A Cold Day in Southern California

Since we got here, the locals have been complaining about the unseasonably cold weather. There were a few days where it was just dumping rain, but otherwise I'd have to say the weather was beautiful. A cold day in Southern California is like a beautiful spring day in Skåne, so I certainly can't complain.

We spent three days taking care of business in San Diego (checking on our house, meeting the new tenants, talking to the property manager, mortgage broker, accountant, etc.) The good news is that the value of our house seems to have stabilized at about what we owe on it. The bad news is that we can't refinance it yet. More good news is that our new tenants seem nice, and they seem to appreciate our house and will hopefully take good care of it. More bad news is that besides not paying rent for four months, they broke some lamps, ripped the new vinyl flooring in the family room, stole our spare refrigerator from the garage, and their dog ate our sprinkler system.

We also got to visit with several of our friends, get our hair cut, go shopping (me) and junkyarding (my husband). Back at my mom's house, we've been relaxing, walking, eating, shopping, and finally writing my Christmas cards. I also got to visit with an old friend from music camp that I haven't seen in over 20 years. What a trip! This skinny little guy who was rather the class clown has grown up and become a respected and well-loved hight school music teacher--the kind of person who leaves a positive mark on all the kids he works with.

Now it's time to start packing. It will be interesting to see if we have a net gain or loss of suitcase contents. Early Tuesday morning we leave for Boston. As of last night they had a foot of snow on the ground and it was still coming down. I hope it lasts. It sure would be nice to have a white Christmas.

Happy Holidays, everyone!