Smoke on the Water

There are 1100 wildfires burning around California. I think about 1099 of them are in this area. The smoke was so thick this morning that I couldn’t see any of the hills around our place, and my eyes and throat are getting sore. If I wanted this air quality, I’d live in London.*

I’m sad that Big Sur is burning. I camped there way back in 1991 during the Red Dirt Salsa Tour** and it was the first time I’d been in a redwood forest. It was also the first time I saw Steller’s Jays, which remain one of my favourite birds. At dawn, a bunch of them would be lined up on a branch over our tent, with their shoulders hunched up, all muttering “bleah” to themselves under their breath. I’m exactly the same way in the mornings. As the day went on, they’d get more cheerful, especially when we were eating. They’d fly down and eat off the same plates that we were eating from.

And this is just weird. It’s awfully hard not to cynically suspect “lobbyists” at work (and I finger-quote the word lobby, since I’m pretty sure the Supreme Court is not supposed to be lobbyable). The Second Amendment was pretty clearly for a militia and I really don’t follow the argument of ignoring that. The NRA is already talking about challenging states’ registration, waiting period, and limitation laws*** because they “infringe” the right to own a gun. Guh.

Today, I am leaning towards the “moving back to Canada sooner rather than later” opinion.





* A Londoner friend told me that at his university’s orientation, new foreign students were asked about how living in London was affecting them so far. After thinking a bit, one guy said solemnly “Well, my snot’s black now”

** After graduating university, two friends and I decided to drive south until we had half our money left, then turn around and drive back. We made it down to LA, because we camped most of the time. It was a fun trip – about fifteen days and $600 each, as I recall, most of which was gas.

*** Like, say, the one that says that someone with a restraining order against them shouldn’t be sold a gun. How unfair.

5 comments:

  1. Unknown said...

    Yeah it's starting to look a lot more like China outside my windows...  

  2. cenobyte said...

    I'm leaning more towards the "TUO ought to move back to Canada sooner rather than later" option, also. Stupid gun laws. But, you know, if their implementation is going to cause you to move home, then I say: "YAY, STUPID GUN LAWS!!!"

    (sigh)  

  3. Anonymous said...

    I know this is the last thing you want to hear, but recent studies are showing the lung damage from the smoke from simple wood burning is far more than anyone realized. That's why the Canadian Lung Association has come out specifically against backyard fire pits. You know they wouldn't do that unless it was pretty bad.

    And if a backyard fire pit can do lung damage, I can't imagine what you're experiencing. :(  

  4. Amy said...

    Terry: Oh yes, I know.. This is health-conscious California, here.

    I am not looking forwards to July 4. Idiots are still throwing lit cigarette butts out their car windows (seen it happening), so I'm sure that people will insist on lighting fireworks too.  

  5. Unknown said...

    Today my car was coated in a fine layer of ash. Hooray!  

 

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