It's going to be a bad fire season........

Fire season for SW Oregon officially started 12am Monday morning but do people stop burning, heck no, no thought at all given to the fact that we're in a second year of drought and they're predicting this could be the worst fire season in many years.......that's coming off the bad fires we had last summer (pic to the left).  I read the emergency response reports in the local paper - I didn't stop to count how many were for fire agencies being called out to illegal burns and smoke reports this week since fire season started. The past 4 days we've been in a red flag fire warning due to the high winds.

One of my neighbors, Firebug Jackie, as I so lovingly call her has not cut her tall brown grass yet - at this point I'd be happy if she didn't do it all, she usually waits to do it outside the window we're allowed to cut brush and I end up calling ODF on her..........I gave up several years ago reminding her about it in person, she has no common sense and pays no attention. Her property is between us and the road - our only escape route if she starts a fire would be driving right through the thick of a fire.

On the eastside of our valleys there's heavy smoke from two fires burning out of control in Bend, they're 200 miles to the northeast of us. The smoke is hanging heavy in Medford but the wind is keeping our section of the valley clear - I was over in Medford today and it's ugly. There are many evacuations over in Bend now and more on alert - hoping for the best with no homes or lives lost.

We have approximately 4 months of fire season ahead of us. Already I wake up in the morning wondering how I'll make it through the summer always looking for smoke plumes on the horizon or smelling the air for smoke........I'll be a nervous wreck all summer long.......ready for the funny farm long before the rains come.........hmm, what is the funny farm like anyhow? might be ok.........