Is Santa real? Many of us in the SCV are thinking he just might be. After well over a decade of “effort” the United States House of Representatives has voted to stop Cemex from mining in Soledad Canyon. All those years and it is really so simple.

But … the Senate still has to vote on it, and then if they approve it, it’s off to the president to sign into law. So until then, let’s keep the “Thank You” banners off if the paseo overpasses. OK? Plus, it looks like we can’t use the old ones anyway. Maybe we can paint over the “Buck” and replace it with “Barb.”

What in the heck was so hard about this? I don’t care. We can celebrate when the bill is signed into law at last. Keep the cards, emails and letters going to the senators. All of them. We know how DiFi and Barb are voting. Let’s make sure the others know.

Did you know there were less than 20 minutes of “debate” on the House floor about the bill? Yes, nearly 15 years were reduced to 20 minutes of speeches. Let’s hope the Senate can work it as fast.

Does this mean “Take the Buck” won’t be getting a job with lobbyists who advocate for mining?

Actually, it is a good trade. Cemex moves to a place that wants it, and we keep our river safe, roads clear of additional truck traffic, and, well, I’ve got one less subject to write about. I can hardly wait until I’ve got nothing to write concerning Cemex. I know all y’all can hardly wait until I stop writing about it, too.

Then we still have our cross-town transportation problem. Did you know the city of Santa Clarita has looked into a light rail system for just that purpose? We know there are added surface streets on the planned and unfunded list to get us from the 14 to Newhall faster. They, too, will come to pass, and they, too, will become a stoplight mecca. Just how many lights can one road have?

I don’t mind the stoplights as long as they don’t have the cameras, too. Hey, City Council: Can you cancel that contract for the red-light cameras? When you do, can I get a refund on the ticket I paid? The red light cameras stink. That is all I have to say about that.

I hope all y’all are staying dry today. It is going to be a wet and windy one. It started last night and will continue most of the day. Be safe and don’t drive anyplace unless you really have to. Since it might rain next week, too, I hear there will be lessons in the use of umbrellas at COC. It is a one-unit class. The past couple of years, it was conducted while using sprinklers. This year it will be using an all-natural water supply.

As I was walking from my Jeep to my front door last night, the mist had already started by about 9 p.m. Is this the day the Jeep gets washed? If it’s warm enough, I’ll take out an old towel to get some of the mud off while it is raining. The wind was a lot like what I experienced before a storm in Kentucky and Virginia. After the wind came the pouring rain. It did remind me of Hurricane Isabel, which in 2003 was one of the costliest storms ever to hit that state.

To listen to the East Coast folks talk about our earthquakes, one would think those things happen every day. But until you’ve hunkered down inside your home while for at least 12 hours and winds of 75 mph to 105 mph blow against it, you can’t imagine what it is like. I felt and heard the winds here last night. Not much compared to that hurricane. It was just a little scary.

My youngest son lives maybe 8 miles from the coast in Virginia Beach, Va. At the time of Hurricane Isabel, we lived nearly 35 miles inland. We lost power in the first three hours. My son and his family never lost it at all.

I like running a generator after a storm. Not. It had enough power to keep the refrigerator running and to make a pot of coffee. Camp stoves provided our cooking capabilities. The house was brick, and everything stayed intact with the roof and trim. Had two trees get blown over, but I was able to pull them back into place and they are still there today.

I won’t move back. I dread the thought of watching the hurricane move up the coast as I wonder if it is going to strike where I live. That is a terrible feeling.

I found myself the last couple of days watching this storm develop. How quickly I fell into the old habit of checking the weather and storm conditions every hour. As it moved down the coast, it was like I felt when I lived in Virginia. Where is it now, and how long before it gets here?

It did get here. We need the rain. All is well.

So we get rid of Cemex. That is the good news – but the bad news is that the Dodgers traded Matt Kemp to San Diego. Now that is something Congress and the president can’t fix. Not even by executive order.

And for those of you that missed my quips about this other subject: Let me just say, “Billboards.”

That is all. Carry on. I’ll be in the area all day.

Darryl Manzer grew up in the Pico Canyon oil town of Mentryville in the 1960s and attended Hart High School. After a career in the U.S. Navy he returned to live in the Santa Clarita Valley. He can be reached at dmanzer@scvhistory.com. His older commentaries are archived at DManzer.com; his newer commentaries can be accessed [here]. Watch his walking tour of Mentryville [here].