Fire on the Mountain

The Solstice dawned here with welcome summer heat and glorious skies. These skies included the first puff of cumulus clouds that ultimately formed into towering thunderheads and afternoon storms, dramatic with lightning and sporadic fits of hail or giant raindrops.

A classic start to summer but for one thing - these storms sparked 100's of fires in the state, over 30 in our local area alone.

The next day there was the tell tale brownish streak of a cloud across the sky that can only be smoke and by Sunday morning we awoke to smokey skies and air. Today was even worse, you cannot see the top of the mountain across the canyon at all and our eyes are puffy, throats scratchy and everything tastes and smells of smoke. This with no fire really that close to us.
This affects all living beings. If you look closely, you will see a deer in the photo (bottom, right of center). They, the birds, and all the wildlife, are suffering the same ill effects to lungs and eyes that we are.

Nothing we can do about it except go somewhere else where it is not smokey or hope the wind comes up from the other direction and blows it away, rather than making it thicker, which is what has happened since I took the photo this morning.

But there are atmospheric pollutants in our lives every day that we can do something about. Given that there are so many, like this smoke, auto exhaust, industrial emissions, and such, that are only slowly being lessened as awareness grows, it is in our best interest to cut the number of irritants and toxins that we may inadvertently expose ourselves and our families to.

Air fresheners, scented candles, heavily scented soaps, dish, and laundry detergents... many of these rely on synthetic chemical fragrances to overwhelm our senses. Some of these chemicals are far from good for us, and are often the triggers for reactions for those with sensitivities. Chemical based household cleaners, pesticides and other products used in the home have caused the indoor air to be more polluted than outdoor air, even in cities, in some cases!

Remember that you can find fragrance-free or lightly scented, nontoxic and environmentally friendly products for all your needs at almost any store these days. And you can find everything you need for basic body and hair care at Simmons Natural Bodycare including a whole section of fragrance-free products.

Fire Update: As of June 28, the smoke just gets worse. It looks like a long, smokey summer ahead. To get the latest information on fires all around the United States check out this Fire Center site.
July Update: After a lovely 4 day reprieve, the smoke is back. There are simple face masks (small, similar to a painter mask in size and shape) that will filter out the smoke. If you are in an area with heavy smoke here is information on these respirator masks. They are available inexpensively in many places online as well as at medical supply and industrial supply stores.