Holy . . . Fire

Hurricanes and tornadoes I’m familiar with. I even powered through eight days without power during New England’s Snowtober years ago. Having moved all around the country, I’ve grown acquainted with all kinds of weather patterns. Seattle rain. Georgia thunderstorms. The sky dumping snow in Connecticut.

But fire? This is new.

I walked outside to enjoy the view from our backyard last Monday only to notice something was off about the strange clouds forming over the mountain range in the distance.

And that something has been burning for the past week. Over a thousand firefighters have labored to put out what’s been dubbed the holy fire. 22,000 acres destroyed.

I watched from a safe distance as the fire traveled over the mountain range and canyon, greeted by a pungent smoky odor every morning. And let me tell you, if I’ve learned anything it’s that fire moves fast.

Only weeks after we left Hawaii earlier this year a volcano erupted. We move here and a few short months later an area of land that hasn’t seen fire for over forty years is suddenly aflame. Curious, that.

Gauging the attitudes of fellow Californians, I sense they’ve grown accustomed to breakout fires. Much like I knew what twelve inches of snow would look like in New England.

I’m telling you, I’ve observed some wild skies in the 40+ years I’ve been on earth, but none compare to what I’ve seen this past week.

*blogging break until Aug. 27th. See you then!