Another Version of Hell

After a spectacularly stellar summer (as in 70's & 80's) we have finally entered into the part of summer that most sane (my opinion) people dread...HEAT.  Yesterday it was supposed to be 101F with 15% humidity.  It was 109F.  Today it's supposed to be 105F with 12% humidity, which means it'll be 115F here!  The only saving grace is the extreme dryness.  So it doesn't feel so hot.  In fact yesterday, I felt cooler than I had a few days ago when it was in the high 90's with some humidity!

With this kind of heat and dryness comes the inevitable wild fires.  Yesterday at about 2 p.m. I was coming out of Trader Joe's and there in a canyon up in the foothills was a beginning of a plume of smoke.  I'd heard a lot of sirens about an hour before and noticed one city's fire truck go by and then another city's go by and at that point I was pretty sure there was a forest fire somewhere nearby.

So sure enough, an hour later, there it was.  After having one of my electrical sockets spark and flame while I was vacuuming a few weeks ago, I got to see up close, just how much gear the fire fighters have to wear.  Talk about cumbersome!  And then to have to be out in blazing sun and heat with the fire and smoke, I don't know how they do it!!!  I've heard this same thing commented on in the news, but after seeing the gentlemen at close range, I really appreciate what they go through and do!