SMOKE!

Yes, we are inundated with SMOKE! The fires began when we returned from our camping trip and the smoke still hasn't cleared. It is so bad that I literally lost my voice because of it! We keep waiting for it to clear but even 25 mph winds aren't doing it. It is just lingering around, like fog, which we are used to. But fog is clean, cool and moist. This haze reminds me of the air conditions when we lived in the Inland Empire of Southern California. 300 days out of the year it looked like this! And similarly, the air is hot and humid, like a suffocating blanket. It's amazing -- once you are out of the smog of SoCal, you can really tell the difference. It didn't bother me a whole lot when we lived there and I still attribute that to God! Only on occasion did the smog really get me down -- like when I couldn't see the Mt. Baldy backdrop in our front yard. But on the clear days -- wow! What a picture! But now that I am back in NorCal, I am quite fond of the clear, blue skies :)

Typically, you can see lots of hills in the background.

The smoke has literally settled in the valley.

Remember to pray for those most affected by the fires; those who live in the threatened areas, as well as those with breathing difficulties. This will be a blip in our memories later down the road but for now, it literally stinks!