Ashes In My Hair

Photos from the LA Times

We've had fires here in Southern California, and all week I've been worried about my house going up in flames. Tonight, I took the dog out. It smells of something beyond just wood burning. It's sickly sweet. It's the smell of metal, and all sorts of materials being incinerated. It isn't good. The winds roared from the desert, picking up speed as they came down the mountains and the force could be heard all Sunday night.

It was with a familiar feeling of dread that I thought about the fires already raging in Malibu. I'd had been nervous before. At one point, we lived in a gorgeous canyon area. But we knew it had a wicked side. There was one flat road in, and one hilly road back down the ridgeline if ever the flat road got closed. When fire season came, I'd put records and belongings in empty laundry baskets, line up the pet carriers, talk to a neighbor about a plan of evacuation --essential for her because she not only had horses, but an adult son with CP, confined to a wheelchair. Then, I'd listen to the volunteer fire department patrol all day & night.

On Sunday night, it was apparent that the fires had the upperhand. I spent the day rewatering potted plants, fretting over a tree that I hadn't had money to trim this summer. And then if felt like I just waited, sniffling, sneezing, and worrying about my youngest with asthma. One of my staff called in sick on Monday --like the rest of us, she hadn't slept and sounded extraordinarily stressed and congested. On Tuesday, we found out that her elderly grandparents had been evacuated into Qualcomm center in San Diego.

The winds have stopped. Some of the fires are only 10% contained, a few burning out of control. All the fires are in steep terrain, and people live there because they love it. 25 years ago, even 8, many of these new communities didn't exist. But then 25 years ago, we didn't have as massive a population (42 million, I think) that we do today.

At some point, we need to talk about the numbers we have in California. It's expected to reach 50 million in the next decade. This isn't the state I grew up in. It's already at numbers that aren't environmentally sustainable. The more we push into these rugged terrains, the more terrible loss of homes and lives we'll see. I take the very conservative view that a bit of planning and can act as prevention. Unfortunately, politicians would rather talk about feeling gypped that they didn't "get" the funding for fire fighting equipment. While this might be true, they have to realize they were part of the process that let it slip through. Simply put, we've got to quit building entire developments where they don't belong.

The kids haven't been allowed outside all week at school due to "unhealthful air" conditions. They're going nuts. On Friday I pick up my daughter and her new friend from school. I'm also picking up the sister. I'm taking them for ice cream, then they'll come play here. She's just moved here. Her mother works a lot as a nurse. Her father is a Marine in Iraq. They're divorced, but they both love their kids. All in all, it's not an easy situation. I hope that for awhile, my house can be a place where they can relax, have fun. I'll ask her mother if their dad has a camera and microphone. If not, I'll tell her they can connect at my house if it's possible.

That's all for now.
I really do like reading your blogs.
I'll write more on Monday.