Windy Weather and Alan's Birthday

Our son Alan, who has autism, turned fifteen on Saturday. He is now as tall as I am at five feet, six inches. His voice is deep and clear. He has a few zits and a beginning moustache. We took him out to a Mexican restaurant with two other boys and their moms. It went ok. He only talked about picking his nose, he didn't do it. He ordered guacamole for the table but didn't share it. On the other hand, he talked with his guests about movies and sports, along with a few forays into politics, which we got stopped. If you know Alan, you know that once on that topic, he will be relentless. I am glad we let him sit between the two boys with no family member next to him. Like any young man, he needs to learn how to manage to eat out in a restaurant with others.

For weeks now, we have had periods of day and after day when it has been dry and windy. Not just a little wind, but the sere Santa Ana gusty winds. Today, when I came back from Curves, the sky was blue with no sign of fire but we have been under a red flag warning indicating extreme fire danger. I thought I smelled smoke. I looked around and saw none.

Tonight, on my computer, I read the news that several homes in Malibu on the beach had burned and many others had been damaged. The winds are blowing off the land and out to sea, so the fire began in brush above the Pacific Coast Highway and blew over into the homes on the beach. I am always sorry when people lose their homes, no matter who they are. Probably tomorrow we will find out that several were celebrities' homes. Their photos and keepsakes will be lost, just like those of any family's. I pray no lives were lost.