dies down soon.

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