It’s been weird lately– just last week we were basking in 80-degree temps, and then all of a sudden, we’re freezing. Part of it’s probably just a weird weather cycle, but there’s no doubt in my mind it’s also due to global warming. It just isn’t normal. Yesterday was kind of a mixed day for me– I just found out our next-door neighbors are moving out. On one hand, I’m happy for them– they had been in a commuter marriage for a while, and having gone through that myself, I knew it was very important for them to be together again. I really don’t understand how some couples can make it work, but for me, any separation that’s longer than a couple days is a very painful one.

They’ve been the best neighbors we’ve had so far, and possibly the best we’ll ever have, so I’m disappointed they’re gone. The wife and I discovered we shared similar worldviews, so from time to time when we bumped into each other, we’d talk about politics and current affairs. The husband I didn’t see as much, but he was always very affable (both of them were, really). They’d watch our place when we were gone and pick up our mail and newspapers, and we did the same for them as well. We had a relationship of sorts, and that’s something you don’t find all that often these days, whether in the cities or the suburbs (perhaps you find it more out in the country, but with the increasingly transient nature of our society compared with four or five generations ago, I think it’s probably less so in the countryside as well). I’m not sure who our new neighbors will be, but they’ll have some very large shoes to fill.

I decided upon learning that they were leaving town to get them a farewell present. I had a few errands I needed to do anyway, so I went out into the cold. It hasn’t been as chilly as it was over the weekend, but it was still very cold… or so I thought.

On my way out after stopping for a few groceries, I saw that it was raining. Normally I’m a cat, and eschew any moisture, but it really is something that we need– it’s been a very dry winter so far. Additionally, I was sort of in a introspective mood, and wasn’t going to let myself be bothered by a little water. I got in the car and headed off to the bookstore.

Halfway there, all of a sudden, the rain got heavier, thicker, and I saw what appeared to be hail bouncing off my hood and on my windshield. It wasn’t large enough to give me concern– not like some of the tennis-ball sized hail you encounter sometimes in the Midwest– those hailstorms can really damage your car with dents in the body and cracks in the windshield. The hailstorm was fairly brief, but when it was over, I saw some cars with accumulated hail on their trunks or hoods, and it looked a bit like snow.

It continued to rain, and I finished my errands. In the evening, we saw our neighbors for the last time, said farewell, and gave them their gift: a book on Los Angeles. We’ll definitely stay in touch, but it remains to be seen if we’ll see them again.

This morning, I woke up and read the paper, as I always do, over breakfast. A headline caught my eye: yep, we had hail, but there was also snow.

SNOW?!?

Yep, snow in Los Angeles, and no, Hell hasn’t frozen over. I was a bit disappointed that I hadn’t seen the actual snowfall, but I suppose the hail was close enough.

80-degree days and snow in January… what’s next?

Unfortunately, I didn’t have a snow day, but I still had some time to check out the responses in my last post, and respond to commenters. We have a small but interesting group discussing the future of the deaf blogosphere — feel free to join in!