I Didn’t Wish to Jinx it

                I have been quite lame about posting to my blog this summer.  The weather wipes me out.  Either I am so hot that I can’t think or I’m being sent to a coma by the a/c or fans . . . . or winds.  I have been feeling blessed with the lack of smoke that we have seen this month – although the last two days have brought a haze that I can barely see.  Richard and Jaime can smell it but I cannot.  I’ve had the windows open and just thought it was overcast.

               I’ve been checking the fire map and have not noticed any fires along I5.  Richard says this is blowing from the east of us and is the worst fire in all of Oregon history.  All the fires have been given names – usually after the area it is burning.  This one is called the Durkee Fire – just west of Boise, Idaho (here).  Oh, my heck! 

               We did have a fire in the neighborhood quite recently.  I missed my window of opportunity for taking pictures.  I did that on purpose hoping that it could be maintained and I we wouldn’t have to evacuate.  I heard the fire trucks and new it was close – but not so close that those who live in the adjoining neighborhood wouldn’t be able to get through on our street and would have to park their cars at the base of the hill.  I had never seen so many cars parked or people outside in the neighborhood since we moved in 2016.  But then again we didn’t have most of those neighbors before 2020.  Weird.

               I did not see the fire.  I don’t think I’ve ever seen the flames from any fire – only smoke.  White smoke at that – the water sprays were the same white color and the fire was out. I don’t know what happened but am very grateful that it was out shortly after the trucks arrived.  Perhaps I’ll create a follow up post if I should hear about what may have happened.

The Heat Was the Villain

        Disneyland was not as decked out as I had expected.  I had asked Jaime if she had seen any Villains.  She had but was disappointed that there hadn’t been more.  But then again it was hot.  Cast members dressed up and photographers available to take pictures.  Lines formed for that.  Oh, no way.  Too hot.  Just wait until I get home and photoshop myself in.

       So from the train I took the back of the entrance that we personally did not use. We saw Mickey, Minnie, Donald and Goofy in their Halloween attire.  I don’t know how long they had to be out there for.  Wearing those costumes would be its own challenge in cool weather.  I can’t imagine how much more hot they felt in 107 degree weather.

       Here are some photos taken from both my camera and Richard’s phone. 

this one found on Google images

Discover a Reason

        I just read my brother’s latest post in which he mentions paying fees towards a park that he never uses.  It is annoying paying fees for something in which you don’t feel a part.  For example there are many paying taxes for schools when they have no children.  Those who reside in Myrtle Creek pay taxes on a small airport.  I remember a man complaining about it. At the time I didn’t even realize there was an airport in Myrtle Creek.  And though it’s true that no commercial planes will ever land here, and I will never personally train to fly, I do reap benefits of having an airport so close to my house as I had mentioned in this post.

        My brother took a picture of himself at the park – I don’t know from the photo how big the park is or if there is a playground or walking trail available.  If so, I would think that it has the potential of being a good source of giving children or walkers a place away from traffic – more importantly a place away from mischief.  If the park didn’t exist, what would become of those who attend?  I have been to Las Vegas.  There is no way on God’s green earth that I would ever think of driving there!  I might not even feel safe as a pedestrian.  But I would be willing to take a stroll in the park.

        There are still a handful of children who can have fun without electronics.  I would rather have them playing at a designated playground than wandering in my yard out of curiosity.  I’m not saying having the park there will protect them from acts of crime, but think about it.  There is a reason.  Perhaps it isn’t as popular as it was when it was initially proposed . . . but still . . . just a thought really.

        Some drivers have complained about traffic lights and sharing the road with buses or trains or trolleys or whatever.  And yet, what if we didn’t have them?  How much heavier the traffic or more accidents as suggested in this post?

        If we didn’t have an airport in Myrtle Creek, where would the helicopters park during fire season? The heat gets unreal in the summertime – but not as bad as Las Vegas.  I have suggested to Steven several times that he and Isaias should move to Ashland.  I am certain that both could get jobs there and he would be more comfortable than in Vegas – though I don’t know if Isaias would feel the same way.  He would rather do the city driving than the country.  I’m sure he’d find his niche though.

Well, it was on my agenda . . .

 Though not necessarily today – it had to be done.  Still isn’t complete, but it has now become a family project that will need our attention – especially if Richard thinks he’ll have to watch TV.

I have been aware for some time that we would need to go through our evacuation bags – in the event that we will need them.  Richard has packed them so full that they are so heavy – especially his as he has extra items – such as a square pan.  Though small, it still makes it a challenge for closing the bag.  Also heavy.  So it has at least two purposes.  Cooking or a weapon for clobbering – should we feel the need.

