It’s January 31st, ending the wildest/worst news month in memory. Convict Donny and his gang of disease-ridden flying monkeys have worked very, very hard in the past month to tear down American democracy and reputation. They’ve made a lot of progress.
Kentucky basketball has been on a roller coaster, mostly negative Gs, and today we get another gut check against Coach Cal and Arkansas. Cal has found new motivation and a home in Arky, so we’re a big underdog. You never know what you’re going to get from the 2026 Wildcats, so I’ll tune in with no expectations.
It’s perfect weather here in Socal – 80 degrees and sunny – while most of the country is in the freezer. That’s a big part of what brought me here the first time, back in the early 1980s. I remember a fateful February day, digging my car out of the snow in 10 degree weather, fighting my way to the airport in Cleveland, then landing in 80+ degree sunny weather in San Diego. I was flabbergasted. It had never occurred to me that a full-on climate change was possible with only a plane flight. At that moment I knew I was going to to live here.
Tomorrow brings in a perfect month. I just heard the term, meaning a month (always a February, never a Leap Year) in which all the days of the month line up in a perfect little 7×4 rectangle. It happens every ten years or so. Maybe the numerology of a perfect month will do something to counter the evil intent of Convict Donny’s gang. That would be nice. I’m spending most of the perfect month in Socal and Cabo – warm, peaceful places, as long as you stay off the freeways and out of town. That’s the plan. By the time I make my way back to KY, the deep freeze should be over and I’ll get to enjoy some time with the grandsons without risking frozen fingers and toes.
Though I am looking forward to Cabo. K and I have been going there for 20+ years and we have it down to a science. We know what’s good about the place and what to avoid/ignore. A week spent watching whales from our back porch and sipping good tequila. One long day fishing offshore. A couple of good meals out, with restaurants that carry wines from Casa Madero, the oldest winery in the Americas (1597!) and one of the best. Some exercise each day in the resort’s well-furnished gym. Epic sunsets. Last year’s whale watching was superb, so it’ll be interesting to see if this year’s migration in and out of the Sea of Cortez is as active as 2025’s.
We’ll also make a trip to the desert late this month (or in mid-March), as we expect a superbloom this year. Lots of winter rain hit the Anza Borrego desert, and when that happens, the desert comes alive for a few weeks. Here’s a shot of a blooming Borrego from 2017 (with an iPhone 6!).
