“September days have the warmth of summer in their briefer hours,
But in their lengthening evening a prophetic breath of Autumn.”
~“September Days,” Rowland E. Robin

Summer is not complete without an outdoor concert. The L.A. area offers a myriad of excellent ones. Thursday night found us at the Hollywood Bowl. The traffic and maddening crowds prior to finding our seats were soon forgotten. If there exists a “heaven on earth,” this is the place.

In past years, we attended earlier in the concert season when the evening was warmer. This year, the calendar said summer, the Hollywood Bowl program read “Appalachian Spring” and the cooler weather of the concert night suggested the approach of fall. A sweater and cup of coffee were much appreciated.

The above conditions lasted just a short time, though. Within days after of our evening at “The Bowl,” a September heat wave hit full blast. Into the pool and up with the a/c once again.

As mentioned last week, I would continue to write about the Aug. 29 power outage. We were one of the 216 homes affected. Blackouts during the summer time are typically weather or heat related; this particular one was due to a downed power pole at the 210 freeway off-ramp at La Crescenta Avenue.  No matter the cause – wind, lightening, rain, power usage, earthquake, animal or human – the outcome is the same. Food in the refrigerator gets warm and people get cold. As the sun sets, homes are left dark.

Our experience from two weeks ago begins here. Being summer, cold temperatures were not a factor. Preventing frozen food and other perishable foods from going bad was key as was maneuvering around the house in the dark.

Like many, we were not well prepared for a relatively simple six-hour power outage.  While dining at a nearby restaurant (with power) that night, we made a plan. The following is a very simple, short-term emergency list of items we used. Also a few ideas for organizing them, while the lights are still on!

Short Term, Non Emergency Essentials

LED battery flash lights

Wall mount rechargeable LED flashlight

Candles and lighter (use with caution)

LED camping lantern

Generator 2,000-5,000 watts – mainly for refrigerator

Our challenge was locating these items in the dark. So may I suggest ideas? Keep flashlights in every room, including bathrooms in the same place all the time (not easy to do). Our wall mounted rechargeable flashlight is centrally placed in the main hall. Candles are second choice, especially around children and animals.

Generators are not cheap, but food loss and peace of mind aren’t either. And always follow directions for gasoline use and storage.

(For a complete list, contact www.redcross.org)

Abby and Micky (my sons’ dog) were panicked, so keep close watch of your pets.

Summer’s time is running out. Does the weather know this? It seems so, as every degree of its heat is being used in these last days. In the words of the National Weather Service, “We’ll be looking at widespread triple digits … 105-107 degrees in the valleys through the middle of next week.” Peak days are expected Saturday and Sunday. The NWS is also watching the approach of Odile moving up the Baja coast, bringing possible afternoon thunderheads and storms into our area.

Sorry, no cooling rains.

Sue Kilpatrick is a
Crescenta Valley resident and
Official Skywarn Spotter for the
National Weather Service. Reach her at  suelkilpatrick@gmail.com.