Not Over Yet

Busy learning new stuff about the iPhone, I wasn't paying much attention to the outdoors until Camille called to tell me about the King Fire east of Pollock Pines.  The fire had started the day before and had been held to about ten acres.  It jumped the lines during the night and by 11 a.m. it was 100 acres.  There was a knock on the door.  Tree Guy and Mrs. TG had come to Smokey's Place to see what they could see.  (I really do need one of those hats.)  At this point in the afternoon, the fire covered 1,000 acres and last night it had grown to over 3,000.  It's always informative when TG comes to look for smoke.  This plume, he told me, is in three layers.  The dark shelf at the bottom is true smoke, ashes, and the burning embers that sends the fire on ahead.  There is an orange-red layer above that which is the true heat of the fire, and the white topper is a cloud formed by moisture created by the fire itself.  He said he's worked wildfires where that cloud would actually create a thunder-lightning-rainstorm overhead.  Yubanet.com is about the only website that gives up-to-date information.  Later on in the afternoon, Camille called again to say the animal rescue group to which she belongs had been activated and she was heading out; would I put her animals to bed?  Cam's group works with large animals only, helping to find space for livestock and has trailers standing by to move them.  I'm so proud of her.

In between checking yubanet and playing with features on the phone, I didn't get much done the rest of the day.  Too hot to do anything, anyhow (90 degrees at 9:00).  Come sundown, I put my kids to bed and then went to Cam's.  Cricket and Shadow were waiting in the near-dark up by the house, impatiently waiting for their nighty-night treats, and followed me down to the barn.  Cleverly remembering to take my lighted hard hat, I was able to count the chickens in their two stalls and shut them in.  All present and accounted for.  Cam had told me to go down late because the eight pullets, like all little kids, were reluctant to go to bed while it was still light.

Deb had also been playing "new phone," and sent me a message just before I went to bed about emojis.  I'd never heard of such things (it's a brave new world out there!).  She promised to tell me about them today.  Linda had told me earlier about the voice-activated texting aid.  Man, this is a steep learning curve I'm on.

This morning the visible smoke is not as high, but has definitely spread much farther to the northeast.  Pretty obvious fire season is not over yet.