Monday miscellany: storm damage, a “Goldilocks” blazer & more

So, I got a little sidetracked this weekend…

Like much of the country, we’ve been experiencing some wild weather here in Southern California. Usually we’re spared flooding or other major storm damage. But this time the high winds and heavy rain were just too much for one of the trees…

Damage from a wild winter storm

Friday night when we went to bed, the wind was howling and the rain was coming down in buckets. We didn’t even hear the tree go over. About half an hour later we were awakened by the dog barking and knocking on the front door. It was the fire department, who said, “um, I think you need to come out here…”

You can’t see it in the photo above, but underneath the branches on the far side of the street is my husband’s car… 😱

Our street is lined with beautiful mature Chinese elm trees. But the past few years, they haven’t received regular maintenance and trimming by the city. And we’re not allowed to prune or trim them. Our neighborhood has been after the city, but keep being told “not in the budget” and more recently that we’re “on the list.” Maybe this will light a fire under them. 😤

The trees get very top-heavy, and the wind and saturated ground were just too much for this one. The fallen tree was blocking the road so at 1 am the crew was out with chainsaws to clear it.

Monsieur’s car had the back window shattered, and received some other dents. We had it towed to the repair shop on Saturday and won’t know the extent of the damage until later this week.

But wait, there’s more…

The upturned roots of the tree severed our water main, which to me was a bigger concern because it meant we had no running water. I spend all morning on the phone trying to reach plumbers and was worried it might take several days to get it fixed. But bless my next door neighbor who said “I have a great plumber, let me give him a call.”

He was there within the hour, and he and his crew worked all afternoon in the rain to get us hooked back up. We were very fortunate and appreciative!

And we were extremely lucky that the tree fell out into the street rather than onto our house. Everything we’ve had to deal with was just an inconvenience compared to what could have been. For that we are beyond grateful! As I said to someone yesterday, “it’s just stuff; no one was hurt and that’s what matters.”

(But I do hope this will get the city to make tree maintenance a higher priority. And yes, we plan to “request” they cover our expenses from the damage.)

A “just right” blazer

Budget-friendier options: blazer | sweater | jeans (misses / plus) | sneakers

A blazer is one of those pieces I can throw on to instantly look more put-together. Sometimes I feel like Goldilocks when it comes to finding blazers, though. This one’s too oversized or long. That one’s too cropped or boxy. A third is too corporate.

I’ve been eyeing this J.Crew “Devon” blazer for a while and finally bit when I saw it offered in navy and Petite sizes. (I’m wearing Petite 6 here.) The navy isn’t as bright as “Bright Navy” in the Spring palette, but not as dark as a Winter navy. The fabric is cotton and has some stretch. It adds structure without looking too “yacht club-y.”

To watch…

Before all of the craziness on Friday night, we watched “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” and loved it! I won’t even begin to explain the premise, but you just have to strap in and go along for the ride. It’s imaginative and original, and has an amazing cast who all deliver stellar performances. (Both Michelle Yeoh and Jamie Lee Curtis are at the top of their game here.)

It’s available on Hulu, amazon, and a couple other streaming services. Well worth a watch!