Mrs. Robinson...California Wildfires?

Was just going to check to see if you'd been here, Mrs. Robinson, to tell you that I got an email from Whatsisname (The Father of My Children) saying so far so good. He said one reason is that the houses are all on 2-3 acre lots and that the lawns and trees are dead from the drought so there's really nothing to burn except for neighbors' lots/homes where the weeds haven't been cut down (they had their own cleaned up in just the past couple of weeks). According to him, the worst of it is the smoke. They don't have cell phones, only a landline, but they're going to town today to grocery shop so we're hoping they get caught up on whatever they need to know.

Glad you're still okay and hope you don't have to evacuate but glad you're prepared in case you do.
 

Just heard from Whatsisname, and he says that the fire nearest them (which is also where Mrs. Robinson lives) is 55% contained and does not represent a great risk. There's a new one nearby that's also posing no great risk. So if he's fine, she's fine.

He did say that it's VERY smoky there. Gosh. I bet it's because of those pesky fires!
 
Oh yes-VERY smokey here. But smokey all the way to San Francisco(3 hours away) and beyond. Lots of people wearing masks. All of the kids football games have been postponed due to the poor air quality (up until now,we rate between first and third healthiest air in the U.S.) The entire county has cancelled school this week,except our schools stayed open and just kept the kids indoors all day. Was woken up this morning at 5am to an alert on my cell phone from the Sheriff`s Dept. that yet another fire started up in this county and all residents in that community were under a mandatory evacuation order. Problem was,there is only one road in or out of that community and the fire was right at the entrance/exit. So then they changed the order to everyone go either to the community center or the campgrounds,where they could be airlifted out if need be (yikes!) But after growing to 100 acres,the firefighters were able to get the fire out. I think if I lived in that community,I would want to stay elsewhere until we get some rain. They are predicting we may get some next Thursday-I sure hope so.
 

A few days ago, I looked at the satellite images of Santa Rosa...before the fire...and understood Why there were so many lost houses. That place had rows of houses built just 5 or 6 feet from the adjacent houses...the owners could probably open a window, lean out, and shake hands with each other. I know property prices are ridiculous in California, but it is just Pure Greed on the part of the developers that allow this density of housing to be built...if one house has a fire, it endangers those adjacent. Then, scanning further into the rural areas, one can see all sorts of housing tucked in amongst a heavy growth of bushes and evergreen trees. In a drought condition, that is like surrounding your house with cans of gasoline. I cannot understand anyone buying into property which has such a high risk of destruction. About the Only upside in Santa Rosa, might be not having to spend much time mowing the yard.

It's a shame that so many people have lost everything they had, and that many lives have been lost....but, it would seem to me that a person should take a good long look at their surroundings before they purchase a house.

We live in a dense jungle of heavy forest, but I spent much of the first year here trimming back all the brush and cedar trees to at least 75 yards from the house. Then, as further insurance against a grass fire, I surrounded the entire house with creek rock to a distance of about 15'. The trees I left standing are all hardwood...oak, walnut, hickory, and not likely to be damaged should the dead grass ever catch on fire in March. I try to take Murphy's Laws into consideration and plan for the worst, then be grateful if it doesn't happen. Unfortunately, the world seems full of people who think it will never happen to them.....
 
Mrs. Robinson said:
We are surrounded! Unbelievable. 8-10 active wildfires burning. Two in this county but both on the other side of our lake. I have a new foster girl and she lives over there. She text her mom this morning and their home has been lost. This means my girl has lost everything she owns. She was brought here from school,so had only the clothes on her back. I asked CPS if they could ask her parents for some of her things-some parents will give them and some won`t. But CPS didn`t bother to ask. They better come up with some $$$$ to buy her clothes-I went out and bought her underwear,socks and toiletries the day after she got here but I can`t replace her entire wardrobe.

Anyway,we are safe here for now. My daughter and son in law live close to Santa Rosa and can see the smoke and flames from their house. So they have spent the day hosing down their house and property. It got really,really windy here last night and all of these fires were caused by downed power lines. Our "neighborhood" has all underground utilities-probably after this entire area burned in the 80s. So we are a little safer but nothing but dry grass for miles around us.
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OMG...that's so frightening! Just seeing it on T.V. boggles my mind! I hope you and yours will remain safe and that you don't lose your home.
 
As of today (Sunday), the death toll is up to 40. I am both saddened and stunned by that. May God rest their souls.
 

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