This past weekend, before carving the lone pumpkin at our house, I spent some time doing some cleaning.

If you remember early last week the winds kicked up. The AQMD had actually issued some health warnings addressing the winds and how they could adversely affect people with respiratory or similar health problems. Mary O’Keefe and I were sitting in our office as the winds began to blow and, looking out the window, it looked like a fog was coming our way because the winds were blowing so fiercely, kicking up all the silt in the foothills. Coming home after dark, I turned on the exterior light at the house. Glancing outside it almost looked like snow was falling the ash was so thick.

The effects didn’t end when the winds did, either.

No surprise that everything outside was covered in dirt. Not just dirt, either, but that black, sooty, silty residue that is coming off our foothills.

And we’d better get used to it.

As my husband was tackling the outside mess, I was dealing with the indoors. We have tile floors and they had become covered with a fine dusting of foothill filth. The kids had fun running across the tile in their socks, skidding across the floor like skim boards at the beach.

I don’t know if it’s the same for you, but trying to clean this stuff up is a nightmare. I swept, swiffered then mopped. Whereas generally I’m able to mop an area, then rinse, and go over a new area, this foothill junk does not come up that easily. I had to go over a small area more than once, wring out the mop, and revisit the same area. Yuck!

I know that at one point I looked at the dust and asked myself why the heck was I going to the trouble. The next time the wind blows, I’ll be dealing with it all again anyway. However that brought to mind the question of why wash the dishes when they’re just going to get dirty again.

Enough said.

At least I know that I’m in good company – neighbor.

Robin Goldsworthy is the publisher of the Crescenta  Valley Weekly. She can be  reached at robin@cvweekly.com or (818) 248-2740.