WHEN FALL IS IN THE AIR

When I was a child we lived for summer.  It meant freedom from school, from the house, and from having to wear heavy clothing.  Somehow, though I know I got sun burned several times over the years, I began to tan easily.  Darkly.  Without lotions or oils.  Without trying.

Living in Southern California I don't need to try to get a tan.  It just happens being outdoors, without going to the beach.  

When I was a kid, the last weeks of summer, right before school started, were already cool in the mornings.  Maybe, right before the leaves fell, there would be something called "Indian summer."  (Why it was called that, I do not know)  This was a brief warming before it was no doubt autumn. Walking to the school bus stop, already I was wearing a sweater.  Soon it would be a hat and winter coat, gloves and boots.

Right before school started, when I was a kid, I used to start thinking about the school supply I wanted most: a new box of crayons.  The smell of those crayons - usually Crayolas - still reminds me of grade school. It was time to replace the tennis shoes - usually Keds - which at the time came in white, navy, or red, with a new pair.  Wearing them all summer mine were full of holes.  I would usually opt for a different color than the holey ones.  

People would see that their sunflower seeds and their garden vegetables in the back yard were done for the season. The earth began to smell different. They would sniff and say, "Fall is in the air." 

Fall is never in the air in Southern California.  Even before the too hot summers began a few years ago we had heat into October.  It didn't cool down too much until Thanksgiving.  People would spend Christmas at the beach.  In June there is something they call "June Gloom" which actually can happen in July too.  It's a time when the sky seems dull or shaded over.

But the other day I met someone from back east who had also transplanted here.  We both heard, when we first came, that after a while out blood would "thin" and then we'd start shivering when it was 50 or 60 degrees.  Neither of us believed this, but it happened.

C 2018  Magyar American BlogSpot

MY DOG and ME : A COLD and STORMY WINTER

As anyone who reads my blog knows, I have a small dog that I love and have had many adventures with as we take walks together.  She is quite the sentient being, and seems to love life so much, though I'm a morning person, there is no sleeping in when she is raring to go outside. 

Over the last few months we've been walking in nature in less citified areas of Southern California, closer to the beach areas, where the day begins fogged in and this winter season has been colder and stormier than previous winters.  We await glorious profusions of native plants and wild flowers - brilliant orange and golden poppies are beginning to bloom -  because of these rains - and she seems to have become more lively in the cooler temperatures.  We have experienced extreme heat and dust in drought and last summer I was carrying her to the grassy areas because the driveway and sidewalks were too hot for a dog's paws, but I also thought she was aging, slowing down.  Now I think the heat had been getting to her more than I thought, so I hope we will continue our walks in nature and near the beaches, as the exercise is good for both of us.
However, I must say that I am looking forward to spring and warmer temperatures because I have been more bundled up than usual.  I long to wear sandals and dresses or shorts without hose and to feel freer in my movements.

HURRICANES GOOD FOR THE ECONOMY? DON'T RESETTLE IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

Hurricanes?

I heard someone on the radio say that.  He said that there would be lots of jobs, so much rebuilding.  I ask you, with what money? Insurance?  A recent speech by HUD's Ben Carson emphasized that the government would provide NEEDS not WANTS.  That means basics.  Rebuilding is up to YOU.


Don't come to SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA to resettle here.  The cost of living, in particular housing, has gone "through the roof" which is not such a funny pun.


Let me explain just how bad it is.
I know several good people who are near homeless or facing homelessness.

Scenario One

This morning I ran into a senior citizen with a disabled son who has lived in the same apartment with the help of a voucher Section 8 from Housing Authority of  Burbank for 23 years.  This woman was also working into her senior hood.  The landlord had long ago stopped repairing things, including the plumbing, and she had previously told me that the Housing Authority questioned how she could possibly go on.
So, what happened?  She was given 6 months notice to move, with a rent increase (no rent control in Burbank) to $2700, more than double than she had been paying.  Five months in she had nowhere to live, and on an emergency basis, she and her disable child moved into a senior building.  It was last minute and she had to give away 70 percent of her possessions to fit them in this new place.


