Mountains Afire

Things remain smoky in SoCal, y'all.

I drive in to work each morning expecting to see green mountains welcoming me, and am instead welcomed by mounds of gray-brown smoke covering the horizon in front of a red sun rising.

When I open my car door in Pasadena the smell of campfires and wood stoves greets me.

One of my coworkers told me of a highway wreathed in fire as she drove East on Sunday night, and another is still out of town because his lungs won't be able to handle the smoke if he returns now..

The landscapers on campus are wearing bandannas over their faces (why they aren't at home is what I want to know...it's all fun and games til someone collapses and you get sued, campus powers-that-be...)

Since yesterday the air has been muggy and we're thanking heaven for the bit of humidity that arrived last night. Hopefully it'll help stop the fires.
Tuesday two firefighters died when their truck plunged 800 feet into a ravine. They were speeding down a mountain, trying to get away from the fire racing toward their backs.

This morning I heard that two other firefighters died because some yahoo decided to play the arsonist in the midst of all this craziness....I have no words.

People are losing lives and homes, and animals are too.What is there to do? Nothing, at this point. Pray for rain, I suppose. Just goes to show you that we may not be as in control as we think....so be thankful for the joys in your life...

Today's whiteboard quote:
"A single sunbeam is enough to drive away many shadows."
~St. Francis of Assisi