Beneath the Wraps

                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!     ...

                August is near its end.   September creeping in.              We’ve had fires this late before.    Smoke billows from the south over the hills.                   It’s hazy.                                      It’s hot.    Please let it rain.

                         The skies have appeared blue the last couple of days.   White clouds for the most part – though there was a large cloud of smoke billowing over the hills.   Evidently it moved on its way though I don’t know where.   One of the water fitness attendees comes from Winston.   She said she almost did not attend this morning because of the smoke (I don’t know which fire) but it was clear in Myrtle Creek.           Carolyn had us work out in the deep end as the wind continued to blow.   It made the class more spread out though there were only ten of us – five or six less than usual.   If all the regulars were to turn out at the same time, there would probably be over 25 of us.            I’ve been taking naps in the afternoon and am still tired.   Jaime and I tried to walk Bonnie just ...

  I feel like it is a safe guess to say that my family has been to Yellowstone at least 15 times from the time I was born and up until my father ’ s death.     I remember fires having closed Yellowstone Park – but never flooding.   This weather has been so strange. I know that I mentioned how tired I get each time the wind blows.   I don ’ t know why it has sent me into a coma so often – like I ’ m taking sleeping pills that knock me out into another week.   The fact that it really does happen is strange.   I also get hot whenever it rains.   When I am sound asleep and the rain is pounding on the roof, it is not the sound that wakes me up.     It is the rising temperature in my body.   Why does it do that?   Why would I get hot when the rain itself is so cold?   That is also strange.   I never referred to the summer as “ fire season ” until I mov...

Jenna starts school tomorrow and had hoped to have less hair to deal with.   I had set up an appointment for each of us to get our hair thinned out – though I wondered if it we better just to recreate the pandemic hair from last year. Because we were already out and Jenna hadn’t gotten the schedule that would supposedly be sent out by August 27 (that was the original plan anyway. Tomorrow is the first day of school and no schedule has been identified. I told Jenna we could swing by the high school to see if we could figure out the source of the problem.   Walking to the school from the street made for an interesting challenge all by itself.   This is a view of the high school parking lot: I seriously have my doubts about this being finished tonight and ready for the students who drive to school tomorrow.   COVID is the source of vacant schedules. Only the freshmen who started today have the schedules.   Still working on grades 10 – 12) After I returne...

 Do you see the hot pink that this permit used to be? It faded in the heat or was choked by the smoke

  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...

            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 enjoye...

                                                  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...

                Yesterday was overcast when I went to the pool.   I prefer going there when the skies are grey with moisture and not sun that blinds.   We are all hoping that the overcast skies and humidity will help with the fire.                 The fire started near the 97 mile marker less than 10 miles south of where I live.   The news reports that it had been started by an illegal camp fire.   It is the closest fire we have ever had and yet the air quality has been better than any other summer . . . for us anyway.   The smoke is thick and black and horrible to the south.   The smoke has infected Glendale, Grants Pass and of course Medford (has there been a summer yet that smoke hasn’t invaded Medford?)   Reports say the smoke has made its way as far as Ashland.   Oh, my word . . . I didn’...