September and October Are Not My Favorite Months

I have read various blog entries about how great the weather is this time of year, etc, etc, and all I have to say is, I hate this time of year. Sure, it's sunny and warm, holidays are fast approaching, but it's also the time when Southern California lights itself on fire, either via psychopathic lunatics setting them or Nature exercising her power to blow down power lines or strike lighting in the inland forest areas. I dread this time of year more than anything I can dread that isn't related to cancer or death, and I've only personally been through one bad fire season. Like, I would rather have an extra pap smear every year if it meant I could skip fire season. Heck, an extra two would be fine, too. Unfortunately, God doesn't really bargain that way. Like the thought I once had about giving away my pinky toe if it meant I could reverse history and wipe away the Bush 43 presidency. Another useless bargain. Anyway.

In my lifetime, I've been through two hurricanes and the good thing about those is, generally, there is only one really, really bad one maybe every 5-10 years, and you get a couple days notice to get your shit together. Fires? Not so much. In recent years, San Diego has had two really bad ones - 2003 and 2007. Two in 4 years. And you don't get much advance notice that they're coming. You go to bed one night with a small-ish fire far away, you wake up the next morning and all hell has broken loose and you're staring evacuation in the face. A minor wind shift or increased temperature/dryness can change everything. It's not cool. Earthquakes don't really scare me. Fire, on the other hand, scares the living poop out of me.

Right now there's a fire on the base, but it's on the northeastern end - a good ways away; it has burned 1000 acres with 0% containment. I'm not terribly worried about this one, yet, however, the situation can change in a matter of hours. The other fire I just learned about is not very far from my parents' place out by Idyllwild (National Forest). I am sure my mother is having a small panic attack right now. I'll have to call them on my way home, see if they want to flee to our house. That fire is at 2500 acres and 5% contained, but 3 miles from their house, is mandatory evacuations. Which freaks me out a bit. Fire season sucks like a Hoover. I can't wait for December when fire season will be mostly over!

Comments

  1. I did not realize that fires in CA had a season. I thought you liked to burn all year 'round. I hope by the time I've posted this and you see it, your parents and you guys are safe and sound. Anymore further %%% on containment? Hopefully?

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  2. I didn't realize it was a season either. I guess it goes to show it doesn't matter where you live, you will have environmental issues out of your control. Pick you poison I guess. Hurricanes, ice storms, or fires?

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  3. Hope your parents are doing OK. Yes, I'll take my hurricanes over wild fires any day.

    (Kinda does make a pap smear look like lunch date, huh?)

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