California Myths
Woman in the Middle | May 6, 2013Someone commented on one of my blog posts and used the term “Cali” as in “I know someone who lives in Cali.” For some reason this has amused the heck out of me. “Cali” sounds so cool and hip and everything that California is supposed to be, but probably isn’t. I decided that I should break a few dream bubbles and mention some myths about California that may just not be true.
1. The weather is fantastic all the time. Yes, we don’t have snow, so if your definition of fantastic weather is no snow then yes, we have fantastic weather all the time. I challenge you to experience a 110 degree day in August where I live and see how you feel after that. But California is a diverse place. You ought to try San Francisco some time. Mark Twain once said “The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco.”
2. We are all a bunch of bleeding heart liberals. Oh, this one is so funny! In inland Southern California we live in a bastion of conservatism some claim is the legacy of all those Midwesterners who moved here during the Dust Bowl. The liberal folks tend to cluster near the beach and up around San Francisco.
3. We are all tan. Not with the skin cancer in my family. I am aiming for white verging on clear. You better wear sunglasses if I am in shorts!
4. We are all in foreclosure. No, not really. If you didn’t use your house like an ATM or get sucked into some crazy mortgage those banks were foisting off on us, then no foreclose on the horizon.
5. Earthquakes don’t bother us. Well, this one is kind of true. They are better than snow and tornadoes. And if it isn’t above a 5.0 is really isn’t worth talking about.
6. We elect crazy men for governor. Some things we can’t escape. Any state that elects the Terminator as Governor is going to get a reputation. And that reputation is well deserved.
7. There are movie and television stars every where. That would be fun, wouldn’t it? Too bad it isn’t true. Maybe if I lived in Malibu, but out my way you never see them. They are beach dwelling creatures and I don’t live at the beach.
Do you have any preconceived notions about California? I would love to hear them so I can tell you if they are true or not!
How about oranges? Do you have orange trees in your back yard! I love citrus fruit!
I live in an area that was the center of the citrus industry from about 1880 up until the 1970s so my area is very suited to citrus trees. I have an orange tree and a lemon tree, but they are in my front yard! Lots of people I know have some sort of citrus tree in their yard. But not everyone, surprisingly. They aren’t that hard to grow here as long as you give them enough water!
When I was a teen visiting relatives in Louisiana, everyone thought I must be a surfer as I came from California. Blame the Beach Boys for that one.
When I was a teen visiting relatives in Louisiana, everyone thought I must be a surfer. Blame that one on the Beach Boys.