Plot Monkeys

Can you all believe that it’s already November!?! Where has this year gone? I’m so not ready for all the holidays that are just right around the corner!

That’s not what my blog is about today — I just had to get that off my mind.

Last week, when I was dealing with all the fire stuff going on here in Southern California, I was on the phone with Carly quite a bit, since she checked in with me on a regular basis to make sure that everything was okay where I live. Unfortunately, I do live in a very fire prone area, and we’ve had our share of very scary wildfires that have prompted evacuations. Thankfully, we always had a house to come home to, unlike some people in these recent fire storms that swept through Southern California.

It seems like every year in October we deal with fires. It’s something that we’ve come to expect (but never get used to!), because everything is usually so dry from the hot summer months and October is the month that the Santa Ana winds kick up. Those two things together make for ideal fire conditions, and all it takes is just the smallest spark to create a huge, out-of-control fire that can go on for days. I do have to say that this past week was by far the worst fires I’ve ever seen in Southern California — at one point there were over 20 major fires spreading and it was literally like the whole entire state was on fire!

Last week, when I was talking to Carly on the phone after we had a very close call with a fire near our track of homes, she made the comment that she just didn’t know how I dealt with it every year — the fires, that is. I told her that it’s not easy, and a lot of times it is scary, but I think that every state or area has their own natural disasters that they have to deal with on a yearly basis. Hurricanes. Tornados. Floods. Fires. Droughts. Earthquakes.

Oh, and speaking of earthquakes, our house sits directly on the San Andreas fault line that is due for “the big one” any time now. We know that, and here in Southern California earthquakes are the norm. We get little shakers here and there, and they’re definitely unnerving, but it’s all a part of living in California.

So, my discussion with Carly made me think about all the other natural disasters that people have to deal with. I’m curious to know where you live, and what natural disasters do you have to worry about?