This was an Ojai day – up early and out of the house by 7 am and driving up Pacific Coast Highway. What a great way to start the day – not too much traffic since everyone was driving into LA, not out, so zipping by bumper-to-bumper traffic on the other side of the road had the feeling of victory attached. Lots of gulls on the beaches, particularly Zuma in upper Malibu. Lots of surfers out, too. We wondered if the hurricane was sending some waves their way.
The best treat of all was that daughter Sarah and granddaughter Luna accompanied us to the orange grove, the first time Sarah has been there since having little Luna.
The quiet at the orange grove was interrupted only by the occasional distant dog bark, which was inevitably answered by either Cordelia, our Corgi, and/or Sammie, our Scottie. The day stretched on and on, most likely because we had a moratorium on cell phones and other electric devices did not have a source of power. I swept and mopped the 1950’s Spartan floor, then put down a sleeping bag for Luna to play on. She was pulling up on the couch and the ice chest almost immediately and played for a good long time. All the while I was making lunch, which consisted of chicken and cheese sandwiches and sliced apples.
Ray was out working in the bins, hauling furniture to take in the van to Texas. The goal is to stage the Dimmit house by January so it can go on the market.
We headed back to LA around 5 and had a surprisingly easy drive back into town. Somehow we seemed to miss the worse of the traffic. That was a gift in itself.
I am sitting here with my head bent over this keyboard and my eyes closing involuntarily. I can hear Sammie, who is asleep a few feet away, making high- pitched sounds in her sleep, obviously having some sort of dream. Cordelia is passed out right at my feet. Sarah and Luna have headed back home and Ray is upstairs, where I plan to join him as soon as I post.
This is the best I can do for tonight. Too tired for more. But still, there is merit in capturing a relaxed afternoon at the orange grove, where the orange blossoms were beginning to bloom and filled the air with a scent that was so delicious that it felt almost as if we had stumbled into an exclusive perfume shop where they were using real flowers to make their fragrances.
With that, I will bid you adieu. I hope everyone sleeps well tonight.
Good night.
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