We're having a typical southern California dry storm. High winds, very dry air and all the concomitant problems.

Our next door neighbor is out of town (they work for studios and are on the road a lot). Their screen door bashed against the hollow aluminum water heater enclosure all night. Bam! Bam! Which woke their dogs (they often cannot take their dogs and parrot with them). Bark! Bark! And never let it be said the parrot let a squawking opportunity pass by without filling it: Awwwk! Awwk!

Then the wind settles down, everything goes quiet, all go back to sleep.

And just as the eyelids droop, Whamo-O! The wind starts up again, this time breaking a large branch on the olive tree, Crack! And two very frightened cats come blasting in the cat door, hissing and yelling at the top of their very considerable lung power: Rowr! Hssssssss!

This proves to be too much temptation for my dog, who has to get into the act, echoing the barking and squawking outside, which has resumed at full volume.

The most aggravating part? I raked leaves yesterday, just before the storm started. But I hadn't bagged them yet. Yup. Oh, well, it was good exercise.

The second most aggravating part is that this is a dry wind (it always is). The humidity is down in the single digits. Nose, lips, skin are all itchy and dry. Everything tingles with static electricity--I've already zapped one cat. She glared at me and stalked off.

Let it rain, let it rain, let it rain.

Time to go outside and make sure the olive branch isn't a hazard for pedestrians and other earth-bound creatures.