Hello, August Heat

 

Always a rebel, even in the bovine crowds. 

Seventy-five degrees at 4:30 this morning. 

We are now beginning the third month with temperatures almost every day in the 90s. 

Twas a sleepless, hot night for many. 

A scary night for others in the Trestle Creek area who received evacuation orders.  

No Rain. 😢😢😢😢 

At this household, dogs first barked at 11:30 p.m. but soon quit. 

Only later did I learn that Bill, the same guy who drives around the neighborhood in the middle of the night when the power goes out to see who else doesn't have lights, had left the house to drive to a spot where he could see the fires clearly burning in at least three locations along the Cabinet Mountains. 

After all, Bill's a forester, and trees burning up in the mountains are just as devastating to him as power outages.

Later, around 1:30, after hearing more dog barking, I got up and wondered where the heck Bill was.

I went outside and saw a sizeable red inferno in the mountains directly east of our driveway (Bill's been calling the Trestle Creek complex of fires the "Driveway Fire.)" 

I called his cell phone.

He answered, telling me he was coming back from driving to East Shingle Mill Road and where he had several fire spots spaced out along the mountains.  

So, we packed up dogs in the truck and drove back to East Shingle Mill.  In one spot we could see four sets of flames.  

Oddly enough, the bright red sliver moon  looked like yet another hot spot. Only problem with that assumption:  the moon was in the sky. 

So, it's been a short, unsettled, uncomfortable and very warm night. 

From the posts on Facebook, it was probably even more unsettling for those who evacuated.  They were told to go to the fairgrounds.

This morning smoke blocks views of the mountains.

How long this will go on is anyone's guess; after all, today's date marks what used to be concerns about fire season. 

With the smoke and the heat, life feels like we've been stuck on a treadmill with no real escape. After all, many areas of the West are on fire. 

Not fun, to say the least, as the slim hope of some rain seems to have passed. 

On the slightly bright side, I will say, however, that cell phone weather forecasts tend to mimic the old-fashioned kind often repeated by locals:  if you don't like the weather, wait five minutes. 

I know that my cell-phone forecast changes from hour to hour, especially with information on just how hot it's gonna get on what days and when that much-needed rainstorm will really show up and drop its load.

So, if the cell phones aren't quite sure, I guess there's a sliver of hope that we might get a surprise at any time. 

The sooner the better. 

August, we're counting on you to heroically break this insidious hot spell and save the forests and the animals' food supply. 

Plus, I'm sure pretty much everyone is ready for a good night's sleep. 

Happy Sunday.        

An ironic and beautiful sight right now in the far woods. 

If we only had adequate fencing in our woods, the horses could feast every day. 

In past years, there's never been a need for extra grazing grass, so no fences. 

We may eventually set up the solar-powered electric fence in this area.