We were looking for something specific but as long as two of them were open I thought I would pull out everything!  Why in the world do we feel the need for that many clothes?  Why not make a separate piece of luggage JUST for clothes?  Though that would not work if we are not all together.  Jai will be moving to Ashland in the fall.  I am certain that there will still be smoke in the air.  I wonder if she will be taking her vac-bag with her.  It seems like it would be a good idea.  I never had a bug-out bug when I went to college.  But I understood the importance.

I had gone to Ricks College. I was not yet in high school when the Teton flooded over Rexburg – but I had heard first hand events.  One was from a sister who had made quilts for charity.  She ended up donating one that she was not proud of.  She believed it was very ugly and was ashamed of having donated something that was beneath her standards.  When the floods happened on June 5, 1976, she, along with many neighbors, had evacuated their homes and were sent to higher ground to spend the night.  As the bedding was passed around, she started crying – probably for several reasons – but at the gratitude she felt for the quilt given to her was the very one that she thought was ugly and unworthy of her donation.

I told Jai that I didn’t think our clothes would fit us anymore.  We had to switch it out.  I noticed that one pair of pants I had saved needs to be washed.  But than again, if I have to use them, there are going to be several others in my same boat that may have only the clothes on their backs – which may be more soiled than the ones in my bag.  I certainly can’t do my nicest clothes – so I stick with the ugly ones – which fortunately I have never had to wear.  Not because they’re ugly but because I haven’t had need. We haven’t had to evacuate.  Others have. 

There are many who lost their homes back in 2020 when Corona stopped being the leading story because the fires were.  Not everybody has recovered still.  There are still people without homes.  Those who have lost all of their belongings – some that will never be replaced – like photos and other memorabilia.

I want the clothes on the bottom and all the heavy stuff on top.  The food needs to be rotated.  Some may need to be thrown out.  I don’t like that.  Some food can make it passed their expiration date.  I think water will always be good – but the containers will need to be replaced.  I feel fortunate that none of our bags are wet.

https://sopa.tulane.edu/blog/essential
-items-pack-hurricane-go-bag

The Skies Are Filled With Smoke and Helicopters

The airport is within walking distance. 

Each year we can hear the helicopters . 

Some are looking out. 

Most appear carry buckets that appear

to be half the size of the helicopter. 

Each year the chopper noise increases –

or seems to anyway.   

 

More than it did in 2019 when

the fires were so close and in

2017 when the entire state

was on fire.  We were surrounded

by smoke from every direction and

wouldn’t have been able to safely

evacuate as every direction had

fires burning.  Even last year. 

 

Smokey skies can sometimes make for

amazing sunsets.  I would rather not have

the amazing sunset and have no smoke. 

Bless the firefighters who risk their lives

to keep us safe.

Here is one that Jenna took

In the Blink of an Eye

I had made a purchase at Dollar General the other day.  The cashier asked if I would like a bag.  I had momentarily forgotten about the single –use-plastic ban that had been ordered just over a year ago. 

 

https://www.wastedive.com/news/oregon-governor

-signs-laws-banning-plastic-bags-straws/558262/

Dollar General gave out yellow bags before the end of 2019.  Recyclable gray ones were ordered.  They are not as appealing to the eye – nor do they fold over to line the trash can properly.  But they are definitely sturdier.  Five or ten cents per bag is still less than a state tax would be. 

 

I get why it was ordered.  There are so many people who are concerned about the environment and will properly dispose of trash.  There are just as many who are careless – some who just let things fall where they land and don’t bother with disposal.  Sometimes the litter is accidental – like when the wind blows and carries said item away.  I honestly have seen more masks littering the parking lots and streets than I have plastic bags or straws.  But I’ve had firsthand experience with the plastic bag issues.

Newborns are placed in car seats that face the rear of the car.  Today there are periscopes and cameras to check on the child but is still not made available to all who have children. If that did indeed exist sixteen years ago when Jenna was in that kind of car seat, it wouldn’t have been affordable to us as I imagine with many others who have children.

I had run some errands and had allowed the front windows down far enough to create a circulation but not so far down that it would affect Jenna – at least not directly.  Evidently there was enough air to blow a plastic bag onto her face.  She wasn’t harmed, thank goodness, but could have been if the car ride had been longer.

