How I'm feeling this morning.......

It's sad but this is how I'm feeling this morning, kind of blah and worn out. I went out front to get a picture of some cheery flowers to brighten my morning but this is all I found.....kind of matches my mood. The smoke is getting me down, we had a number of days where the majority of the smoke was heading elsewhere but it never really left, the smell lingers and this morning it's pretty stinky out there. I seem to have a perpetual sinus headache these days. But things could be worse, we could be evacuated or be on evacuation notice. I am hoping to have a good day in spite of my headache - was thinking of working on the last of the quilt blocks but am now considering putting on a movie and spinning, something I almost never do during the middle of the day.....it might be just what I need.

The west is on fire these days - my heart goes out to all those living through it, there are so many dangerous fires right now. Ours thankfully are doing better although there are still thousands of fire fighters working them......many have moved on to some of the newer fast growing fires elsewhere.  I have a fire update on 3 of the fires....of the other 2, one is contained, the other not contained but not growing either.

Big Windy - 19,598 acres burned, 20% contained, $21.8M cost - this one is close to us as the crow flies but they've been working on good containment lines on that side of the fire.

Douglas Complex - 48,643 acres burned, 78% containment, $48M cost - this one's south side is closing in on the other two fires near us but they've made great headway on it.

Whiskey Complex - 16,861 acres burned, 75% containment, $17.2M cost.  This one is to the east of us so not a danger to us but it along with the Northern California fires help keep our region in smokey skies.

No one in this region can thank the firefighters enough, what a dangerous job they do protecting homes, habitat and forests. If you've never lived in a forest fire region you've never seen the fire camps....one 2 miles from our house, a mini-city feeding and caring for thousands of fire fighters, you've never seen all the signs along the roads thanking the firefighters and then there is always the tent or two selling fire t-shirts - they must be groupies following the fires........

More thunder storms forecast in the region these next 3 days - argh, give us a break!   At least we got a break this past weekend when we went over the mountain to the coast where we had 70 degree weather, blue, clear, sunny skies and no smoke!