Scenario Two


I met "Pat" while waiting for the subway in Hollywood.  A clean cut man in mid life he told me he had moved from Vegas with an agreement to share an apartment with two other men already there. He lived there three weeks when the landlord raised the rent by $300 and said he had to go.  Pat is sleeping on the Subway, has a gym membership, and is applying to shelter programs near sleepless, so the question is, WHEN will someone take him in?  He has a good education and other marketable skills, but has not been able to look for work with so little sleep.  I have him texting me every day, as he does not have a street buddy or anyone to look out for him.  I can barely but he says he has a case manager now.


Scenario Three


"Emmy" is a single mom with a child whose father is out of state, living with her mom, and they are not getting along.  After months a friend offered her a small single apartment at a reasonable rate, and she is going to take it soon.  Without any furniture.  Her mom meanwhile told me that her parents are renting rooms in their house for $800.  So her parents who OWN a HOME are making $1600 a month on people who have nowhere to go.
Scenario Four
Took some donations to a local church service center that has a little clothing and food giveaway and there met another man who lost his apartment after 23 years.  In this case the rent just got higher than his income.  He's sleeping in his car while looking for a room to rent, hoping to have a separate entrance.
Scenario Five
I met Becky at my pharmacy where she is a very helpful clerk.  The single mom of two, she also lost an apartment that was going to be torn down and where everyone else fled with a couple thousand dollars given to them.  A lawyer protected her and got her better money.  But one day she had to go. Basically, she is in an RV in a friend's drive way, paying rent to be in it, and she and the kids are sick of living that way.  Their grades are dropping.  She is on my list of people who need AFFORDABLE HOUSING.


The whole situation here is going downhill fast and I mention this because in the past I have posted advice for incoming immigrants. I now think immigrants who are not independently wealthy should not settle in Southern California.


I fear that what happened with KATRINA will happen after the last two BIG HITS BY HURRICAINES.  Basically HUD or other funds will be used to help some people who are displaced MOVE TO SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA.  CHOOSE ELSEWHERE.  I met Katrina families who were allowed to use my gym for free when they came out.  They were whole families in rooms in houses and applying for homeless shelters.


When you've lived most of your life in a place, it's very difficult to imagine where else you might go.  Even the most flexible of us have a hard time with all the changes.

I MEET A HUNGARIAN- AMERICAN NEIGHBOR FOR THE FIRST TIME : HE CAN COMMUNICATE WITH FINNISH PEOPLE and HIS CHINESE GIRLFRIEND!

Oh the MYSTERIOUSNESS of being HUNGARIAN!  And Hungarians themselves are into the mystery of our origins and reading all around the human genome and DNA about now.

Last week, walking my dog, I happened to meet a neighbor I didn't know about who is a Hungarian-American of recent vintage.  What an interesting and enthusiastic young person!

Of course, he mentioned that his people were now calling themselves Germans and Slovaks as well, because of well - the way the countries borders changed.  But his first language is Hungarian, and I must stay his English is excellent, just enough accent to know that.  He lives with his CHINESE girlfriend.

We talked for quite a long time.  Enough that my dog lay down without being told to.  (She knows that "mom is going to have a long conversation!")

I told him at the start of the conversation that I do genealogy research, that I don't speak Hungarian, but that I translate with the help of dictionaries and by asking other people who do speak it when I get stuck.  I told him that I was convinced it was an Asian language, because by putting words in front or back or a root, you change the word - the imagery - that Hungarian is a poetical and humorous language. 

I told him that sometimes when I translate place names, for instance, I'm reminded of the translations one gets in certain Chinese restaurants.  For instance, one place, which is on a plateau with a lot of pine trees around seemed to be named "Black Hat."  (One Chinese soup that has something for everyone to pick out of it is called "Happy Family.")

"I can understand Finnish people!  I can understand things my girlfriend says and she's Chinese, because of that placement," he said.  "We're MONGOLIANS!"

To finesse this a bit, there is evidence that while the LANGUAGE, which is not from the Latin, and not from the Slavs, probably came from an ancient starter population that dominated life at some point, and there is evidence that the Mongolians DNA is in, not only some Hungarians, but in a swath of countries, including southern Poland, parts of Germany, and so on,  it may be a case of the DNA being diverse and the language being what prevailed even if the original native speakers' DNA became minority DNA.

