California - What are you doing this month?

Audrey, I remember flying into L.A. for the first time many years ago and could hardly see it due to the purple haze I was warned about.

If your area is ten times worse then I really feel for you and your daughter and everyone else there.    I wish I could share some of the rain we are now having that has pushed all reporting of our fires out of the news, thank goodness.

The Rough fire is doing things fire shouldn't and doesn't do.  Even their computers can't predict what it's going to do, it has done things it had a 2% chance of doing... It's a very dangerous one and it's creeping close to the mountain communities up here.  Those of you that believe in prayer - please stand in our behalf.

There is an evacuation warning in place for the upper communities above us, which means they are getting any and all livestock out of the area, cleaning up around their homes and taking out what they need to to be able to evacuate quickly on a moment's notice.  

We are still quite a ways away and not under any type of warning.  However, I am carefully gathering a pile of important things to go with us so that if/when there's a problem there's a little less stress involved.  

The smoke is overwhelming, I can't work in my garden except for watering it.

Audrey, you post made me cry.
Hugs and prayers.
CC

Audrey, I hope and pray that you don't get word to evacuate. A few years back we had the same situation in my area and Cal fire had a sort of town hall meeting to fill us in on the status of the fire and also gave us a rundown of the essentials to take should we get word to evacuate (2 hours advance notice, should things turn to fudge). Among the obvious- clothes, and valuables- we were reminded to take all legal papers, tax records, property titles, and any medications. It was real scary to watch the fire advance on us, but Cal Fire managed to keep us safe.

My very best thoughts and wishes go out to you Audrey.  I pray you stay safe and the air clears up and your garden and family thrive.

Our family visitors left on Saturday morning, our daughter goes back to college on Wed.  

The fire continues to grow.  The family that runs cattle on our extra property had to go get their cows from their summer pasture and bring them here a month early (which adds up $ on feeding them hay).  At least they are out of danger for now.

The small fire took much longer than anticipated, but is in mop up stage right now.  

We are starting to gather anything important so that we aren't stressing if anything happens.  Thanks for the prayers and hugs - both are needed 

You have my best hopes and wishes Audrey. I hope you stay safe and that your worries get smaller instead of bigger as this fire season goes on.

Prayers coming your way, Californians. And for the brave men and women fighting those fires as well. And maybe a little help from Mother Nature....(rain dance)

Oh dear....not good!

The fire along the Monterey-Salinas Highway[68] is contained and a house sustained some damage, but many homes in the area were saved; However, the Cachagua fire has taken one life and 12 homes and many other ranch and vineyard structures were lost. The residents were given a mandate to leave immediately by the Sheriff. People fled with what they could grab and run. The Carmel Valley fire blew up out of control quickly as the Hwy 68 fire was given all fire fighting resources due to it's population density. Once the Hwy 68 fire was contained, choppers and crewmen were dispatched to fight the Cachagua fire which by then was way beyond containment. Both blazes left my area with only 1 way out of the valley, so things are tense as the whole sky resembles an atomic bomb blast.

Good luck, yardslave. I know how frightening fires can be. Just the smoke alone can be very dangerous.

Sorry, it's pretty confusing, but the Tassahara fire is in the Cachagua area. The fire is named after the road where the fire started, the 168 fire was by the old Fort Ord area, to the North. The fire is 65% contained now, but it's pretty smoky here. My friends were allowed back in to see if their home was spared, and found that the fire crews had set up around the house and it was alright, but the entire area surrounding it was totally scorched, all the hose bibs and irrigation sprinklers were melted it was so hot!

Our fire "The Rough Fire" is close to being contained now.  The past few days have been smokey again as they've been back burning some of the areas where the fire could still jump the line.  73% containment currently.  It won't be fully dealt with until we get some good long cold stretches or rain.  It's growing much more slowly though, thank God.

I'm afraid I'm going to be too late now on most of what I wanted to plant for fall, but I'm going to give it a go anyway.

How are you guys doing?