fire and brimstone

In the past few days there have been over 500 fires in northern California (read here and here). A drier than normal winter and a hotter than normal spring/early summer have made the grasses and trees more vulnerable.

Sunlight, which is usually bright and clear, is now hazy and casting an alien orange hue onto everything.

I won't be biking or walking until this clears up. My husband's office shut down their air conditioning to keep out the heavy smoke (he is a only a few miles from many of the fires). Keep good thoughts for the hundreds of fire fighters working the fast-burning fires in air temperatures of 90 to 100 (F) degrees.