Plastics pollute more than just the ocean. I know some people felt inconvenienced and all too many seem to be upset with Kate Brown and some of her choices.  But then COVID hit and I don’t think a lot of people even considered the plastic ban as COVID is still a hot topic and thus everything in 2020 seemed to center around the disease or fire conditions and placing those that had become homeless due to the elements. 

There are still so many who seem to have it out for Kate Brown and the decisions that were made.  She had run under the democratic party but it was my understanding that it was the Republican party (or at least some of those who had been represented or claimed to be Republican) had campaigned to keep her on – though her name was not on the last ballot and so I don’t know what that was all about.

It’s not like any politician has had a course in how to handle a worldwide pandemic.  I have no issues with Kate Brown or her policies.  I think she is doing the best she can for the welfare of most everybody involved.  I would not have her job for anything.

Smokey Haze

 When I laid down on Sunday night

I could see the stars

I have not seen the sky since then.

It’s hazy in the morning. 

Eerie fog

And when the fog disappears

Hazy Sky

Smoke from the California fires.

And we still don’t have the worst of it.

I could smell the smoke through the window

Two weeks ago when it was combined with

Oregon fires.

I don’t smell it now.  But I can see the haze.

It’s like a taking a beautiful scenic picture

With a dirty lens.

Hodgepodge of Thoughts

  

        I have been thinking of an assortment of things lately – none seem post worthy however.  I haven’t come up with any great ways to transfer my thoughts.  So perhaps I’ll just assign numbers.

 

1.     I’ve driven many mornings without having to deal with school buses and I always forget.  Thus I have been leaving the house a wee bit earlier in order to pick up Jenna who does go to seminary in person – at least for the time being.

2.     On our return we pass the middle school which has always had a flashing light signal before the turn.  But I have not seen the signal since mid-summer.  I told the crossing guard about it.  Thus far it isn’t working still.

3.     I’ve seen a lot more construction signs and reflective cones set up all over Myrtle Creek.  And they somehow become permanent additions as they had in Utah traffic.  I don’t like that.

4.     At the end of August Douglas County was instructed to turn all fire meters to extreme.  We’ve had over twenty-five fires across the state.  I think we are down to seven now. Our country meters have gradually gone down.  This morning the MCFD was set to moderate and now they have been set to low.  But this is still considered fire season so the restrictions are still in force.

The horrible air quality has been surrounding the state for over a month now, but Myrtle Creek got only a taste of it for two weeks or so before it rained.  The skies have been overcast and the air is more breathable and appears to be clean.  Fog no longer mingled with smoke – though there is smoke north and east of us.

5.     We see helicopters flying with their buckets.  It seems like the fires are further to make such a trip to fill the buckets and haul the water to where the fires are burning.  At least we’re told that the tough winds that we recently had did not spread the fires any.  Most of them are at least 50% contained.

6.     Before the month started the news channels started off the program with the newest and total of coronavirus cases.  After the month started fires were the leading story and cornona cases weren’t reported until after the first commercial break like it was an after thought of “oh, yea, and by the way . . .” almost as though COVID had disappeared.  But it was back to the first report and then the fires

7.     I have not returned to work.  I’ll wait until flu season and Christmas break if I do decide to return.  With these new hearing aids it is probably not a good idea as I haven’t gotten used to them yet.  Or at least the right one – which is the one I really need.  I think I’m okay without the left one right now.  As though the hearing aid isn’t challenging enough I will have to learn to wear them with a mask.  Doesn’t that sound fun?

8.     Saw the black flag as a symbol of our divided nation (politically) and had some Pharisees (my new nickname for Trump supporters) rattle on about the evils of abortion if I voted for Biden as though that is the one and only thing his campaign is built upon.  Beats dictatorship.  But I never said anything about Biden.  I never said anything about race.  But the Pharisees don’t understand that the definition of a civil war is a war between two organized groups living in the same state or nation and does not necessarily have to do with race.

9.     I’ll go on facebook to post a little trivial fact about a past president or presidency.  I will no longer be viewing news feed.

The Elements and Aftermath of 2020 (thus far)

 

The air is thick and white where I live.  

*abc - Portland

Other parts of Oregon are yellow and orange – like San Francisco.  

share from facebook

I doubt there is any blue sky that can be seen on the entire west coast.  

*abc news

*abc - California

Forget COVID.  Forget politics and presidential candidates.  People have lost their homes in more way than one. They’ve either been burnt to the ground or criminals have come to ransack and destroy their houses in other ways.  Aside from material possessions which can be replaced are sentiments that are lost.

