The Pacific North West is not supposed to get the extreme temperatures like we have endured the past few years. Few businesses and almost no homes have air conditioning even though the temperatures have been in the 80s and 90s for weeks.
But the saddest part is the wild fires that are out of control destroying everything in their paths. Towns being evacuated, homes burning down, people losing their lives.
The smoke is so thick in the air that you can't see the forest or the mountains. In fact, it is like driving through a fog. The air quality level is over 10; off the charts. When I walk my dogs every morning my feet get covered in black soot. Anyone with lung or breathing issues is having great difficulty. We need rain. We are praying for rain. We need relief.
There are now more than 500 active fires with the danger rating at 'extreme.' Almost 599,000 hectares have burned so far this year with a cost exceeding $257 million.
Between 10 and 15 years ago, thousands of acres of forest became infested with pine beetles. The mountain pine beetle is a naturally occurring insect of the Rocky Mountain's ecosystem. The only way to destroy them is below freezing weather for a minimum of three weeks. In the late 1990s, after several relatively warm winters, a massive outbreak resulted in the loss of millions of hectares of pine forests. Due to environmentalists protesting the cutting down of the infected trees, the beetles killed the trees but the dead, dry timber remained standing. With the increase in temperatures each summer, it was a disaster waiting to happen.
Our area depends on the tourist business to survive but it is quickly dying as visitors are staying away in droves.
Yet, the blackberry bushes lining our property thrive. Every morning for three weeks I picked berries at daybreak before the sun threatened to burn me. I gathered about 50 pounds to freeze. They make the best ice cream toppers, pies and tarts. Want some?
After picking, I would take the dogs to the park while most of the world still slept. They certainly enjoyed their playtime before it got too hot in the day. Twenty minutes was about all we could handle, between the impending heat and thick smoke. The park is all grass (dead and brown now) but it was like walking on ash. The smoke from the air causes my feet and legs to be black. Not, brown and dirty but pitch black from smoke.
Losing your cell phone is like.....
Anyone who has had their cell phone stolen knows how devastating it can be. Losing pictures, contacts and messages coupled with having to buy a new phone is frustrating and expensive. Two months ago a man walked into our store and picked up my hubby's phone off the desk and ran out the door. The going price for a phone on the street is about $25 but I think there are people still dumb enough to buy one. They can't be activated as the rightful owner would lock it immediately and flag it as stolen. Yet, it still happens.
Last week, it happened again. This time it was a young girl who spent $25 in the store and as soon as she left, hubby realized his phone was missing. He ran out the door but couldn't find her. Once again, I called the service provider, cancelled the number, flagged it as stolen and ordered a new phone.
Three hours later this young woman came back and said she picked up the phone by mistake. Really? Did she feel guilty or was she telling the truth? When I called the phone company to reverse the cancelled number, they told me how fortunate we were. "That just does not happen. Even if someone does it by mistake, they usually chuck the phone rather than return it." This restored my wavering faith in human kindness and honesty.
Grands! YEAH!
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| Star and Gunner were so happy to see them |
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| Love her 'morning' hair |
Beautiful how much they adore each other
Do you enjoy the summer? What was a highlight for you this year?
Baking in a Tornado
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