Fire Nearby

There is a wildfire 5 miles south of our home in Santa Clarita, California. The helicopters and Super Scooper Water dropping airplanes are flying overhead. (Gee, doesn't this sound familiar, like a month ago? Sigh...) Luckily the wind is blowing the smoke away from us, but you can see it on the ridgeline. I am mentally packing our evacuation even though it very, very unlikely as I do not live in a "burn area" and the fire is far away (by fire standards, that is.) It's a reflex to start preparing, kind of like a sneeze or going under a desk when there is an earthquake tremor. (Another bonus of living in California!!)
It feels surreal because as this mental gathering is occurring, so is the normal Saturday. The kids are still asleep, my husband is referreeing a soccer game, and I am doing chores. It's beautiful outside, 65 degrees, sunny, crystalline blue sky with no clouds.
Mother Nature in California provides gorgeous mountains, The Pacific Ocean, wonderful weather, incredible flora and fauna, and the immutable fact that She is One Who Must Be Obeyed.
I will hold good thoughts for the families that have lost their homes, our Firefighters, and of course, our wildlife. I will also pray for rain, we haven't had substantial rainfall in 8 months.

"Men plan, God/dess laughs." Unknown

Wildfire Season aka Summer in SoCal

You know it's summer in Southern California when you have triple digit heat and you hear the whirl of Fire Department helicopters overhead. They are dropping water on a brush fire about 8 miles away. We do have four seasons in Southern California and they are Earthquakes, Mudslides, Wildfires, and Smog. You learn to keep your emergency supplies ready and your gas tank full. The price of living in paradise, I suppose.



(This photo is from the fires last October, not this current one.)