The End of a (Grassy) Era (week 455)

This week was a sad one in that we had to say goodbye to an old friend (or at least 900 square feet of it), our front lawn.  Because of the big drought, families across Long Beach and Southern California have been tearing out their lawns and replacing them with drought tolerant and native plants.  Before we left for New York, we got word that the City Water Department had approved our design to replace most of the lawn with a new design.  After weeks of resisting it, mom and dad went on the rampage Saturday morning to tear out the lawn and parkway so that it could be converted into something more drought tolerant.  It was a sad day, but also a sign of the times for all Southern Californians.

In addition to the drought, we have been experiencing extreme heat all week in Long Beach with temperatures hitting 100 on some days.  We finally broke down and installed an air conditioner (just one tiny unit) in our living room window.  It got so hot that we all slept in the living room one night and eventually moved the air conditioner into Chris and my bedroom so that we could sleep through the night.  We thought that Summer was over, but mother nature has another plan.

It was also the Opening Day of AYSO 114 soccer season at Heartwell Park.  Dad had been taking classes online and even in-person for weeks to get ready for the season as our coach and a referee so that we could earn points toward the playoff tournament.  We have also already practiced 7 times, and got the Pirates heading in the right direction for Opening Day. Although very anti-climactic, we had pictures and kicked off the season this weekend. Afterwards, we watched USC win its 2nd game (blowout) of the season at our house as college football and now the NFL is in full swing.  The Angels on the other hand are making one last gasp to try and make the playoffs after a huge collapse following the All Star break. With school, football, soccer, and the end of baseball near, it really feels like Fall has begun.