An advantage of having a cat.

July and August are the stormy season here. We had a considerable wind storm before the rains came a few evenings ago. I was surprised the next morning to see no more damage in the immediate neighborhood than my own trash and recycling cans blown over. Just on the far side of the park, they weren't so lucky. Back from the street, a quite large brick shed (think a six or seven car garage) collapsed. I noticed it because of a police "convention" out on the street. They were probably there to make sure no one had been in the shed when it fell. The sides and front were gone and the roof sat squarely on piles and piles of stuff that had been stored inside, from one end to the other. By the time I drove by again the police were gone and a truck from our city code enforcement was lurking in the area. They may have just left a notice that the mess had to be cleaned up. But if the owners were even marginally aware of what happened, I suspect they already knew their stuff was out in the open.

At any rate, between the two trips past the wreck of the shed. I was at the store. Compared to the peaceful mostly untouched neighborhoods I'd driven through to get there, the parking lot looked like a calamity. Broken trees everywhere. Commercial landscapers here love to use a particular hearty, native tree that doesn't take much water. Unfortunately, out in the desert the tree grows down to the ground to shade it's own roots, which would cover a lot of parking space. So the trimmers trim back to the trunk up above the height of a truck that might park underneath, just like they would in the Midwest, dreadfully weakening these desert trees. So when the wind blows, and it blew very hard the other night, the trees just shred. There was still plenty of parking between the many downed limbs.

I got out of the car and walked into the store. As I walked along there was a familiar foul odor that I automatically associate with storms here. I thought for a minute about what could cause this storm related smell. Couldn't place it. But on my way out I noticed some of the store's trash cans were upset in the parking lot, and it was the typical garbage smell that lingers even when there is no garbage in the can. This morning I set out my trash for the city to pick up. I came back out with an extra little bag I'd collected a little later, opened the can, and was as usual greeted with no reeking garbage can smell. Why? The cat. His kitty litter is made with baking soda and a mild perfume, making the outside garbage can faintly smell nice. ;o)