noun

An open, shallow, usually round container used especially for holding liquids. Or smoke, if it’s the lower Columbia Basin.

Weather in the Tries: I dunno, it’s too smokey to see in the future.

Yes, we here in the Columbia Basin are getting smoke from the fires in Canada and Washington to the north, Washington and Idaho to the east, Oregon to the south, and Washington to the west. And, be a basin, we gather all the smoke we can, and keep it. According to the EPA, our air is currently Very Unhealthy at 261AQI. (Remember, I am writing this on Sunday. Our air tomorrow, which is now today when you read this, is forecast to be some better.)

But, I gotta tell you a funny. Well, it’s funny, but sad in a way, too. As you know, have you ever been to visit, we have some pretty good-sized wind turbines up on the hill. A friend who is on a Neighborhood app said that someone wrote in and asked who to contact to turn the giant white fans on to blow our smoke away. Oh, yeah, great idea. The problem is, the fans are powered by the wind, they don’t produce it. The sad thing is, this guy was serious. He truly believes the fans create the wind because he’s noticed when the turn them on about 20 minutes or so later, it gets breezy here in the Tries. 

We probably ought to get used to this, especially if DuhSantis gets elected, because he wants to make the whole US as ignorant as he’s making Florida kids. It may be too late. Apparently, they are already among us. Maybe DuhSantis will choose Crazy Cousin Sarah as his running mate? Oh, excuse me, I need to go wash my mouth out…

I do sorta feel like I’m back in the pandemic—I need to mask up to take the Big Chihuahua out for a walk, and he doesn’t like the smell, so we’re doing short walks. I woke yesterday after a night of coughs, and Housemate Dan (who never closes his window) woke this morning coughing so all our doors and windows are closed for the duration.

My friends in SoCal are already having power outages, and winds. The news says there are about 10,200 homeless in the San Diego area. I imagine the homeless population that will be affected by Hilary is pretty high. I hope they are all in higher areas, and not at the lowest points. It has to be scary enough surviving on the street, in blue tarp shelters, without the high winds and threat of flooding. 

Some of the things I miss about Florida (besides the cicadas and ‘gators) are the tropical storms. I loved the rains. Of course, my house was high enough I wasn’t concerned about flooding, and the dirt/soil was made by all those little organisms to quickly train the water. Where there was a lot of concrete, well, that would flood. Sometimes, my swimming pool would gain 4-6 inches in the length of a good rain. I really loved how the rains would come in, say ‘Howdy’, then skedaddle on to the neighbors. I would stand at my dining room doors and watch the lightning. As much as I loved to watch it, I hated it when it hit—people lost a lot of electronics, etc. when it hit, or hit near, their homes. Sometimes, they’d lose the entire house if a fire started. That took some of my enjoyment away. But I still love a good thunder/lightning storm, if only there was no damage. I’d enjoy a good ‘cane, too, if there was no damage. Old Ma Nature is no dainty, prissy, demure gal to be trifled with! If we’re gonna mess up her domain, why should she be kind to us and ours?

The Big Chihuahua says he doesn’t want to move to Florida. He doesn’t like rain, thunder, lightning, or riding in a car. So, I guess I’m staying here. He further states he doesn’t understand my liking of ‘gators—he’s sure they’re overrated. And he does not want to eat one (which is fine by me—the less he eats, the more there is for me!)