I look into this every few months, because I know that DNA and the human genome science is getting more and more specific and interesting all the time.

I look forward to another conversation in the moment with Ferenz!

SLIP-SLIDING INTO THE NEW YEAR WITH MY DOG

Luckily I don't live in a snow zone, but it has finally started to rain, which may ease the drought of California somewhat.  Because it has not rained in so long, the roads are slippery with oil and auto exhaust, and the sidewalk underfoot requires some tread to walk safely on it.

The leaves have turned color and fallen too, which doesn't happen every fall or winter here.  It makes you think of the eastern United States.

My dog stops and smells and I wonder if she enjoys the sensation of actually walking on the leaves instead of the cement sidewalk.  She knows to avoid big puddles and jumps over obviously wet patches.

Lately we've been burrowing in, as I crochet while watching films and try in my off time to get organized for the New Year.  An old sofa is on its last days but I want to wait until the weather clears to put it out on the curb for pickup.  An old TV set is no longer fashionable - it's not a thin screen - but still running fine.  It's the DVD/VHS player that needs to be replaced and with a replacement I will most likely donate the VHS tapes to a library, senior housing or community center.  So I want to watch some of these films just one more time.

I stayed home for Black Friday and I'm not buying electronics today, though I may be missing some deals.  My quiet and private time is too precious to me and I don't want to be out among the crowds, compete for products, or stand in lines.  I love staying under the blanket and I notice my dog has been staying under blankets too.

After so much heat in the summer, many of us here look forward to the opportunity to wear a sweater and hat, and to pull out that umbrella.  We're just glad that shoveling snow and truly freezing weather is not part of our lifestyle.

THE MONARCHS ARE DYING OUT - PLANTING A BUTTERFLY GARDEN

Be it global warming or more natural "earth changes" extreme weather seems to be a reality, and the ongoing hardship of winter that won't end in much of the United States is defied by the too early spring of Southern California. 

Over the President's Day holiday I managed to labor to clean out the old garden and begin a new one.  Trees are blooming here that shouldn't be for at least another month, and humidity hangs in the air, but we're in a severe drought.

Maybe I can inspire you to consider planting a BUTTERFLY GARDEN too?

You see, it takes THREE GENERATIONS of monarch to make it to Mexico which seems to be the country they like to hang out in.  Last year about 40 acres of Mexico had monarchs hanging in the trees but this year that same area had only about 2 acres worth.  That means a generation or two has been decimated.

IN ORDER TO ATTRACT BUTTERFLIES TO YOUR GARDEN you need the following:

You need plants they can munch when they are caterpillars...  THE MILKWEED PLANT IS possible their favorite but check with your local arboretum library or expert native nursery about LOCAL plants.  Very nearby they need NECTAR BEARING plants for NOURISHMENT when they are on wing.  The savvy butterflies are also looking for a place they can safely be in their in-between chrysalis stage and that means NO WIND and WARM ENOUGH. 

Some links to help you!

LIVE MONARCH ORG - NONPROFIT - INFORMATION - FREE SEEDS

UPDATE 2014:

This year marks another sharp decline in Monarch overwintering numbers and may represent the shrinking of their migratory route. The 97% decline from their high over the past 20 years has researchers very concerned.   YOU CAN DONATE TO THEM TOO.  This is where I got my packet of seeds, which I shared with two other people.

 

ARBORETUM ORG - LOS ANGELES COUNTY  link...  I called the arboretum in Arcadia and the librarian was terrific!  There are probably libraries like this in other parts of the country.

 

FLOWERS that attract "pollinators" include easy to grow MARIGOLDS,  NASTURTIUM, and HUNTINGTON GARDENS BLOG - SWEET ALYSSUM  Sweet Alyssum.

 

Butterflies like flowers that are about the same color as they are.  If you plant RED you may also get hummingbirds so think about that when you plant PETUNIAS.  The Sweet Alyssum smells like perfume but I'm also planting it because the Southern California butterflies tend to be light or pastel shades.

 

For those of you who are disgusted with winter, SPRING WILL COME - IT WILL!