This work week has been set in high drama with temperatures
set high and humidity levels in single digits with desert winds blowing toward
the coast. When the Santa Ana conditions
are just right the wind reverses and comes from the eastern desert. The hot air (100 degrees) moves toward the
west, up over the mountains and when it reaches the peaks and falls over, it
has such a force that carries it the rest of the way.
Whooshhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
My garden in on a hill about half way between the ocean and
the mountains. It sits near the top of
the hill. Below us are avocado and
citrus trees. The orchard is a neglected
mess. The avocados love it that
way. Really, only the citrus that has
fallen should be picked up. It’s all
mellow. But it started Monday with that
blast of wind that must have lasted for a long time. I heard things knocking against the house and
went to look out the window. There was a
river of leaves blowing up the hill. The
leaves rolled and rolled and rolled up the hill. It was such an odd thing to observe . . . a
rolling river of leaves being blown uphill for about five minutes.
The hot blast made such an unsightly mess so the next day (Tuesday)
I was determined to clean up the patio in spite of the fact that several days
of the same weather had been predicted.
Those leaves were tucked into every little space under and beside every
pot and planter. Permaculture at it’s
best, I’d say, but I’m not ready to be composted just yet.
I swept the whole patio, fluffed all the rugs, watered
everything, and set the broom to rest against the garden gate commanding the
wind to knock it off.
The Bernardo fire began that day. It was about 35 miles away. They seemed to get some containment and I was hoping for the best, in general,
since really, it’s May, not September.
The next day (Wednesday) was different. The fires began popping up here and popping
up there until I realized that I was quite surrounded. I had to focus on what was going on. A) An
arsonist waited for the perfect conditions.
B) The many steep canyons were dry and houses built along the
ridges. C) Since I’m not on a ridge, my
only problem would be a flying ember so I registered my cell phone with reverse
911 and decided to enjoy the heat. I
took a few pictures and kept up to date with neighbors on Facebook.
But I did review my stuff and prepared an evacuation
plan. I surprised myself by being
determined to keep my box of recipes safe even though I usually use the
internet these days.
The next day , Thursday now, some of the nine fires grew and
traveled all around canyons and houses and some caught on fire but most
didn’t. The firefighters are saving the
structures and keeping the fires to the canyons. The winds are changing directions this way
then that and it’s hard to outwit it.
Flame and smoke tornadoes are dancing and photographers are getting in
the way of firemen.
At least three, maybe four fires are nearby my garden. There is a riverbed full of invasive reeds
that is on fire. They are using bull
dozers to stop it’s progress. There is a
fire on the nearby military base (not unusual as they often shoot ordinance
there). And there is a fire on the land
just east of the base. You need to use
ID to drive through the area which is about five miles long. It was
used to store munitions between wars.
There are all these round hills that are hollow for storage, no
buildings, just mounds covered in grass.
I expect that they are pretty empty now.
Anyway, that’s where another fire is, maybe 15 miles away.
Friday, is the day to calm this riot act down. All the firemen, policemen, emergency helpers
and citizens are doing a fantastic job responding to the small pockets of fire
as well as the larger ones. They are
flexible and move people around. There
are firemen from many other cities and our hotshots are inmates who will get a
reduced sentence. Some are working 48
hour shifts.
It feels loving, the friends and family who inquire after you when they hear the news. Let's help each other recover and prepare.
The weather is turning much cooler tomorrow. The fire on Camp Pendleton is in some serious
mountains. I feel for the wildlife.
And the season is just beginning. I think I’ll buy a van to fit my special stuff
into.
