Don't keep those home fires burning.

My apologies for not having updated much this week. There are several significant wildfires near my home and while we aren't in any immediate danger, Chateau Palette is frequently downwind of a particularly large (over 5000 acres) and nasty (45% contained) blaze. While these fires aren't as bad as the Firestorm of '98 where, I shit you not, every county in Florida except the Keys was on fire, they're still pretty bad and are getting worse. Just to give you an idea, I can look out my front window and see everything covered in a thin smoky haze.

Breathing smoke is not good. Being allergic to what's burning is also not good. I had to go to the ER in '98 for smoke inhalation, and now it seems like I'm even more susceptible to the stuff. I'm spending a lot of time in my room, trying to make it as over-pressured as possible. When I do leave the house, I'm wearing a wet dishtowel over my face like a cosplay of the Worst Bank Robber Ever.

What we need most is a soft, gentle rain that lasts for hours and soaks us with several inches of water. What we are getting, unfortunately, are thunderstorms with lots of lightning strikes which are starting even more fires.

Today's been a pretty good day, or at least it was until about 5 minutes ago. The wind has shifted, I've started hacking again, and we're under a severe thunderstorm warning.

I tell you, hurricane season can't get here soon enough.