A couple of mementos of the first real snow we’ve had for a while in the District They Call Columbia. It's been hanging around for a week on account of the sub-freezing temperatures.
Birds on the patio (before I shoveled it
for their convenience):
Snow on a fence.
If it’s all the same to Nature, I’m ready
to forego this kind of thing for a while. Kthxbai.
©2025 Bas Bleu
Despite all the horrifying visuals coming out of the wildfires devastating LA County, there are still things to inspire gratitude.
First—my sister and her family in Pasadena
are safe. They were evacuated in the early hours of Wednesday, but allowed to
return later in the day. The Eaton fire is burning within blocks of their
house, so the air quality is bad, but they’re okay.
Even though there are James Woodses,
weeping on CNN about losing everything in the Palisades fire (and he later
learned his house in fact survived, but he didn’t apologize for all the
calumnies he managed to fling between tears), there were people like Steve
Guttenberg, doing what they could to help first responders get to the fire
sites. Guttenberg was interviewed by a local reporter—who did not recognize him
as the smart ass Mahoney of the Police Academy franchise (fair enough;
that reporter was probably not born until long after the sequels ran their
course)—while he was trying to move abandoned cars that were blocking streets.
Not an actor or star; just a guy trying to help out (and save people from
having their Porsches and Teslas from being bulldozed aside).
Folks all over Southern California stepped
up to the plate, donating food, clothing, toys and other supplies for the more
than 100,000 people under evacuation orders. Animal shelters sprang up throughout
the area for small to large critters displaced by the fires, and people donated
food, toys and supplies to them, as well.
Relief organizations are also out in force—including World Central Kitchen, which I’ve been proud to
support for years. By Friday, they had two meal service operations going in
Pasadena, providing sustenance to first responders and comfort to people having
the worst day of their lives. And that was just in Pasadena.
States and municipalities have sent
firefighting teams to join the efforts to tame the multiple fires, driven by
Santa Ana winds that at times have gusts topping 100mph. I want to point out in
particular teams from Canada and Mexico, who’ve been in the air and on the
ground for days, sent by their governments even as they have to bat away bullshit
blustering from the Kleptocrat about how he’s going to fuck with them to show
who’s boss when he takes over.
And, when handlers were trying to herd
their flock of ground-managing goats out of danger as the Palisades fire
approached Brentwood on Saturday, drivers—LA drivers—got out of their cars to
help when some of the goats bolted.
I’m grateful for all of that.
©2025 Bas Bleu
