I usually have some breeze blowing through my back yard from the West, but on Thursday when 50 mph winds were predicted, there was nothing, not even a zephyr.

I was so worried about the predicted high winds I called Darrell Wise to check my neighbor's eucalyptus trees to make sure they wouldn't come crashing down on my house. Darrell said a few branches might be knocked loose but nothing serious would happen.

After the storm TV news reported on several downed trees including a large eucalyptus that crashed into a house. I think it was a board and care facility for seniors. Fortunately for me Darrell was right, as usual, and only a few branches fell onto my neighbor's roof. Nothing fell on my house or yard.

That's the trouble with these regional weather forecasts. There might be high winds and flooding in San Francisco or the North Bay, but not here. Still we are told all of the possible danger when there wasn't any here, or at least none I saw in my neighborhood. All that fell was the rain.

My grass-less back yard is one giant mud puddle. I have rain boots to slog through the mud, but that's all I need. Even the rain, while steady, wasn't wind whipped; so it wasn't unpleasant to go outside, but some cities announced school closures.

I can remember snow days in New Rochelle when we had a heavy snowfall and schools would be closed for a day or even two days. I would look out the window of my parents' second-story bedroom at a blanket of fluffy white snow covering everything. It was a beautiful sight.

But it wasn't so beautiful to walk around outside in the cold, trying not to fall on a slippery sidewalk, or shoveling 3-4' of snow from the walkway. I have not missed snow days in the forty years I've lived in California, but now I am seriously considering moving to Maine.

I'm not aging as well as my mother. I don't like driving after dark, and since my accident last year, I get nervous driving even in the daytime. I will need a retirement home soon.

I know there are good places here, but the one mother is in is exceptional. Mother is always good at finding the best. So I shall get on the waiting list when I visit her next year. It can take three to five years for an apartment to become available. So I won't be moving right away, and I don't have to accept the first one offered. I could even change my mind about moving at all.

I love my little house and the view of the hills from my back windows. I went out back yesterday afternoon to check for any damage. Everything was in exactly the same place it was before this storm. I looked over the fence to see if South San Ramon Creek was raging, but the water was down to a trickle.

The TV News showed videos of downed trees and flooded mobile home parks. San Ramon seems to have escaped most of the damage. I hope everyone else had a wet but safe week and can look forward to a safe and happy holiday season.