There is something of a let down every New Year, all the build up of the ‘holiday season’. then Christmas comes and goes, there is that dead week, and at the tail end of everything – a new year. Unlike the Jewish calendar, that starts with the new year and then has the day of atonement, the festival of Sukkot and the starting of the Torah cycle again. Here New Years is the sort of let down at the end of all the excitement. Although I am very happy to get back to ‘normal’ – not that we will be seeing normal anytime soon with how much our overlords have enjoyed taking control of every aspect of our lives.
For the last two months I have been going on a walk every Tuesday with a group called Chai Neighbors. Two local Synagogues have joined to create a group of seniors. Its’ not really hiking, but it is so lovely to get outside and walk in nature.
Fall colors in southern CA, always happen in December. No, it’s nothing like New England, but colors do change, and we had rain for almost 10 days plus it has been cold!
because of the rain, the small creek in O’Melveney Park had water running. I’m wondering if these bubble ae from chemicals being washed down with the water. We can pretend its snow.
SoCal, there will always be a palm tree. No, they aren’t native, they were brought in in the late 19th century and rapidly became a symbol of the region. Which is fine, there is no place on earth that hasn’t had new comers take root and become natives.
Winter is the clearest season here, especially after rain. Looking towards downtown and actually seeing it! Downtown is 30 miles away, so this is a rare view.
Painting rocks and leaving them for others to find is something people have been doing for a while. I feel like this was a class that came out here and left their loot. So massages are the kind you’d find in a class room. They also planted a little jade plant, give it a few years, it will be huge.
Then
, just walking the neighborhood, I love the Christmas decoration, I always hope the lights stay up for a while, until the days really get longer. During the day, its’ lovely to see the colors reflected on the sidewalk.
Also fun to see how someone repurposed the huge Halloween skeleton to become Santa. I think of Santa as fat, and rolly polly, oh well, a skeleton works as well.
Could almost be a Tuscan villa. I do like the golden garland of baubles.
This time of year many of our roses bloom again. Not mine, but I do love this color and the water drops just make it more beautiful.
Happy New Year, certain things are starting out well, may they continue.
Leah