So yes, the Dixie Fire in California is dominating everything, right now. It’s scary for those families and the firefighters over there and it’s of course pouring smoke into Reno and the rest of the region.
Our thoughts go out to those most directly affected by this.
For those of us in the path of the smoke, it’s just so odd. The sun is just a disk in the sky on most days, ranging in color from orange to canary yellow, like a kid might draw in a picture.
It was so bad this week, many of us thought the school district was going to declare a smoke day for the first days of school. We had several of those last year, but the district decided against it, much to my son’s joy. He was out of school all last year and was so happy to be back in a classroom with other people.
One of his major complaints last school year was, “I just want to see other people! Anyone, anywhere!”
So he’s going to school and us runners must monitor the air quality and be ready to hit the road when it dips into the moderate or good quality range. And even then, you gotta keep the runs short.
Unfortunately, it seems we’re becoming used to this, at least I am, I guess.
Between the Dixie and Tamarack fires and last year’s fires, I’m getting used to this season as terrible as it is. There’s no blue skies and I wear my covid mask while driving and going outside when its bad. It’s now just part of what we face out here.
Needless to say, it was a bad idea to try to up my mileage goals this month, but there are worse things to face.
Anyway, everyone be safe out there.
Keep running, keep writing.
Chalk Creek Writing Outfit 