Everyone Has a Story

I've always loved the autumn colors in Santa Rosa. There is still plenty of it around and I will try to capture some of it in the next few days. We still have plenty of it in our neighborhood, but the trees seem to have decided to skip changing colors and go from green to dead leaves on the ground, in the house, stuck between the boards of the deck,  in the faux  fishpond and everywhere the high winds that precipitated the fires could lodge them. I think it takes cold weather to cause the leaves to change color and it certainly has not been cold here!

Everyone (except OilMan) forgot about his surgery and his post op appointment with the surgeon was for the day after the fires started and the hospital and associated medical offices were threatened by flames. The hospital survived although another one nearby had considerable damage. We heard for calls for help in evacuating it as we were evacuating ourselves. It is a testament to the unsung heroes in this event that all were saved.

But I digress...OilMan's rescheduled appointment with the surgeon took us around the areas of worst destruction where the fire began and moved so quickly that no one could stop it. It took out the homes of the wealthy and the not so wealthy without discrimination. I put a picture of the remains of a  hotel near the hospital in the extras. They are already beginning to clear the rubble. They are being treated as hazmat sites.

But I digress again...this seems to be the story of our lives as we begin to come back together in our old routines. We decide we won't talk about the fires, but somehow that is something we just can't avoid yet. OilMan saw the surgeon who gave him the go ahead to do whatever he wanted. I don't know if they talked about the fire, but it wouldn't surprise me if they did. Everyone has a story....

My picture for today is of the succulent topped pumpkins made by the Windsor Garden Club ladies while they were evacuated. Even the pumpkins have a story....