# AP Photo/Paula Bronstein

I was watching abc news that provided the following:

 I remember the air quality in 2017 not being so great – and according to this chart 2018 was even worse and 2020 is the worst year yet.  I had heard about how bad it was but did not share in bad air quality until after Labor Day.  I feel blessed that this is the worse it has gotten for me personally as much of the rest of the state suffers with an air quality more hazardous than ours.  And it is hazardous than ours.  

This hazardous air quality did not exist for us until after Labor Day and then descended quickly.

They had set up for an evacuation for those that live in Glide – only that became hazardous as well.  Now they are at the Douglas Fair Grounds.  There has been such a great out pour of generosity to those who have been evacuated and don’t know if they will even be able to return to once was their.  community. Neighborhood are gone – just as neighborhoods have been destroyed by Hurricane Laura.  

*abc Philidelphia

the atlantic

# photos cropped from KVAL 

photographer Austin Johnson

Bizarre whether in Wyoming too – though I don’t know if anyone has had to evacuate due to an early snow.

*recording abc facebook page

 What a nightmare 2020 has been

Photos retrieved from facebook,  *screenshots from abc facebook page  

# AP Photo/Paula Bronstein here and KVAL's Austin Johnson here

Labor Day Stars and Air Quality

         Just six and a half months before the pandemic Roland, Jenna and I had gone to Bandon.  And yet it feels like decades ago since we made that trip on Labor Day weekend last year. I did not think about that Labor Day until yesterday when I was looking for a picture of the fog. 

        We chose not to go anywhere this year due to COVID.  When Labor Day had turned into night I was lying in bed and looking up at the stars.  What a beautiful sight to see stars all summer.  I didn’t realize that Labor Day would be my last opportunity even though I spent several minutes admiring the twinkles (which appeared to be twinkling as the fan had been lightly moving the blinds).

The next day the RS pres. had picked up to attend a mini-RS meeting.  We’ve had four now beginning in Canyonville, Riddle, Working sisters, and Tri-City.  Will have one more in Myrtle Creek.  I enjoyed the scenery as we were outdoors.  The light breeze was inviting.  The skies were clear on the drive home.  But sometime between 1:00 and 1:30 the smoke crept over the mountains until they seemed to disappear.

Sometimes fog and smoke will appear the same as both distort our vision.  But fog is clean and rises. I don’t have any problems breathing in the moist clean air.  Smoke descends – it envelopes and lingers.  Smoke is not pleasant.  It chokes. It destroys.  It does assist with cool colors sometimes.  But it’s certainly not worth what the fires take away.

From earlier posts I am sharing these pictures of the fog and the smoke:

Sept 5, 2019 fog Bandon Beach

Sept 5, 2019 Bandon

Tri City Smoke Sep 2017

Bandon fog

smoke Myrtle Creek

the worst the smoke has ever appeared 2017

2017 before masks were a required fashion statement

current Star Mountain fire cropped from KZEI photo

    

 Our hometown has not been surrounded by smoke and fire as it was in 2017.  I don't recall the governor issuing evacuation orders in 2017 as the hot topic that's been presented this year.  We have been told that the entire state are at Level 1: be prepared to leave Level 2: pack up to head out and Level 3: LEAVE RIGHT NOW.  

We are at a level 1 saddly there have been and continue to be several at Level 3.

Swallowed Up

 

                                                this photo shows the opposite.  Sky is white and sun is blood red

Evacuations are taking place all around the state

Douglas County has had some fires

Douglas County is large and so we aren’t always

directly infected at Myrtle Creek and have not seen

smoke all summer and so I can’t complain about it

only today did the smoke swallow the mountains

It almost feels overcast outside and yet

there's a yellow/orange/white reflection from the sky.

The smoke has left the sun with an awesome glow that has an

eerie feel to it when it peers through my windows like

in science fiction movies when the aliens are

about to invade.  But it is 2020 after all. 

The last six months have seemed like a

work of science fiction.  I think it looks like this on

the entire west coast right now.

This all took place within a matter of minutes.  I can now barely see the house across the street.  I guess we'll be using masks not only for COVID but to hopefully breath under all this enveloping smoke. (cough, cough)

The Heat is ON

from https://www.stephanh.com/2018/07/03/helicopter-role-forest-fires/

            The river beds are already low

          Now there’s a fire in Days Creek

          I heard the helicopters this morning

          I don’t hear them anymore

          Could that mean that the fire is out?

          Now if we could just get this pandemic fire

Under control

Helicopter passed again before I added the pictures.  Days Creek is further away so it takes them longer.