Once home, it took me a couple of days to get back into some of my routine, and the weather didn't relent. Monday was 110, Tuesday - 107 - today 99. Under 100 you say? But not for a good reason.
The Holy Fire (named because it started in Holy Jim Canyon in the Cleveland National Forest) started three days ago in the early afternoon. This is about 30 miles South of us. When my husband and I first saw the plume it looked like a mushroom cloud from an atom bomb. You can see the winds here keeping the smoke to the right (West to us).
The smoke didn't affect us that day, but as it moved northwest, it blocked the sun and the temperture dropped 2 degrees in a matter of minutes. Here's the sun behind the dense smoke. You can see the sun's halo. So it was dark way sooner than normal and then once the sun got under the smoke we had a normal sunset. By the end of the day our sky was mostly normal as the smoke was west of us.
Tuesday there was a bit of smoke still moving northwest, but this morning the smoke was back with the wind change. My husband found ashes on his truck and I have a fine dusting on my car which is in a carport. So now besides an excessive heat advisory, we have a smoke advisory. All throughout the day the sunlight had an eerie color to it - like a muted peach color instead of a bright and sunny look. Don't know what tomorrow will bring - depends on any winds. Approaching from the south Hurricane John may bring us humidity (no rain) which the firefighters need to fight this fire - no containment, still going strong as of this evening. I pray for their safety. Again, not close to us except for the smoke.
In the meantime - I go out in the early mornings - the only time it's cool and in the 70s and walk among the cactus. Here's one I found and liked.
I'm going over to LeeAnna's I Like Thursdays - see you there.
