California Winters

As I write this I am painfully aware of what an oxymoron the title is. California, at least Southern California, rarely experiences winters of any magnitude. Sure there are the occasional nights where the temperatures get down right chilly and I am forced to turn on the old heater. But winter...not really. There is noticeable change in the way the air feels. It gets dark earlier and the mornings warrant a sweater. I love those days when it is crystal clear and sunny outside, you walk out a realize it is downright cold. That does not happen much, but I love those days. We rarely get "weather". Rain, snow, hail and the like are infrequent visitors to this part of the state. When we do get the rain the news stations go a little overboard with teasers...Storm Watch 2009. For heavens sake, when is .25 inches of rain a storm. And heaven forbid people on the freeway would acknowledge that a little rain should alter the speed with which they drive..Ahh, the roads are slick, let's go 85 on the freeway!!
That being said, we are supposed to have an El Nino this year. No one seems to be able to predict when or how severe. I have seen several El Ninos in my life..1969 was a real doozy. It was the year my grandfather died..January to be exact. It was right in the middle of a 40 day rain storm. The ground at the cemetary was so wet he could not be buried until April. Then 1972, 1987 and 1997..I remember those. El Nino Winter in Southern California...Wet and wetter...We really have a dilema this time around. There has been a drought with no significant rain for at least five years. We are all praying for some relief from the drought and yet, many are praying for a little more time to shore up the fire stricken mountains. I assure you that if we do have an El Nino, as predicted, there will be much damage from flooding. The forecast is for a significant amount of rainfall much like 1969. Who knows..they call it prediciting the weather..I could predict that I would win the lottery but that is up to the winds of fortune as is the weather.
So for now I will appreciate the chill in the air and laugh when STORM WATCH 2009 shows up on the TV. I will probably not get a white Christmas or even a wet one but that will do nothing to "dampen" my true joy in the season.