All the Leaves Are Brown, And the Sky Is Gray...

California Dreamin'...

Um, no.

It's fire season here in California, with hot temps, cracking low humidity, and then strike a match and THERE IT IS...

Yesterday wasn't so bad, but today I had to go out and mail a package at the post office and the SoMA neighborhood could have just as easily been Fresno. Starting Monday afternoon a trash fire got out of control in Morgan Hill, and then today the smoke reached the City--in the heat I have the window open to my bedroom tonight and I can taste and smell the smoke. At least it's not just trash now but mostly trees--burning tires would probably make me ill.

Makes me think of Barbara in "The Way We Were," missing New York: "I miss the trees...I wish it would rain."

Because, you know, it ain't rained here in a while.

Is this hell? One has to wonder...

And when I sing with The Mamas and The Papas, California is the gray, dead world to escape from. To play...

I'd be safe from warm,

If I was far from L.A.

California dreamin'

For such a winter's day.

Winter's comin', I hope.