Tropical Storm Rachel is Coming To Town + Ms. Rachel and Cosmic Influences

Southern California is once again in the path of a potentially serious weather event — Tropical Storm Rachel– or Ms Rachel as I refer to this elemental powerhouse.

Forecasts continue to fluctuate regarding the intensity of this storm: one minute we’re going to have a direct hit as it picks up strength and in the next minute, we’ll barely receive any rain at all. Currently, she’s approximately 546 miles from me.

North of me, ahead of Hurricane/Tropical Storm Rachel, Laguna Beach and Newport Beach are already experiencing flooding. In my town, the coastal flooding has completely taken away a beach parking lot.

I’m not worried about flooding where I live, but as always, I will be prepared just in case Mother Nature decides to surprise us with her fury. I remember a couple years ago when Hurricane Hilary was supposed to come close and it was hardly more impactful than a medium sized storm.

Do you know the other Rachel, better known as Ms. Rachel?

She’s an American children’s educator, YouTuber, and activist.

She created the YouTube series Ms. Rachel, which combines original songs and classic children’s music with a focus on early language development for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers.

Ms. Rachel is amazing, even though my two Ferals are a bit older than her targeted demographic.

In response to Macklemore’s donation, in September, Ms. Rachel pledged one million dollars to the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund (PCRF).

“We have a moral obligation to use our privilege and platforms to protect our children and human rights.”

Like Mack Ms. Rachel walks the walk.

Macklemore’s 3-stop European Free Palestine Tour sold out immediately following its announcement. Proceeds from the tour will go to organizations supporting Palestine after the rapper was removed from Ed Sheeran’s tour for his comments supporting Palestinians

“Art will always be a form of resistance,” Macklemore wrote in a post on Instagram.

We need more humans like Macklemore and Ms. Rachel. It would be super cool and super cute if they performed some songs together.

All of this is happening during the new moon in Libra on 10/10, also opening a portal that amplifies the energy of new beginnings, completion, and shifting out of old cycles. Along with Venus in retrograde, it’s a great time to manifest our heart’s desires.

I love Ms. Rachel because, like Mr. Rogers, she’s a real person and teaches important life skills:

Rain, Rain, Go Away

Did you hear about the unprecedented, record breaking rainfall we had in Southern California?

The area of Pt. Loma received nearly five inches of rain, half of its normal yearly amount. The last time San Diego received this much rain was ninety-six years ago. It rained 3.23 inches on April 5, 1926. The San Diego River is at the minor flood stage at 10.86 feet and still rising.

The news showed video after video of flooded homes and streets, people standing on top of their cars, and paddleboarders on the 78 freeway where the creek ran over the road and they had to close it down.

At Casa de Enchanted Seashells, a bit north of the city, we received about 3.5 inches of rain in four days, which was enough to turn parts of the backyard into a lake, but no water damage to the structure or foundation.

I was forced to brave the worst of the storm to get fresh gauze and compression pads (bad timing!) so I was actually driving around, but only locally.

It was pretty hard to see at times, and careless drivers were speeding, but I managed to hobble in and out with my wound care items and safely return home.

My curiosity almost got the better of my (not very) good sense and I was going to stop and take pictures of the flooded freeway from a vantage point on El Camino Real, but the windshield wipers were having a hard time keeping up with the heavy rain so I thought better of it, and drove back home.

It’s starting to dry out and warmer days are forecasted, but there might be another storm next week, so I hope everyone prepares for possible extreme sky water!

Hurricane Hilary is Coming!

A West Coast hurricane?

Crazy, right?

But look at the graphic because we in SoCal are in the CONE!!!

That’s all anyone is talking about around here.

The storm’s path will bring it across the Baja California peninsula into the southwestern United States over the weekend and into Monday.

Regardless of Hilary’s exact track, we’ll be on the lookout for excessive rain, flash flooding, and high surf.

The National Weather Service has issued a Day 3 high risk of excessive rainfall, up to seven inches in the desert and about three inches here on the coast.

Hurricane Hilary grew rapidly to Category 4 strength off Mexico’s Pacific coast on Friday and could reach Southern California as the first tropical storm there in 84 years.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Hilary had sustained winds near 145 mph and was expected to continue its rapid intensification through Friday before starting to weaken.

It will nevertheless still be a hurricane when it approaches Mexico’s Baja California peninsula on Saturday night and will approach Southern California on Sunday as a tropical storm. It will potentially cause “significant and rare impacts” including extensive flooding.

However, if the hurricane tracks just a bit differently, it will cause more extensive and significant coastal damage. Winds are expected to be 50-ish mph with 70 mph gusts.

No tropical storm has made landfall in Southern California since Sept. 25, 1939, and reaching far into the past, the only known hurricane to make actual contact was near San Diego in 1858 with 73 mph winds.

I guess it’s time to batten down the hatches. I’ve been doing some prep out in the garden like removing umbrellas, wind chimes, and any deck furniture light enough to be blown around. Tomorrow I’ll clear out the ditch up on the hill that’s full of debris so it’ll flow if there’s any accumulated rain and not flood the backyard. I have plenty of candles if the power goes out and my cell is always charged.

Knowing me, I’ll want to go for a walk to the beach in the rain, but I’m also aware that’s not a great idea.

The one and only time I experienced a hurricane was about twenty years ago when I visited my son and DIL who were in school on the east coast. We huddled together when the power went out and the house was shaking off its foundation from the strong winds. The next morning we went for a walk and surveyed the damage; trees down, electrical wires dangling and sparking, and debris everywhere. After that, we drove to the beach to look at the surf. Another memorable event with those guys, that’s for sure!