We are up in Ojai and watching with great interest the progress of Hurricane Hilary as she makes her way up the coast of Baja. Our son-in-law Gregorio has family in Cabo, Ensenada, and Tijuana, Mexico so the weather there is important to us. As far as Southern CA goes, the hurricane is supposed to shift to a tropical storm once it hits the colder waters of the CA coastline, but since this event happens very rarely, no one quite knows what to expect. How much rain and wind will we get? A lot or just a little? These are questions that make the upcoming storm a bit nerve-wracking.

Yesterday morning at 9 am I went to Ace Hardware to buy a few tarps. The man who worked there told me that he’d already sold over $1000 worth of tarps in the 2 hours they’d been open. They were also completely sold out of heavy clips to secure those tarps. This is horse country, and many horse owners were waiting for the store to open at 7 to buy big tarps to cover their hay. I personally bought at least five of various sizes to cover equipment, tools, collectibles, and a vintage car or two that need protection.

Of course, the greatest concern is the purple zone below, which includes Palm Springs and Joshua Tree. These are not areas that typically get a lot of rain so a deluge could be seriously problematic. The governor has already declared a state of emergency to have resources ready to help in the hardest-hit areas.

We will batten down the hatches as best we can and then settle in to see exactly what happens.

I’ll keep you updated as I know more.

Happy weekend to you. I hope all is well in your world.

Ojai is in the red or moderate zone.