Not my favorite month anymore...

October was always my favorite month because I love fall so much. I even got married in October. Fall never made me feel sad or wistful; it made me feel warm and full. So many good, warm and flavorful treats against a crisp air with the musty smell of leaves and some acrid wood smoke. Well, that was when I lived on the East Coast.

Now in California, October means incessant Santa Anas. Sounds nice: warm, dry, winds. Not exactly. It's so dry my skin feels like lizard-paper and I get nosebleeds and dry skin bumps. Warm to dry out my garden if I don't water it. And those breezes die down at night so you can swelter when you sleep but it's an awkward heat. At 7% humidity you actually chill with the heat and can literally feel the sweat on your palms and feet because it evaporates instantly. These past weeks have been mainly hotter than hot Santa Anas and my plants look a little worse for the wear. My seedlings are enjoying it because Iwater them daily. I would love to do warm meals at night, but with this weather, grilled burgers and chicken is about all we can handle.

The worst part is the constant fires with these Santa Anas---man made fires and fires due to power lines blown down etc. We lived through 2 major ones in the past 5 years and they were devastating, exasperating and depressing.

My daughter's friend summed it up best today: "it's so dry even the boys are using ChapStick.

Yes, I hate October in California but not back East. I love it back there. Next year, I will go back for a long weekend in October. Even if it rains the whole time, I will have the crisp air and the lovely smells of fall to make me feel warm again.