from Turtle Lake to L.A. with love

I woke up after a restful night in Turtle Lake, rolled over and checked my phone. I saw news of the Pacific Palisades fire in Los Angeles, I felt like any peace I had was drained instantaneously. My heart ached. Nervously I proceeded to doom scroll the news, the feeling of paralysis from too much information taking hold. I took a deep breath and thought about my mom, downstairs in the living room, drinking coffee, waiting for us to get up and join her. If you are reading this, you most likely know that my mom has ALS. My only New Years Resolution being to spend time as much as possible with her from now until….? I’m honestly not sure how to juggle all the feelings I have these days. Watching my mom deteriorate and thinking about my beloved LA burning and the worry about people I know losing everything, people I don’t know losing everything, wondering how people move through such traumatic times…it’s all just so much. I don’t have the answers.

Interesting that I was with my parents in Wisconsin while I watched thru my phone my old home burning out of control. Interesting because, my parents are actually a big reason why I fell so hard for that immense sprawling city. My first year I lived in Los Angeles was difficult to put it mildly. It’s not a place I ever thought I’d move to, to be honest. I thought I was more of an East Coast gal and had dreams of moving to New York City from Minneapolis. But life had other plans for me. My boyfriend at the time got a job offer in Los Angeles and since we already lived together it seemed like I was supposed to go with. So I did.

I had been working at a natural food co-op store in Minneapolis called The Wedge and when I landed in Los Angeles there was a grocery store strike happening. Not wanting to cross the picket line I was suddenly very unemployed and spending my days trying to find work while swatting away the roaches that infested our tiny apartment in Silver Lake on Rowena Ave. My parents came to visit about a year into my “new life!” in LA. My Mom and Dad had a whole itinerary planned and boy did we cram a lot into that one week visit. They knew what the city had to offer- world class museums, incredible food, to fascinating cemeteries, an unforgettable walking tour of the old theater district of downtown LA and a visit to the Huntington Garden in Pasadena. I was forever changed. I am forever grateful. They opened my eyes to what surrounded me in that vast, diverse city of angels. Los Angeles welcomed me with open arms and I hold her dearly in my heart to this day.

~Adelle

Listen to our episode today as we share about our visit in Wisconsin and 4 track man sings a mournful tune for dear Altadena.

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My parents during one of their visits to Los Angeles. 2010

(not the roach apartment thankfully!)

Commercial free episode and Altadena “song” below.