Smoke

Even way out here we are getting smoke from the LA fires. My sister just told me the smoke has gone to Las Vegas and now even on to Denver (and presumably everywhere else in between and beyond). That makes me feel more connected, both to LA and to Denver, instead of my usual feeling of total isolation.

And to Las Vegas. I have such a different attitude toward Las Vegas, now that I live in Ridgecrest. No longer do I think of it as a tacky, unhealthy, unnecessary kind of place. Instead, Las Vegas is where our classical music station comes from!

An advantage to living in Ridgecrest is that we are unlikely to lose our homes to a forest fire. There is no forest here. Could a fire survive for miles and miles on creosote bush? I think we're safe.

California's burning. "Patchy smoke" is predicted for the next few days. I look at the sky and think of the people who have lost their homes, the forest animals who have lost their lives.