Editorial

Winter took her time getting to Glendale this year, and in some ways

we’re grateful for that.

But her arrival this week was unmistakable.

Gray, overcast skies greeted us in the mornings, and rain slowed the

traffic to a crawl on many freeways and streets. Pedestrians dodged

puddles as bus riders shivered at bus stops, wishing for shelters even if

they had advertisements on them.

Evenings, we huddled under a blanket, or, if we’re lucky, in front of a

roaring log fire.

One could almost hear the flowers in the garden sigh as the soft, soaking

showers breathed life into the ground that waited so long this year for

the life-giving moisture. The grass is green, and so are the weeds.

The hillsides were cloaked in mists. When the fog lifts, in most places

there’ll be lush new growth ready to burst forth in spring.

Many rejoiced at the weather, but not all.

Some residents in the San Rafael Hills area, where a December brush fire

created conditions ripe for mudslides, had many anxious hours when a

flash flood watch was called for the area Friday. Fortunately, there had

been no floods or mudslides by Wednesday, but the rain is expected to

continue, so the danger is not yet over.

Those closest to the burned hillsides have taken appropriate measures to

prepare for the rain, and they are commendable. L.A. County and Glendale

fire departments have passed out sandbags to homeowners. Glendale fire

officials have held meetings with residents and have built dams out of

sandbags and bales of straw in the hills.

Nature cant be tamed, but taking prudent precautionary measures is the

best we can do, and it seems like even those on the front lines of the

fire-scarred hillsides have done all they can.

If the weather gets you a bit blue, remember spring is only a month away.

After this gentle soaking, its sure to be a spectacular spring.