breaking news

[AllaN01Bear]

i went out to take out my kitchen trash to the dumpster @ our apartment complex . ( live a hour away from yosemite national park in sonora ca) the nasty fergusen fire has been raging. I SAW BLUE SKIES AND CLOUDS FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 29 DAYS yabbba dabba dooo. kudos to the fire fighters .

[rurallib]

1. that is some good news!

[iluvtennis]

2. Great news.

[forgotmylogin]

3. That's so good.

I was in Florida one year of a big wildfire and you couldn't breathe outside for a week without smelling it. The day that cleared was righteous.

[a kennedy]

4. OMGAWD.......love the firemen and women in your area.

and isn’t it true that the weather can really make or break our attitudes???

[1cheapbeemr]

5. Here in OC we had just a few days of that

Can't imagine a month...

[calimary]

6. Fingers crossed for the firefighters!

And for everybody in fire country.

I know how utterly unnerving and helpless that feels. Even if the fire doesn’t get near you. Absolutely helpless. You can’t just levitate your house out of the danger zone. Or summon some magic shield to protect it.

You start thinking about how to feel resigned and accepting if you lose everything. You start imagining that and other worst-case scenarios. You start packing a box or large bag of “MUST keep” stuff. You start mentally sorting what sentimental or precious objects you’ll have room to take or that you better learn to live without. You start wondering how long to hold out. When to gas up the car. What food to grab. Should you go to the bank and get some cash to set aside - and how soon? Or should you try to put it out of your mind and not worry about it? And you’re a LOT more keenly aware of where your pets are, in case of need to grab them in a hurry. You go into survivalist mode. It’s freaky.

I’m lucky. No fire ever got too close. But I did put that box together - of photos I’d never want to part with.