It's cooler today but the sky is still grey and some smoke remains. I feel for all those people — mostly women, children and those with health conditions — who are out of their homes and moved to shelters in Saskatchewan cities. The men of their communities have stayed to fight the fires.
I'm also thinking about all the very young wildlife that won't have made it out of the flames and smoke. Many will have perished.
Here, Dad's coming over for lunch so I have to come up with something to eat. It will be my breakfast, so ... eggs and toast? He's probably already had that today. Hm.
Also, see EVERETT FINDS A THING. For what he finds humorous or entertaining.
And sometimes, so do I.
Today it's not workplace-friendly.
Thanks for the visit.
ReplyDeleteI had to scroll back a bit to get the smoke part, since I am woeflly out of touch with news most of the time. I hate to think of animals not making it through the fires and also feel badly for the displaced folks.
I'm a beat or two behind with blog reading. I'm scurrying all over the place - here and Nina's and everywhere!
ReplyDeleteIn 1993 I was living in Laguna Beach, CA when a huge fire took over 350 homes. There was a forced evacuation, yet somehow or another, I remained. I was an apartment dweller at the time so it wasn't like I was about to do heroics to protect my dirt. I also drove a small VW, so I couldn't haul much to safety. I remember looking at the hilltop behind my place. Flames were marching along the rim. I knew that in an instant, the firestorm (aptly named because fires rage and roar like a storm and are as unpredictable) could race down the hillside and consume me. That frequently happens to people who think there's enough distance between them and the flames. It's chilling to me even now to think about it.
I grabbed mu children's baby books. My computer discs. My mother's portrait. I stood at my front door and said, "Goodbye" to all my *things*. I then drove about 2 miles or so to my boss's home and hunkered down with his family until the storm passed.
Remarkably, unbeknownst to me, the winds shifted as I drove away from my place. My tiny life was spared. The smoke and ash fell for days. My apartment was a sooty mess. I hadn't taken the time to close the windows... I'd fled for my life.
All of this is to say that when I saw your photos, a flood of memories came to me. Fires are a terror. Laguna Beach smoldered for a long time. Mother Nature returned quite quickly, though - the canyons and hills sprouted perky green shoots within days. Remarkable.
Oh, and like you, I was sickened to think of the panic and death of all the wildlife. *sigh*